It’s that time of year again! Muckrack, the AI communications platform, recently released its annual State of Journalism Report, which outlines the current state of the industry and its not-so-certain future. Even before Muckrack’s report went live, the industry this year has taken a beating, with layoffs announced at The Washington Post in February and CBS News in March (with more rumored at CNN next). In the age of misinformation and disinformation, journalism is more important than ever, yet the industry unfortunately continues to struggle to achieve a complete turnaround. Is there any positivity to glean, or is it all doom and gloom?
Well, this year’s survey includes over 1,000 journalists across numerous continents (with the majority of respondents being U.S.-based), and luckily, it’s not all bad!
Here are the three biggest takeaways every PR professional should be aware of:
Misinformation and AI Are a Big Concern
In the age of misinformation and AI, journalists are facing a multitude of challenges, both big and small. According to the report, a lack of funding, misinformation, and unregulated and unchecked AI use are the top three most concerning areas for journalists. Coincidentally, this report dropped the same week The Wall Street Journal and Wired published articles outlining how journalists are harnessing the power of AI in their reporting, further driving the conversation (and adding to its unpredictable future). On the misinformation side, more than half (72%) of the reporters surveyed believe misinformation has made their jobs even harder within the last year alone. Now with AI in the mix, misinformation is only being amplified.
Social Media Takes a Hit, but Facebook is the Star
Even though more than 45% of respondents believe social media is very important for promoting their work (unchanged from last year), the reliance on social media to actually produce work is down by 12 points. Most surprisingly, Facebook came out on top as the most valuable social media platform among respondents, with LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) rounding out the top three. While many users made the switch to Bluesky in 2024, the platform has yet to eclipse X in its overall popularity (especially within the news realm). Within journalism, only 5% of journalists believe Bluesky is a valuable platform for their work.
The Journalist and PR Pro Relationship is More Important Than Ever
Journalists and PR professionals’ relationships have always been mutually beneficial, and thankfully, a majority of reporters today understand that these relationships are important for their own success (with 53% totaling on the “high-importance side”). However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done on the PR side to make journalists’ lives a bit easier (especially since there are a lot fewer of them than ever before, with the most recent estimates saying it’s 6 PR pros to 1 journalist). According to Muckrack’s report, journalists receive 6 to 10 pitches a day, with nearly half (47%) saying they rarely receive relevant pitches. However, that doesn’t mean pitches aren’t important, because 86% of journalists surveyed said their published stories originated from a PR pitch. Other things to note: 18% of journalists prefer to receive pitches on Monday, and 78% would like to receive them before noon. The more you know!
Thanks to Muckrack’s annual report, we’re able to gain important insights into their day-to-day operations. Like many other industries, the rise of AI is shaking things up and creating uncertainty, so it’s important to pay attention and build mutually beneficial, authentic relationships with reporters (since their resources and time are very limited). That means, when you’re getting ready to add a journalist to a media list, make sure they’re relevant to what you’re pitching, and when you’re about to send that email, make sure it’s timely, concise, and error-free!