The Wild, Wild West Needs Sheriffs

There's a lot of talk about the demise of the media. About newspapers dying. About magazines teetering on the edge. Many process that paper chase as the impending death of the media. But what the talk is really about is not the demise of the media.

What we're really discussing are delivery systems for information — and the validity of what is delivered though those systems.

The channels of communication have expanded and that's a good thing. Writers who lose jobs in the paper world can re-emerge online. There's now more demand for content, not less. The Web's content-hungry, so good writers will always be in demand.

Good journalists will be needed too – it just may take a little longer for people to come to their senses and realize that they need the ethics and guidelines that journalists are trained to apply to news reporting. That it's way better for a rumor to be treated as a lead rather than a headline.

Right now, the Web is like the Wild, Wild West. And it needs a few good sheriffs.

Anyone with a keyboard can put his or her thoughts out for all the world to see. They can damage reputations and are immune from the consequences. They can foster and spread rumors.

But sooner or later, as happened 100 years ago, people will tire of such “yellow journalism.” They'll want to know that what they read has been vetted in some logical, ethical way.

Until that day comes, PR pros will continue to share news and work with media online and off to get the facts out.

And when the rumor mill is grinding, we'll be there to do a little crisis management whenever bad publicity travels on the net.