The current stand-off between the CIPR and the NLA raises interesting questions for the PR industry. In many ways the paradox is that the majority of national newspaper output is available free online. If this is the case then why is the industry so excited about the idea of tightening NLA controls and the advent of eClips?

A possible explanation is the industry’s mistrust of online content compared to that printed. In a world where PR is trying to manage and quantify something as intangible as reputation, it is reassuring to have in your hand something as tangible as a press cutting.

Possibly we will look back at the current spat with the NLA as nothing more than a red herring – a last gasp attempt by the newspaper industry to grab as much cash from its printed sales against a massive decline in circulation.