With the plethora of tools available to public information officers for direct-to-consumer communication, how much is the intermediary of the mainstream press required? What kinds of formats and players are taking the place of mainstream press? How are PIOs using these tools effectively to both communicate messages and engage in substantive dialog with their stakeholders and audiences? How is the role of the 21st century PIO changing? The session will discuss some of the key influences on the PIO field that are changing the way we work, highlight some best practices, and consider the future of PIO communication.