We break down the key takeaways from Cision’s recent webinar ‘Understanding today’s media: Industry insights from top journalists’.
Led by Carrie Parker from Cision, the webinar built on 15 years of data from the company’s ‘State of the Media Report’, which this year surveyed 3,000 journalists globally to understand their thoughts on the biggest challenges they face in a digital world.
The webinar then captured the results and took a deep dive into the challenges and evolving dynamics of modern journalism.
The discussion revolved around four key areas of modern journalism:
- Industry challenges
- The impact of social media
- The role of AI
- The evolving relationship between PR professionals and journalists.
Industry challenges for journalists
The webinar highlighted two dominant challenges in modern journalism:
- Credibility: With 42% of journalists ranking credibility as their top concern, there is a clear focus on maintaining trust in a climate where accusations of “fake news” run rampant.
- Audience Behaviour: 41% of journalists are grappling with how to adapt to rapidly changing audience consumption habits, such as how people consume and engage with news content across platforms.
Navigating the social media landscape
Social media remains an indispensable tool for journalists, with 97% of journalists actively using platforms to promote content and source information.
The panellists agree they use different platforms for different reasons and highlighted the growing importance of LinkedIn for professional connections. Many journalists are finding Instagram and TikTok particularly useful in reaching younger audiences, while platforms like Facebook still hold value for older demographics. Facebook is often a place where latest news can be found on particular subjects.
The role of AI in journalism
The rise of Generative AI (Gen AI) tools is causing a seismic shift in how newsrooms operate. Nearly half of the journalists surveyed are now experimenting with AI tools, though opinions remain divided. Both panellist journalists echoed a general sentiment of wariness. While AI can be useful for generating initial drafts, journalists must fact-check the output, which adds precious time to their workload.
It was agreed that the technology is still too underdeveloped to be fully embraced in newsrooms, and there is growing interest in distinguishing human-generated content as a marker of trustworthiness.
PR and journalism: A changing dynamic
The relationship between PR professionals and journalists remains critical but is evolving. Journalists appreciate pitches that are relevant and well-researched, with a clear understanding of the journalist’s specialist subjects. Generic, untargeted pitches often fall flat, while personalised, timely pitches are always more effective.
Building personal connections, sending tailored messaging, and understanding deadlines were emphasised as crucial factors in maintaining strong PR-journalist relationships. One panellist noted persistent PRs who go the extra mile to help journalists with timely stories are often remembered for future collaborations.
The evolving landscape of journalism
The webinar provided valuable insight into the evolving landscape of journalism, where credibility, adaptability, social media, AI, and personalised PR relationships are crucial for success.
As the media landscape shifts and changes, journalists and PR professionals alike must navigate these challenges to stay relevant and maintain trust.
Thank you so much to Cision for the webinar. Follow Macbeth Lankester for industry insight across PR and communications.