Media Relations | Paul Werth

Not Your Mother’s News Media?

January 21st, 2010

Today’s news media are a far cry from what my mother experienced in the Walter Cronkite-era of my youth. Social media invigorate our communications, broaden our networks and make content-sharing much more immediate.

How will our communications possibilities be transformed by the mainstreaming of social media this year? Here are my thoughts:

People will continue to gravitate toward news that is shareable. We are social beings, and there’s power in using our social networks to share news in real time. On Sunday mornings, I curl up with my newsreader and share content with friends separated by time and space. Big news organizations realize this and have made the ShareIt icon ubiquitous, because news shared in context takes on greater meaning. There are more news stories out there and more in-depth discussion as a result of sharing content.
News publishing that encourages us to be the correspondent isn’t just more engaging – it has more impact for the news audience. This interactive map from The New York Times’ site is a good example. The before-after impacts of the Haiti earthquake are palpable. It’s clear that we like to share the news with our friends, and we like it even more when it’s combined with visuals that “take us to the news.”
Action-oriented news can make a difference. Recent fundraising for Haiti relief efforts and geo-targeting police abuses in Iran give us practical ways to use Twitter for human benefit. When news becomes meaningful information that people care enough to do something about, it makes a measurable difference.

Simply reading a two-dimensional paper at the kitchen table in the morning like my mother used to do is no longer enough. We must be able to experience the news through our senses, in multiple dimensions – along with friends on the other side of the world.

The kitchen table “newspaper” experience just got personal, global and substantive. And, because new media are breaking down communications barriers, even my mother is tapping into the possibilities. She recently joined Facebook.

If you are marveling at the new media mix and relishing the possibilities, drop me a line at kratcliff@paulwerth.com, or comment here. I look forward to reading your thoughts – and starting the dialogue.

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Kristin Mack Deuber and Dace de la Foret Promoted

July 20th, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Paul Werth Associates has announced the promotion of Kristin Mack Deuber, APR and Dace de la Foret. The Columbus-based public relations, public affairs and marketing firm has promoted Mack Deuber to vice president and de la Foret to account supervisor.

Kristin Mack Deuber, APR
Kristin Mack Deuber, APR has been promoted to vice president at Werth following a distinguished history of success with the firm. Mack Deuber leads the firm’s health care practice and manages client relationships throughout the firm. Prior to joining Werth she was the director of marketing and public relations for Columbus-based real estate development firm CASTO and began her career working with e-Merging Marketing and The Tomasi Marketing Group in Columbus.

Mack Deuber serves as an adjunct public relations professor to several area universities and is a member of the board of directors of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She also volunteers for The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and The Columbus Art Museum’s ArtFUSION event. A recipient of the 2005 40 Under 40 Award from Columbus Business First, Mack Deuber holds her MBA from Franklin University and earned her journalism bachelor’s from The Ohio State University.

Dace de la Foret
Dace de la Foret has also been promoted several times at Werth, having risen to the position of account supervisor from his most recent role as senior account executive. de la Foret has most recently provided service to Werth’s media relations practice. Prior to joining Werth, he worked as a producer at WBNS-TV, and began his career working in production for NBC News’ Washington, D.C. bureau. He is a graduate of Miami University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications.

About Paul Werth Associates
Founded in 1963, Paul Werth Associates is a full-service public relations, marketing and public affairs firm counseling clients throughout the United States. The firm has offices in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C.

Paul Werth Associates has previously received nine Silver Anvils, which is the highest level of recognition in the public relations industry. The Silver Anvil Award recognizes complete programs incorporating sound research, planning, execution and evaluation. They must meet the highest standards of performance in the profession.

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