As the Pew Research Center foretells of a widening tech gap [see following story], two separate studies, one from LexisNexis and another by Universal McCann,  together shed light on how the current divide affects the subject of news.

The LexisNexis study notes that traditional media outlets remain the most trusted in America, but new media are rapidly catching up. Asked which outlets they expect to trust and rely on most in the future, only 52 percent chose traditional media exclusively. Thirty-five percent said they expect to trust both "emerging news and traditional news," and 13 percent said they expect to rely more on new media.

In what initially seems like a contradiction, a study by media buying agency Universal McCann, entitled The New 'Digital Divide', How the New Generation of Digital Consumers are Transforming Mass Communication, notes that the “trust” divide is simply a matter of young versus old. According to the report, 71 percent of 16-34 year olds have participated in a blogging activity. And that group is three times more likely than those aged 35-49 to manage and/or write their own blog.

For the media relations industry, new media promises a more direct connection with the public. In particular, with so many outlets seeking greater amounts of information at greater speed, media relations professionals will be relied on more than ever to steer reporters, bloggers, user-generated video content providers and social networks in new directions. Despite those opportunities, however, there will be greater demands for transparency and disclosure.