The Media Is Evolving, Just Not the Way You Think
The 2025 State of the Media Report from Cision goes beyond surface-level trends to expose the deeper tensions shaping media today. This is not just a list of journalists’ complaints. It is a reality check. Based on responses from over 3,000 journalists across 19 markets, the report uncovers contradictions, regional nuances, and rising expectations that most PR teams have not accounted for.
The media ecosystem is fractured, AI is polarizing, and journalists are under pressure from all sides. But within this pressure are strategic cues for brands willing to listen carefully and adapt. What follows are the insights that reveal not only what journalists want but what your brand must do to stay credible and effective.
AI Is the New Divide in Media Strategy
Fifty-three percent of journalists now use generative AI tools like ChatGPT, yet their attitudes vary widely by region. In North America, nearly half of journalists say they do not use AI and have no intention to start. In contrast, only 11 percent of journalists in APAC say the same.
Interestingly, APAC journalists also name AI as their top challenge. That contradiction signals a deeper issue: embracing AI out of necessity, not enthusiasm. It is not just about tech adoption. It is about survival.
Strategic Implication: If you are pitching in North America, avoid sending content that feels machine-generated. In APAC, AI-assisted speed and scale can work, but you still need the human layer of credibility. Recognize that what works in one region may trigger red flags in another.
Relevance Is the Gatekeeper to Every Story
Eighty-six percent of journalists say they reject pitches because they are not relevant to their beat. Seventy percent say they reject pitches for sounding too promotional. These are not stylistic preferences. They are survival instincts.
Journalists are under-resourced, underpaid, and overwhelmed. If your pitch does not make their job easier, it is dismissed. The ask from the media is clear: know the outlet, understand the audience, and bring something useful to the table.
Strategic Implication: Do not treat relevance as a checkbox. Build it into the DNA of your outreach. Hyperlocal stories need to be tailored. National stories need exclusive insight or data. Otherwise, your pitch is just noise.
Social Media is the Assignment Desk
Ninety-six percent of journalists use social media professionally. Not just to promote content, but to research stories, connect with sources, and track trends. LinkedIn is the global go-to, but platforms like Bluesky and WeChat dominate in specific regions.
APAC journalists lean on platforms like Little Red Book and Weibo. North American journalists are giving Bluesky serious traction. This fragmented behavior tells us that social is not about reach anymore. It is about relevance within ecosystems.
Strategic Implication: If you are not monitoring the platforms your target journalists use most, you are missing the early signals. Follow them. Learn their behavior. Use those cues to shape your pitch strategy, not just your content calendar.
Journalists Want to Get to the Story
Sixty-three percent of journalists say the most valuable thing PR pros can offer is access to relevant sources. Fifty-seven percent say it is access to key people or places. Only 43 percent prioritize story ideas.
That flips the usual script. While brands focus on crafting perfect angles, journalists are asking for help getting to the heart of the story faster.
Strategic Implication: Shift your value proposition. Position your brand as an enabler, not just a storyteller. If you can get a journalist to someone with firsthand insight, you become indispensable.
First Contact Sets the Tone. Make It Count
Eighty-five percent of journalists say the best way to build a relationship is a simple email introduction. Not a press kit. Not a cold call. Just context on who you are and why you are reaching out.
APAC journalists are more open to phone calls or connections through mutual contacts. But globally, the message is the same: start with purpose.
Strategic Implication: PR professionals often focus on what they are pitching. Journalists care more about who is pitching and why. Make the introduction intentional and personal. You are not building a transaction. You are building trust.
AI in PR: Tread Carefully and Validate Everything
Journalists are not rejecting AI outright. Only 27 percent say they are strongly opposed to receiving AI-generated content. But 72 percent are concerned about factual accuracy. Fifty-eight percent worry that quantity will increase while quality drops.
This signals conditional acceptance. Journalists are open to AI-assisted content, but only if it is clearly reviewed, verified, and adds value.
Strategic Implication: AI can help you scale, but it cannot replace credibility. Use it to assist, not automate. Always pair it with fact-checking, original thought, and a clear editorial point of view.
Conclusion: The Future of Media Relationships Is Precision
Too many PR teams are optimizing for reach when they should be optimizing for fit. The data makes it clear. Journalists are open to working with brands. They just want those brands to show up with relevance, access, and effort.
This is not about overhauling your media strategy. It is about sharpening it. Understand who you are pitching. Understand what they need. And stop mistaking volume for impact.
The brands that win earned media in 2025 will not be the loudest. They will be the most useful.
