Birnbach Communications' Top Predictions for 2014, Part VII: Ongoing News Stories

Each year we provide a list of stories the media will continue to cover, which include:

1. Obamacare and midterm elections will be the never-ending stories in 2014.  Healthcare.gov seems to have turned a corner from its rough start but given midterm elections, the state of Obamacare will clearly be a never-ending story. Implications: Not so much a story that clients will want to touch, but it will generate attention from reporters and bloggers. 
2. Deficits, spending cuts, taxes, etc.: As with healthcare, expect that editorial and op-ed pages as well as political radio and TV shows will be littered with opposing perspectives of the steps the country should take. Debate may be worthwhile but don't expect Congress to be any less dysfunctional. 
3. Cybercrime and cyberwarfare: We’ve picked this as one of the most important trends of the decade so expect a lot of reporting about this throughout 2014. 
4. Privacy and security will continue to be issues that only experts care about. Experts will talk about the death of online privacy but actual users don't really care. They will continue to post information about themselves because we live in a culture of documentation, in which MIT professor Sherry Turkle observes that our experiences don't seem to matter if we don't actually share them via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. That said, we expect continued coverage of privacy issues, especially connected to the NSA or advertisers even though strangers can access information about where they live, where and when they travel, what they buy, etc. We also expect that cyberattacks and cyber warfare will continue to generate coverage in 2014 and beyond. Implications: From a privacy perspective, we think there could be a backlash if the big data about consumers' habits that are being shared with advertisers enables too much contact that makes advertisers appear "creepy." 
5. Bitcoin and cashless payments will continue to generate interest. We’ve seen a rise in interest in bitcoins, and it appears bitcoins may be on the edge of going mainstream. We don’t think that will happen in 2014 but we do think the topic will get discussed. Meanwhile we continue to expect digital wallets or e-wallets to go mainstream in 2016. As we get closer, we expect there to be articles comparing bitcoin vs. Google Wallet vs. Isis (from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile), focusing on security and privacy issues around each standard. 
6. Star Wars: Currently scheduled for a 2015 release, the next Star Wars movie will be cool but, even with director JJ Abrams at the helm, it may not live up to fanboys’ overactive imaginations. Meanwhile, expect Comic-Cons 2014 and 2015 to get major coverage.

Thanks for staying with us. That's the end of our list of predictions for 2014 -- though we may add more. After all, it's still early in the year!

Let us know if you agree or disagree. Click here for Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V or Part VI.

Birnbach Communications' Top Predictions for 2013, Part X

Ongoing stories we’ll see covered in the media, Part I.  
Each year we provide a list of stories the media will continue to cover, which include: 
 

The implementation and implications of Obama care: What works, what doesn't; why it will take years to achieve its goals, why it won't achieve its goals; how healthcare delivery systems need to be revamped -- whatever your political beliefs and personal experiences, you can bet that you can see it expressed in an op-ed article somewhere and then countered by letters to the editor.

Gun control laws: Another very hot button political issue that will continue to generate coverage throughout the year. Also expect that reform of our mental health system to get a lot of coverage. (What hasn't received coverage to date is that part of the reason the mental health system was dismantled in the 1960s and 1970s was due to costs, not just abuses against patients in the system. The costs and privacy issues related to mental health reform should generate some coverage in 2013.) 

Deficits, spending cuts, taxes, etc.: As with healthcare, expect that editorial and op-ed pages as well as political radio and TV shows will be littered with opposing perspectives of the steps the country should take. Debate may be worthwhile but don't expect Congress to be any less dysfunctional. 

Made in the USA: bringing back manufacturing jobs to the US. As costs in India, China, Russia and Brazil increase, expect that the benefits out offshore outsourcing may decline enough to make it more attractive to bring some manufacturing back home. Look for stories about small manufacturers whose business is growing as a result. 

Cybercrime and cyberwarfare: We said this was a growing issue in 2012, and we maintain that's the case for the rest of the decade. There will be a lot of articles about China as a source for cyberespionage and policy articles about how the U.S. should protect itself from its largest creditor. Expect regular front-page coverage about the latest exploits against the U.S. and U.S. companies. A big concern: our security and intelligence agencies don't have enough trained personnel to protect against and prevent cyber attacks against the U.S. and American businesses; and they lack the resources to fully identify and prosecute cybercriminals. We also expect to see a rise in the number of stories about cyberstalking and “revenge porn,” where jilted exes post incriminating (and often false) information as a way to get back at former spouses, lovers, and friends. 

Privacy: Usually to be filed as Facebook and privacy, and what consumers should do to protect their privacy. But, despite the recent news that Kim Kardashian is quitting her reality show because she's ready to keep some aspects of her life private, expect two things: 1) Kardashian and boyfriend Kanye West will not keep photos of their soon-to-be born baby under wraps; and 2) Most of the rest of us will continue to abridge our own privacy by posting comments, updates and photos on a growing range of social media platforms.

Let us know if you agree or disagree. Check back tomorrow for additional predictions or click here for Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII ("Premature Deathwatch, Part I"),  Part VIII ("Premature Deathwatch, Part II") or Part IX ("Premature Deathwatch, Part III").