If you pay attention to the news, chances are that you receive it one of three ways, from television, print or the web. Television and print media (and their respective websites) showcase professional journalists in a controlled setting. In each case the parent company chooses which stories should receive the most attention and displays them accordingly. The internet on the other hand provides the opposite. Most of the stories that can be found in blogs and other social sites provide information without a professional touch. These stories have a much stronger connection with the reader, but it can be hard to trust their validity. Newswire is a newly created company that is seeking to combine the far reaching powers of the web with the credible sources of a news company.
Erin Saxton, the president and founder of The Idea Network, Inc., has been appointed the CEO of Newswire to help build their reputation as a viable media outlet. She began her career as a production assistant at Good Morning America before moving on to work on The Barbara Walters Specials, The Rosie O’Donnel Show and The View. She worked as the head of the research department for Rosie, and then moved on to be a producer for The View, where she won four Emmys. Through her career, Saxton made many connections to the media and learned what it takes to create a good sales pitch, both to appeal to customers and to attract the attention of the media. As the head of The Idea Network, she helped companies and individuals receive a big boost to their image, including more face time on television and greater exposure through radio, print and the web.
According to the Newswire site, there are over 13 million independent writers online attempting to make a living as journalists. These writers are scattered through the world and have little connection to one another, much less credible ground to stand on. Newswire wants to harness these writers and distribute their work as viable news coverage. This approach will not only help writers to reach a wider audience, but it will also enable businesses to reach a wider variety of writers. In order to publish written work from around the globe, Newswire has developed its own code of ethics that writers must adhere to. This ensures that all of the content published through Newswire will be suitable for news consumption. Additionally, Newswire also has a full team of editors designed to critique every piece, providing further credibility. Newswire’s readers won’t have to worry about slogging through poor spelling and bad grammar to get to the meat of the story.
In addition to providing writers with the ability to publish their content credibly, Newswire also gives businesses the ability to reach out to writers. “Content is king,” Jeff Black, president of Extensions, Inc, Newswire’s parent company, said. Newswire gives websites the ability to find qualified writers without having to go through a complex hiring process or running the risk of receiving bad content. All of the Newswire writers go through the same process, so companies can be sure that the content they receive will be of the highest quality.
Newswire has constructed a platform that hinges on search engine optimization and targeted placement. With Saxton’s media connection, as well as a platform designed to put news where readers can access it, Newswire removes one of the biggest roadblocks faced by independent journalists. Currently, the internet allows reporters and bloggers to write whatever they want, whenever they want. However, due to the vast amount of information available, it is easy for important stories to get lost amidst an overload of information. Newswire allows journalists to funnel their stories through an organization that will place them in the location where they are most likely to be read. This gives independent writers what they didn’t have before, a solid base to stand on to ensure that their story is heard.
Thanks to Newswire, news companies no longer have to send a reporter to the scene; instead, firsthand accounts can be readily published through Newswire, providing faster updates and more timely stories. This ground level style of reporting, while still maintaining credibility and adhering to a code of ethics, makes everyone, at anytime, a reporter. News can now come not just from the newspaper or the television newscaster, but from your neighbor, your brother or even a person you’ve never heard of in Japan. The stories you read from Newswire will be credible and provide information on exactly what you want to know about.