Global PR Blog Week 2.0

By Alice Marshall, Presto Vivace, Inc. | Presto Vivace Blog


Ann L. McDaniel, Vice President of The Washington Post Company, talks about The Washington Post, the Post-Newsweek Tech Group, FOSE and the blogging phenomenon.

ALICE MARSHALL: What should the general public know about the creative tension between public relations professionals and journalists?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Both have jobs to do. Public relations professionals are trying to put out their message in the most positive way possible. Journalists are trying to create an accurate report. Often the two roles are complimentary; occasionally there is tension over their varying views. Neither is doing anything wrong.

ALICE MARSHALL: Not long ago, the business section of The Washington Post was one page at the back of the sports section. Now, it is its own section with regular coverage of technology stories. What prompted the change?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Readers’ interest in business, local, national and around the world.

ALICE MARSHALL: Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have cut back on their technology coverage. Does The Washington Post plan to continue with its current coverage? Why do you think The Washington Post has been more successful at building its audience? Is it simply a question of a more recession resistant local economy?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: We, like many other papers, seek to cover the ideas and issues of most interest to people in the Washington, DC area. Technology remains a vibrant business sector and an important area of coverage.

ALICE MARSHALL: What would you like readers outside of the Potomac area to know about Washington Technology, Government Computer News and your new publication, Government Leader?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: We hope that our government audience outside the DC area already knows quite a bit about Washington Technology, Government Computer News, and our new publication, Government Leader. These publications primarily serve a federal government audience - but 80% of all federal civilian employees live and work outside Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Government Computer News, Washington Technology, and Government Leader are all national publications with readers and advertisers in every state of the union - everywhere the government does business, everywhere that technology is helping government build better solutions for citizens.

Government Computer News is the leading magazine in the federal government IT market, reaching program managers, technology managers and agency executives responsible for the federal government’s Technology budget, which currently exceeds $60 billion per year. GCN has 80,000 federal subscribers across the country- the largest federal government circulation of any magazine. An additional 20,000 state and local government technology managers also subscribe to Government Computer News. Published 30 times a year and founded in 1982, each issue of Government Computer News features special reports, case studies and analysis, product reviews and buyer’s guides. Your readers should go to www.gcn.com for more information or to subscribe.

Washington Technology is the only national magazine for government IT systems integrators and resellers. It delivers essential business news to more than 40,000 business executives whose companies provide high-level technical services to the government. Published bi-monthly since 1986, each issue of Washington Technology features the latest contracting wins, government initiatives and projects, case studies and analyses and fresh technology news. Your readers should go to www.washingtontechnology.com for more information or to subscribe.

Both Government Computer News and Washington Technology feature significant online coverage, posted throughout the day and available on the web as well as through email, XML feeds and AvantGo for handhelds.

Government Leader is a new magazine launched in March 2005 for mid-level to senior managers in the federal government who are tasked with running some of largest programs and divisions in government.

Government Leader focuses on how to use technology, human capital, business process improvements, and financial strategies to be successful in managing government programs and divisions. The controlled circulation includes 75,000 government managers and business managers consulting for government.

ALICE MARSHALL: Could you tell readers a little bit about FOSE ?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Founded in 1976, FOSE is the largest, longest running, and most prestigious government technology conference and trade show. Held each spring in Washington, D.C., FOSE showcases the latest government-focused products, services and solutions from hundreds of technology companies. Each year, FOSE draws tens of thousands of high-level attendees from military, civilian, state, and local government agencies – plus thousands of corporate IT professionals and suppliers to government. More than 500 exhibiting companies showcase their latest technology solutions for this government audience at FOSE. Our 30th anniversary show will be held March 7-9, 2006, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Go to www.FOSE.com for more information or to register to attend the show.

FOSE’s national reputation attracts over 200 journalists every year from technology trade publications, daily newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, the L.A. Times, and The Washington Post, broadcast leaders such as CNN, and a wide array of radio, military, government and international press.

At this year’s show, which took place in April, our keynote speakers included Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel Corporation; Kevin Rollins, CEO of Dell; Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP America; and Martin Cole, Accenture’s Group CEO for Government. For our 2006 show, we have already announced that we will be featuring keynotes fromv Scott McNealy, President and CEO of Sun Microsystems; and Robert Stevens, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin. Stay tuned - more exciting keynotes will be announced in the next few months!

ALICE MARSHALL: What do you take into consideration when you put together a show like FOSE? How do you choose speakers, conference tracks and presenters?

ANN MCDANIEL: We spend a lot of time crafting the show. Even after thirty years, making sure that the show remains fresh and responsive to the market is a constant challenge, a great responsibility – and a great deal of fun. We constantly speak with and survey the readers of our publications, the attendees of our shows and conferences, our sponsors, advertisers, and other affiliated groups to be sure we’ve got a clear understanding of the key issues affecting the government technology community. Those are the things we want to address at FOSE.

