• by Ray Schultz , May 17, 2023

Journalists have faced several challenges in the last 12 months, none bigger than making do with staff reductions, but that hasn’t stopped them from embracing video and other content formats, judging by Global State of the Media Report, a global study by Cision 

The journalists surveyed have included these multimedia or data elements in their content over the past year: 

• Videos—44%
• Data visualization—43% 
• Social media posts—36% 
• Web polls/surveys—34%
• Audio—20%
• Brand logos—27%
• None of the above—14% 
• Livestreams—11$ 
• Animation—9%
• Quizzes—7% 

However, journalists list these issues as holding them back: 

• Keeping up amid downsizing and reduced resources—38% 
• Balancing important topics against pressure to drive business—22%   
• Battling misinformation—13% 
• Other—11% 
• Politicization of the press—10%

In addition, the respondents list these challenges affecting journalism in general over the past 12 months: 

• Maintaining credibility as a trusted news source/combating accusations of “fake news”—27% 
• Lack of staffing and resources—20%
• Declining advertising and circulation reveues—20% 
• Rise of social networks and influencers bypassing traditional media—19%
• Blurring lines between editorial and advertising—11%

Their top goal as reporters is accuracy. Their leading priorities are:  

• Ensuring content is accurate—53% 
• Audience perception as a trusted news source—14%
• Exclusivity—9% 
• Income—7%
• Gaining exposure of/recognition of my work—4% 
• Being the first to publish—3%

In contrast, journalists perceive these goals as being the top ones at their organizations:

• Ensuring content is accurate—43% 
• Revenue—22% 
• Audience perception as a trusted news source—19%
• Traffic—11%
• Providing a voice for critical issues impacting our communities—8% 
• Exclusivity—4% 
• Being the first to publish—3%

The study is largely oriented toward how PR professionals should communicate with journalists. The respondents would block a communications professional because of: 

• Spamming me with irrelevant pitches—76% 
• Providing inaccurate or unsourced information—62% 
• Pitches that sound like marketing brochures—57% 
• Following up with me repeatedly—55% 
• Dodging inquiries/lack of transparency—46%
• Canceling on me last minute—25% 
• Failure to respond to me same day/within deadline—25%
• Broken embargoes—24%
• Addressing me by the wrong name—17%
• Reaching out unsolicited on social media—17%

Cision surveyed 3,132 professionals in 17 markets worldwide in February and March 2023.