Lufthansa Group, Telekom, DATEV, Microsoft – They are all leading the way. Who will follow?
For a few years now, companies have been following the example of journalism and organizing their corporate communications in a newsroom structure. As in the journalistic newsroom, there is a chief of service and a newsdesk, often the heart of the newsroom, and the walls between internal and external communication are torn down both metaphorically and often spatially. Internal and external are becoming increasingly blurred in communication – what is an external topic can also be relevant internally, and what is communicated internally can nowadays reach external channels more easily. The reason for this is the media transformation and the accompanying digitalization in business and society, which enable new ways of communication. The corporate newsroom is intended to help overcome the current challenges in corporate communication and thus better equip communication for the future. Is it a trend with a future, or is it just a new pig being driven through the village?
After the initial euphoria, many communicators are taking a critical look at the newsroom. Newsrooms are still springing up – Daimler AG is currently planning its restructuring, for example, and other companies are at least discussing the idea. However, skepticism and criticism are also on the rise.
What are the difficulties with the (supposed) wonder weapon?
Internal communication in particular is often skeptical. It has just made its mark and proven itself, demonstrated its relevance as an independent department and is no longer seen as the little sister of external communications. And now this new, stronger position is to be dissolved again by merging with external communications? Doesn’t this mean that the relevance of good employee and management communication is once again disappearing behind journalists and other external stakeholders? Hasn’t internal communication only just overcome this? These concerns are understandable, but not necessary. On the contrary, the newsroom principle should ensure that all stakeholders are considered and adequately served for every relevant topic. The focus on channels should be dissolved and replaced by an integrated, topic-oriented approach. The relevance of internal target groups should never be overlooked. In fact, those responsible for topics in the corporate newsroom should consider all channels of corporate communication from the outset, including those of internal communication with increasing relevance. It must be possible to reach all target groups on the topics relevant to them. A strict separation between internal and external can lead to duplication of work and missed opportunities.
However, this raises a difficulty that gives the fears of internal communication their raison d’être. Although many companies work in self-proclaimed newsrooms, they only partially exhibit the typical newsroom characteristics. This is shown in a recent study by Bentele et al[1]. What it means to have a newsroom and how it works is currently not uniformly defined either in research or in practice. And this is the crux of the matter: For the time being, one of the biggest problems remains the mostly unclear definition of the term newsroom. While some PR professionals simply see it as a digital platform for the external distribution of content, others see it as nothing more than a flickering screen with colorful graphics and the latest trends on Twitter and the like. Only a few focus on the actual core of the newsroom that is relevant for companies: the process or the topic-oriented, integrated way of thinking behind it.
In addition, it is not just Corporate Communications that communicates – Human Resources, Marketing and other business units also take on communicator roles. Not forgetting the employees themselves. Whether and how this can be integrated into the newsroom principle is something that previous corporate newsroom companies have solved in a variety of ways.
A particular challenge in restructuring is maintaining the typical newsroom roles and processes. New role profiles are created, new skills are required and, in particular, the transfer of the role of chief of staff from journalism to corporate communications often appears difficult. In addition, there is a cardinal error that occurs more frequently in corporate communications: neglecting the strategy. However, a strategy team that takes over the planning and evaluation of communication is an integral part of the organizational principle. Newsroom expert Christoph Moss[2] therefore refers to this as the umbrella of the newsroom structure. Companies should be clear: as dazzling and strong as the walls of the newsroom are – without a strong roof, it rains in.
How to make the corporate newsroom a success story
The corporate newsroom is not a panacea or a magic bullet, especially if it is not used and implemented correctly. What is important is that we should stop talking about the newsroom and clearly define what we mean by it – because the organizational principle of the newsroom is de facto neither about “news” nor about a “room”. Companies such as Telekom have already shown the way with the concept of the content factory. However, it is not about publishing content non-stop. It is about a process that is geared towards a topic rather than a channel. The target group itself loses none of its significance. The question of how we reach them still comes first. It is a new process, a new principle, a new way of thinking – which is why we should be talking about the newsroom principle in the context of the corporate newsroom. Because those who merely imitate the news agencies and media houses and maintain barriers between internal and external communication as well as old working patterns will quickly reach their limits.
The introduction of a newsroom principle is a change project and should not be underestimated as such. Corporate communications must change itself and practice change communication within its own ranks so that its communicators do not get lost on the way to this paradigm shift. This is when the great potential of the newsroom principle becomes apparent: more integrated, faster, more transparent and, above all, more efficient. Of course, there is still no recipe for success that works for every company, and no two corporate newsrooms are the same. However, when asked about the meaning and purpose of the newsroom principle, companies are unanimous: they would not give it up.
So should companies continue to follow the trend in future? Yes, but the right way.
[1] Bentele, G., Seidenglanz, R. & Fechner, R. (2018). Communication Management 2018 – Measuring a profession. Berlin: Quadriga Media GmbH
[2] Moss, C. (2016). The newsroom in corporate communications. How topics can be managed efficiently. Wiesbaden: Springer VS
Copyright lead image: Filip Mishevs / Unsplash