Comments on: Travel media needs to look beyond news and give opinion http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/02/11/travel-industry-media-opinion/ - Discussions on travel consumer issues Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:10:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: James http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/02/11/travel-industry-media-opinion/#comment-159981 James Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:24:39 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5804#comment-159981 Blimey think you opened up a can here Darren . Agree with yours and majority of the comments, yes I have been guilty of the cut and paste! But I don't count myself as main stream. It blows me away to see releases in main stream media just cut and pasted! Not a bad paid job some of these travel journos who work for the big houses! James Blimey think you opened up a can here Darren . Agree with yours and majority of the comments, yes I have been guilty of the cut and paste! But I don’t count myself as main stream. It blows me away to see releases in main stream media just cut and pasted! Not a bad paid job some of these travel journos who work for the big houses!

James

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]]> By: Nick http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/02/11/travel-industry-media-opinion/#comment-159941 Nick Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:58:26 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5804#comment-159941 Darren, as a reader I can tell you the information needs to be short, I have only read half the comments here due to time limits today. The trade press tends to make things short and to the point. The also deliver comment via letters, blogs and editors pages for example. If a paper start to break down every story they carried I probably stop reading that paper and speaking to colleagues they agree with me. We honestly just want to know whats going on and why, you can see how much via the papers things change each week and to get more detail is overload. Darren, as a reader I can tell you the information needs to be short, I have only read half the comments here due to time limits today. The trade press tends to make things short and to the point. The also deliver comment via letters, blogs and editors pages for example. If a paper start to break down every story they carried I probably stop reading that paper and speaking to colleagues they agree with me.

We honestly just want to know whats going on and why, you can see how much via the papers things change each week and to get more detail is overload.

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]]> By: Thomas Power http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/02/11/travel-industry-media-opinion/#comment-159940 Thomas Power Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:47:17 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5804#comment-159940 @Matt Parsons. Re: "Out of interest though, what exactly would you like to see written about the airline’s new cabin?" The short answer is, nothing. It's not a news story. It's a service update. BA can communicate this stuff with its own constituency. I don't know why any trade publication would allow itself to become the means of broadcast for BA's PR department. I accept that trade publications know their constituencies and updates (I can't bring myself to call it a story) such as the BA first class cabin revamp may have a place. I really do not believe that it's a suitable lead item. Can we have a 'PR corner' where this sort of thing is stuck in a roundup section? Leave your headlines to be news items, put the PR stuff in but in its rightful place. @Matt Parsons. Re: “Out of interest though, what exactly would you like to see written about the airline’s new cabin?”

The short answer is, nothing. It’s not a news story. It’s a service update. BA can communicate this stuff with its own constituency. I don’t know why any trade publication would allow itself to become the means of broadcast for BA’s PR department.

I accept that trade publications know their constituencies and updates (I can’t bring myself to call it a story) such as the BA first class cabin revamp may have a place. I really do not believe that it’s a suitable lead item.

Can we have a ‘PR corner’ where this sort of thing is stuck in a roundup section? Leave your headlines to be news items, put the PR stuff in but in its rightful place.

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]]> By: Chris Clarkson http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/02/11/travel-industry-media-opinion/#comment-159912 Chris Clarkson Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:30:46 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5804#comment-159912 Well done Darren, this post has certainly created some good debate amongst the members of the travel press. From my perspective I'd like to add that reporting PR's "churnalism" has its place. How do I find out what the market leaders in UK travel are up to? Not all the foremost companies are publicly listed, and as private companies the only information that they'll send out are via press releases. While these may well be open to analysis and editorial, I'd imagine the vast majority would be difficult / time consuming to find an "angle" that would generate further interest. (Disclaimer: Yes, I'm one of those people responsible for sending out those PR's) Where a news story is important or interesting enough to require opinion or editorial I find most of the online reporting titles do a fairly good job in dissecting the sides of the story, although tending to remain neutral with their own position. This maybe related to Alex's comment of journalists / editors not putting their own reputation on the line or may just be a time / cost / impartiality issue? With regards to commenting on stories, I really think you should make it as easy as possible for your readers. Please. Surely increased engagement with a certain story will highlight which issues your readership are very interested in and want to expand on? If you're going to do "online", do it whole-heartedly! Well done Darren, this post has certainly created some good debate amongst the members of the travel press.

From my perspective I’d like to add that reporting PR’s “churnalism” has its place. How do I find out what the market leaders in UK travel are up to? Not all the foremost companies are publicly listed, and as private companies the only information that they’ll send out are via press releases. While these may well be open to analysis and editorial, I’d imagine the vast majority would be difficult / time consuming to find an “angle” that would generate further interest. (Disclaimer: Yes, I’m one of those people responsible for sending out those PR’s)

Where a news story is important or interesting enough to require opinion or editorial I find most of the online reporting titles do a fairly good job in dissecting the sides of the story, although tending to remain neutral with their own position. This maybe related to Alex’s comment of journalists / editors not putting their own reputation on the line or may just be a time / cost / impartiality issue?

With regards to commenting on stories, I really think you should make it as easy as possible for your readers. Please. Surely increased engagement with a certain story will highlight which issues your readership are very interested in and want to expand on? If you’re going to do “online”, do it whole-heartedly!

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]]> By: Caitlin http://www.travel-rants.com/2010/02/11/travel-industry-media-opinion/#comment-159891 Caitlin Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:31:14 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5804#comment-159891 @Zach I don't think anyone's talking about reviews here, which clearly should have opinion. We're talking about travel industry news. @Zach I don’t think anyone’s talking about reviews here, which clearly should have opinion. We’re talking about travel industry news.

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