• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, May 7, 2025

Publishers get input from advertisers and editors from readers.

But there is another party of interest in the news business — PR people. And journalists welcome their support, judging by the 16th State of the Media Report from Cision. 

On the one hand, 86% of journalists surveyed will reject an irrelevant pitch in real time. Mass emails to every name on a list no longer work, if they ever did.

Yet 72% of journalists still see press releases as the most useful resource offered by PR teams. And the impact increases with multimedia. 

Cision conducted this survey to inform PR people about journalistic attitudes. But the study may also be of use to editors and publishers. 

What do journalists worry most about?

Here are the biggest concerns for reporters over the last 12 months:

• Adapting to changing audience behaviors around media consumption — 42%
• Maintaining credibility as a trusted news source/combating accusations of “fake news” — 40%
• Declining advertising and circulation revenues — 33%
• The emergency of AI — 30%
• Lack of staffing and resources — 29%
• Competing with social media influencers and content creators for audience attention — 28%
• Verifying information and finding credible sources — 20%
• Blurring lines between editorial and advertising — 17%
• Dealing with increased workload demands — 16%
• Attacks on freedom of the press — 15%

PR teams should also be cautious about using AI. The study shows that over half of journalists worldwide now use generative AI tools like ChatGPT, yet 72% are concerned about factual errors in PR content generated by AI. 

Want to build a relationship with a reporter? Introduce yourself via email even if you don’t have a story to offer — that’s the method preferred by 85% of journalists. (The occasional coffee probably wouldn’t hurt either.) 

Journalists do value PR professionals, and cite these benefits:

• They connect me with relevant sources — 63%
• They facilitate access to key people or places — 57%
• They provide relevant story ideas — 43%
• They give me access to exclusive news or content — 39%

• News announcement/press releases — 73%
• Exclusives for stories — 57%
• Original research reports (e.g. trends, market data, etc.) — 55%
• Access to events — 41%
• Interviews with industry experts — 38%
• Multimedia (e.g. videos, images, infographics, etc.) — 26%
• Company statements regarding ongoing news stories — 23%
• Products/samples to test — 23%
• Bylined articles or ghost posts — 14%

We’ll add one thing: press releases should be clearly and honestly written, with minimal use of adjectives such as “leading’ when describing clients. Also, they should get to the point right away. Moreover, the person sending the release should have some knowledge of the content, and be able to answer questions. This is not always the case.

What are the best platforms for reaching reporters? Globally, LinkedIn remains the most-used platform but region-specific platforms are moving up, like WeChat (China), WhatsApp (EMEA), and BlueSky (North America).

"This year's findings reinforce just how important it is for PR teams to focus on precision, empathy, and adaptability," says Jim Daxner, chief product officer and head of strategy at Cision. "The media landscape is evolving rapidly — AI is transforming how content is created, audience behavior is more fragmented than ever, and journalists are navigating immense pressures.”

Cision surveyed more than 3,000 journalists across 19 global markets.