For PR pros, a look at how social media has reshaped journalism

It has changed the way people consume news and has given rise to citizen journalism. For reporters and broadcasters, it has altered the way they get information and story ideas, as well as how they share breaking news stories and updates.

PR pros would do well to consider these three key ways social media has modified the way journalists work:

1. Social media offers journalists increased access to content.

Thanks to social media, journalists have unprecedented access to their audience, putting them closer than ever to the content and story ideas that their readers, viewers and listeners care about.

Audiences no longer passively wait for a news anchor to tell them the news. Consumers are on Twitter or Facebook, sifting through content and sharing stories from their friends and family, sometimes before journalists have even picked those stories up.

All this makes social media a great place to do research and make connections that might not have otherwise come about.

2. Journalists are responsible for sharing their stories.