Dr. Laura Toogood in conversation with Mr. John Cruickshank | June 2, 2015

The Empire Club of Canada Presents:

Dr. Laura Toogood in conversation with Mr. John Cruickshank With Journalism and PR: News Media and Public Relations in the Digital Age

What is the future of journalism and public relations in the new media age? Laura Toogood co authored the book Journalism and PR: News Media and Public Relations in the Digital Age and she will discuss some of the key themes that are raised in this Reuters Institute publication. During the last century, public relations needed journalism because journalists were the gatekeepers of news and information. This is no longer the case and the book analyses the complex nature of the relationship between Public Relations and Journalism, while also considering how it has evolved. The Internet, especially social media, has changed the landscape dramatically and access to news and information is no longer controlled by journalists alone. Certain developments in corporate PR and political communications mean that the news media outlets are less and less important to the persuaders. The communications business is often able to bypass the gatekeepers. While reputation is more precarious than ever before, the digital revolution has empowered companies, governments and public figures with new channels of communication, some of which they own exclusively and which allow direct outreach. The need to proclaim and protect the brand personal, corporate or political, means that public relations is now a top table profession. Meanwhile, journalism struggles for survival and is seeking ways to adapt to this new environment. 

Dr. Laura Toogood has a PhD from University College Dublin in Social Informatics and her thesis considered the impact of technology on social interaction and communication. She is Managing Director of Private Clients at Digitalis Reputation, where she specialises in the field of Online Reputation Management. Laura has worked as a journalist and been published in the Telegraph, Irish Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. She also contributes expert comment in relation to digital issues for ITV, the BBC and London Live television. Laura has spoken and lectured on a broad range of topics including: Online Reputation Management, Social Media, Information Security and Information Privacy. She has given lectures at Nuffield College, University of Oxford and the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London. She spoke at the Workshop on Internet Trust, Reputation, Identity and Privacy that formed part of the International Conference of Social Informatics in Lausanne and was a keynote speaker at the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment forum about social media.

John Cruickshank is the Publisher of the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, and President of Star Media Group. Mr. Cruickshank is the 9th publisher in the newspaper's 123 year history. Mr. Cruickshank has enjoyed a distinguished career in newspapers and television in both Canada and the United States. Prior to his appointment as the Star's Publisher in November, 2008, he served as Publisher of CBC News...

Moderator: Mr. John Cruickshank, Publisher of the Toronto Star

Speaker: Dr. Laura Toogood, PhD, Managing Director of Private Clients at Digitalis Reputation

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