A SURVEY from America may give us an insight into the future shape of communications here in Britain.

Despite prophets of doom forecasting that the days of the traditional media are dead – or at least rapidly dying – are US cousins appear more optimistic.

Almost two thirds of the 1200-plus American journalists surveyed by PR Week, still see room for newspapers and magazines in the future, even though many are now also called upon to blog their reports, download podcasts, upload to YouTube, shine the editor’s shoes, etc, etc, etc.

So journalists in America are underpaid and overworked and being asked to do more and more in the digital age? No news there – or here, across the Atlantic.

But perhaps there is interesting news for our clients in the sources of information listed by both traditional and non-traditional journalists.

A staggering 89 per cent said company web sites. Almost 74 per cent specified Google; slightly less said e-mailed press releases; with just over 70 per cent saying a ‘conversation’ with a source, or a personalized e-mail from a PR person. Almost half of those surveyed relied on newswires with just 13.9 per cent relying on RSS feeds.

A subject we shall be returning to in the future, no doubt.