DC Communicators Forum: A Conversation With DC’s Newest Morning Show, The Huddle
The media landscape is transforming in real time as independent journalism rapidly rises. With lower barriers between creators and audiences on digital platforms like YouTube and Substack, independent media is a more direct and–to some subscribers–authentic news source. The result of these shifting preferences: how stories are produced, distributed and trusted has significantly changed.
ROKK hosted the years’ first DC Communicators Forum to discuss this shift, bringing together Washington’s top communicators across various industries. We invited The Huddle, a new digital morning show hosted by Sean Spicer, Rachael Bade and Dan Turrentine, for a panel moderated by ROKK Co-Founder and Partner Ron Bonjean on their firsthand experiences as a “new media” outlet and how the evolving landscape affects public affairs and strategic communications.
“As independent platforms continue to grow their visibility and reach, it’s critical for us as public affairs and communications professionals to engage with and learn from these new media voices,” said Bonjean. “We’re always happy to convene DC’s top communicators to discuss these changes, understand how they impact different sectors and hear directly from the independent journalists and creators who are shaping narratives.”
Increased Flexibility
The Huddle is not the only media outlet of its kind; we have seen creators and journalists increasingly go independent and distribute their work through YouTube, Substack and more. Independent media has more flexibility to decide which stories are told, how they are distributed and amplified and how the narrative takes shape. Many of these creators are carving out niches with passionate, informed audiences, providing new opportunities to share perspectives that may have been overlooked in a traditional newsroom.
The implication for public affairs and strategic communications is that influence is no longer concentrated in a few channels and newspapers. Audiences are following personalities over parent companies, with these personalities shaping narratives and redefining credibility and impact.
An Additional Opportunity for Your Message
The rise of independent journalism directly impacts advertisers and sponsors. Although traditional media is still a critical piece to any communications campaign to spread a message, as independent journalists gain greater control over their platforms and messaging, there is an opportunity to collaborate with emerging media brands for additional organic, authentic and targeted ways to reach audiences.
As the media landscape continues to evolve, the discussion underscored how much independent journalism is shaping influence, credibility and engagement across a variety of sectors, including public affairs.
Thank you to The Huddle for joining us for this thoughtful discussion, sharing their perspectives and offering insight into how today’s communicators can effectively engage with the voices shaping tomorrow’s media narrative. Interested in learning more about the DC Communicators Forum? Get in touch with our team.
