A corporate newsroom is an important tool for any internal and external comms team. Its goal is to effectively communicate a company’s strategy and keep employees, customers and the media updated on key business events. Corporate newsrooms can be in print, radio, TV or online and are often a hybrid of all of these. One of the most challenging tasks for corporate and internal comms teams is to get information out quickly and easily, especially with declining readership of newspapers, TV and the loss of revenue that has forced many traditional outlets to cut their staff.
The term “corporate media” is often used as an insult to describe a news reporting agency that is owned or controlled by a corporation. It’s generally believed that this status makes it impossible for such a media outlet to be objective or unbiased, as journalism typically strives to be.
Corporate owners of media outlets may have economic and political interests and philosophies that they wish to promote through their news reporting and opinion pieces. This is often contrasted with independent media, which is assumed to be free from these influences.
A good example of corporate news is a press release. This type of communication is usually sent to journalists and other media sources to inform them about new product launches, company partnerships or significant company developments. A well-written press release should be clear, concise and jargon-free. It should also include substantial quotes from spokespersons from reputable organizations or companies. The inverted pyramid format, which puts the most important facts at the top of the piece, is a useful structure for a press release.