In 2006, for example, you’ll see a greater focus on enterprise architecture at FOSE, a greater focus on DoD net-centric warfare technologies, an expanded focus on cyber-security and data security, an expanded focus on data and communications technologies, and more. These are all areas that our community has told us they want to see more of at FOSE. And, of course, we’ll continue to feature, support, and promote all the traditional information technology infrastructure that FOSE is famous for in our 2006 show.

ALICE MARSHALL: Running FOSE must offer new insight into Potomac business culture. How has that added to editorial understanding of business stories?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: A trade show is a wonderful microcosm of a community. FOSE reflects more than the DC business culture – it is really a meeting place for the entire government community, which as we mentioned before, is a truly national group on the very leading edge of technology solutions. When you have more than 2 million employees serving more than 250 million customers – as the federal government does – you have some pretty big challenges to meet. The federal government is the largest technology customer in the world, and FOSE is where that customer meets the thousands of vendors who help it achieve success.

ALICE MARSHALL: One of the strengths of Government Computer News and Washington Technology is that they are registration free with open archives. How has that expanded their reader base and how has that affected news gathering?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Government Computer News and Washington Technology are controlled-circulation titles in print. Online, we can provide everyone access to the valuable information we are proud to provide. The online channel – both the web and e-mail – has proven a very effective way for us to generate new subscribers in print, and to renew relationships with our existing customers. Most importantly, our online outlets allow us to serve our readers and advertisers in new and exciting ways.

ALICE MARSHALL: There is very little reporting of business computing, what is known as “back office systems� in The Washington Post or Newsweek. Have you had discussions about how to explain business computing to the general public, so that they can understand its impact on their lives?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: We certainly look for those stories, although in many instances they are best suited for GCN or WT.

ALICE MARSHALL: Software standards have a huge impact on the interoperability of systems. Whether you are a CIO trying to cope with a merger or a law enforcement agency trying to track suspected terrorists, interoperable systems are critical to information exchange. The Potomac area is a leader in the standards process. Many of the standards groups, the Federal XML Work Group, AIIM, Global Justice XML, etc., are located here, yet there is almost no coverage of this process. Is there any discussion about how to present this to the general public?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Those decisions are up to the individual editors.

ALICE MARSHALL: In the age of the Internet, your publications compete with online news organizations in every time zone. How has that affected the news gathering process?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Our journalists now work harder and longer hours in an effort to update the news all hours of the day and night.

ALICE MARSHALL: With more and more readers moving online, is there any discussion of developing your own paid search service that would reach all Washington Post media properties? Something that would allow small businesses who have customers scattered across the country, but who have very limited advertising budgets, to bid on words that might show up in any story on any of your online publications? Of course, they can do that with Google AdSense on blogs, but advertisers have no way of predicting what sort of copy might be associated with their ad.

ANN L. MCDANIEL: We look at any number of options all designed to provided our readers and advertisers with quality products. There are many excellent and affordable options for small business owners in The Washington Post, The Express, the Gazettes, and washingtonpost.com.

ALICE MARSHALL: This is a blog event, so I would like to talk a little about blogs. Do you read blogs? Do you have any favorites?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: I read a variety of blogs that follow the news. I don’t have any particular favorites.

ALICE MARSHALL: The demise of mainframe computing was predicted decades ago, yet the mainframe market continues to flourish. Does that comfort a member of mainstream media’s corporate management? Do you smile each time you walk by the computer room?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Our data center is out of the building so I don’t see it on a regular basis.

ALICE MARSHALL: How have blogs affected the news gathering process and editorial practice?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: Definitely. They are one more source of information for the public and readers. Since the sourcing on blogs is questionable at times, though, it is very important to evaluate and confirm it before reporting it.

ALICE MARSHALL: The Washington Post has begun to offer a few staff blogs. Will there be others? Can we look forward to staff blogs at your other media properties?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: : Yes.

ALICE MARSHALL: Are you considering offering a registration-free RSS feed like The New York Times? Or offer a registration-free link generator for bloggers?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: : That’s up to the leadership at the newspaper and Washington Post-Newsweek Interactive.

ALICE MARSHALL: Does it surprise you which stories are picked up by bloggers? Or is it much as you would have predicted?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: : It seems to me there are blogs about virtually everything!

ALICE MARSHALL: Many bloggers have been harshly critical of both The Washington Post and Newsweek. Has the blogging phenomenon given you new respect for politicians and other newsmakers?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: : We’ve always respected politicians and newsmakers and we understand that being written about isn’t always fun. Like others, we hope commentary about us will be accurate and fair.

ALICE MARSHALL: Finally, what benefits do you see arising from the creative tension between bloggers and mainstream media?

ANN L. MCDANIEL: : The more information in the public arena, the better, as long as there are smart editors and reporters to confirm and assess it for readers.

About the author

Alice Marshall, author of Presto Vivace Blog, is the founder of Presto Vivace, Inc., a public relations agency serving small- and medium-size technology firms. In February of 2004, she began to publish Presto Vivace Blog to chronicle Potomac area technology events as well as build a dialogue with public relations professionals, marketers, journalists, software developers, project managers, analysts, IT departments and end users.