Industry heavy hitters Murray, Baer discuss journalism future with Politico’s Allen

Five years ago, I wrote that the “Future of Journalism is endless panel discussions about the Future of Journalism.” I’m not yet convinced I was wrong, but I still enjoyed this short video on Politico in which chief White House correspondent Mike Allen talks to Don Baer and Alan Murray about a study they’ve done about … well, you know.

Baer is the CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller. Murray is the president of the Pew Research Center, though he announced this week that he’s leaving to become the editor of Fortune.

Politico doesn’t make clear what this study concludes, but it sounds like Murray and Baer found the same things that most people who study the Future of Journalism and How People Consume News find. Video is important. Brands are important. Mobile is important. People tend to trust media outlets whose coverage aligns with their own political views.

Here are some of their more interesting comments in the heavily edited conversation:

Baer: Here’s the thing about brands and trust. Unlike in decades past, it’s a much more fickle thing. You can lose it very quickly and it’s much harder to earn. In an age of social media, you would think that would make it that much harder for people, individual voices and brands to stand out. If anything, they stand out more.

Murray: I think the vast majority of journalists and news organizations still think of themselves as producers of content. We create great content and then somebody out there will use it. I think you’ve got to turn that upside-down and say, “What service am I providing you, the reader.” It’s a very different way to think about the business than journalists are accustomed to.

Murray: One of the things I find fascinating about the social media world is that data, facts, get shared. We’re creatures of the written word. We love the written word. We think that’s a great way to convey information, and it is a great way to convey information. But the digital world gives you an opportunity to engage people in so much more interesting and deeper ways, and actually create a better-informed public.