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Newsweek Changes its Tone

By: Maya Lunnemann | 09/25/2008

Newsweek recently published an article on what Millennials, or twenty-somethings, are saying about the recent financial meltdown. The story is written in a he-said/she-said format where two young Newsweek reporters debate how the collapse of Wall Street affects their generation. The topic itself is very interesting. However, Newsweek chose to take a different approach to the tone, style and content. While some readers actually commented on the topic at hand, several others made comments similar to this:

“Who talks like this? These long paragraphs and obviously scripted lines ("Not fair!...")- this is not a real conversation. People interject, interrupt, and actually converse about a topic. I have a suspicion some 40-year old writer was like, "Yeah, this is what those young kids would sound like- clueless about the economy and more worried about their Ipods. They will totally buy this as realistic."

The tone of both internal and external communications has changed. As different forms of online communication emerge, we've tossed out formalized corporate-speak and embraced a casual, more authentic tone. So, if these Newsweek reporters were trying to take a conversational approach to this story, do you think they succeeded?

Posted in Strategic Public Relations, Public Relations