A study be Arketi called “2007 Arketi Web Watch Survey: Inside B-to-B Media Usage of Web 2.0" found that 84 percent of journalists use blogs as either a primary or secondary source of information.
The study focused on finding out how B2B journalists covered a number of industries.
Mike Neumeier, principal of Arketi Group says, “In an era exploding with user-generated content, social media, and Web 2.0, it’s important for those in business-to-business communications to understand how journalists are using technology when it comes to reporting news.”
With the survey being performed online, it wasn't a surprise to find that 100 percent of respondents relied on the Internet to aid them in their jobs.
Concerning blogs, the survey found that 25 percent of those reponding said blogs made their jobs easier, while another 18 percent instant messaging was also a big part of their success.
Some of the other sources used by journalists were industry specific source stories, news releases and public relations contacts; all at about a 90 percent rate.
As far as getting story ideas go, 79 percent get them from newswires, another 74 percent from websites, 72 percent from a variety of media outlets and 54 percent said blogs gave them story ideas.
Other sources journalists use they consider credible online:
International organizations (89%)
Government agencies (85%)
Corporate websites (85%)
PR professionals (77%)
Activist websites (41%)
Blogs (41%)
Politicians (35%)
Chat, message boards (18%)
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