• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Journalists worry about many things. Disinformation is first, followed by public trust and lack of funding. But they are in a better frame of mind than you might think, and most are moving ahead with AI, judging by the State of Journalism 2025, according to a study by Muck Rack.  

How do journalists view their work? They find it:

• Meaningful—67% 
• Exhausting—47% 
• Rewarding—43%
• Exciting—34% 
• Precarious—33% 
• Routine or repetitive—24%
• Isolating—18%
• Other—5%

Adding to the exhaustion is the fact that 62% have seen their job responsibilities expand in the past year, 27% significantly. 

Despite reported layoffs and the constant stories on news deserts, 54% are confident in their long-term career prospects in journalism, 19% very much so. Another 19% are neutral, and 27% are somewhat or very unconfident. 

Moreover, 57% are confident in the long-term stability of their organizations, 21% very much so. Only 11% are very concerned and 17% somewhat worried.  

Of those polled, 37% say their newsroom had layoffs or voluntary buyouts in the past year, but the remainder did not.  

Let’s talk money. Most journalists earn from $40,000 to $70,000 a year, but 40% go above that. However, only 15% enter the six figures.  

Here’s another clue as to how journalists are doing, but we’ll leave it to you to decide if it’s good news. Of the reporters polled, 77% are using AI tools, including:  

• ChatGPT—42%
• AI transcription tools (e.g. Otter.ai)—40%
• Grammarly—35%
• None of these options—23%

In contrast, social media has declined in importance over the past 12 months. Last year, 33% of the respondents said social media was very important for producing their work. That has declined to 23% in this year’s survey. However, social is still deemed very important for promoting their journalism.  

Which social platforms are they using? They cite:

• Facebook—27%
• X (formerly Twitter)—21% 
• LinkedIn—18% 
• Instagram—14% 
• Bluesky—7% 
• Reddit—3% 
• YouTube—3% 
• I do not use any of these—3% 
• TikTok—2%
• WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal—1%

X has declined in popularity, with 21% saying it is their top platform, down from 36% last year to 21%. And 72% feel X is untrustworthy. LinkedIn is the most trusted platform for 60%.

Of course, being a company that specializes in PR, Muck Rack has to answer some questions about that field. Are you a PR person who wants to pitch a story? These are the signals that will get journalists to respond:

• Clearly tailored to my beat—69% 
• Offers access to a credible source—44% 
• Includes new or exclusive information—41% 
• Brief and clearly written—31% 
• Connects to a timely news event or trend—26% 
• Includes relevant data or research—23% 
• References my past work—9% 

Muck Rack surveyed 1,890 news producers from April 4-25, 2025. Of those, 1,515 were included in the final analysis.