Study: Research tools on the rise, importance of press releases declining
More and more journalists are using online contact portals for their research. This is shown by a recent study by the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich, for which 850 journalists provided information about their workflows and research habits.
According to the study, just under 40 percent of users of research portals had positive experiences, with only 16 percent expressing dissatisfaction. "The study shows that dialog-based means of communication are gaining in popularity among journalists," says Martin Fiedler, Managing Director of Recherche-Scout.
Dialogic research tools such as Recherchescout are an additional way for journalists to find contacts and information on the topics they are researching. For press offices of companies, associations and universities, these contact platforms open up the possibility of getting in touch with journalists precisely when they have a specific need for information on a topic and wish to be contacted, instead of mass mailings of press releases.
According to a study by the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, the best-known dialog-based research platforms in German-speaking countries are the expert broker of the Science Information Service (28% awareness), which has been active for 20 years, and the media contact platform Recherchescout (26%), which was launched two years ago and has registered contacts for all subject areas in business, science and society. According to the study, awareness of other providers is in the single-digit percentage range.
"The results of the Bundeswehr University study confirm what we have been seeing in our daily work for two years," says Fiedler. "Journalists rely on search engines and databases for their research and are increasingly using them - but they only find information there that is accessible to everyone. When searching for exclusive information and examples of illustrations on their topics that have not yet appeared in the media, media makers are increasingly using other channels such as our platform." More than 1,800 journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are currently registered to use Recherchescout.
According to the study, however, the consideration of information from press releases is decreasing. According to the survey by the Bundeswehr University, almost every second press release is now deleted without being read - two years ago it was "only" 40 percent, according to the authors.
