The 2026 State of Media report is here, and it’s a true goldmine to get a glimpse into the current trends, challenges, and hurdles in the journalism and PR world. From key findings when it comes to building relationships, which social media to use, and keeping up with AI, the report is filled with useful tips.

Journalistic Challenges

The industry is rapidly changing, and it can be hard to keep up with the challenges and hurdles that are popping up time and time again. Cision’s State of Media report surveyed over 1,800 journalists to understand what they both want and need from PR teams who they work with.

Did you know that 50% of journalists say that fact-checking, accuracy, and combating misinformation is the biggest challenge for them? Additionally, 49% of journalists cited “resources constraints” as their biggest challenge, which is a huge leap from the 29% of journalists who said this in the last report in 2025.

With layoffs and shrinking newsrooms, journalists are still expected to produce the same high-quality results, with less help than before. 66% of journalists said they rely on stories and ideas from PRs as their lead – so working together is key.

To no one’s surprise, AI continues to remain a hot topic, with 43% of journalists answering that the biggest challenge they faced in the past 12 months was navigating the rise and impact of AI. This is followed closely by 42% finding adapting to an evolving audience behaviour and consumption trends the most challenging.

The PR - journalist relationship is crucial

Journalists are starting to increase their experimentation with generative AI tools. Those who say they do not use AI dropped from 33% in 2025 to 21% in 2026. Yet despite this, 53% of journalists oppose AI-generated AI pitches. Human-made content is the way to go.

PR teams also need to think outside the box when it comes to traditional coverage. 47% of journalists contribute to an additional digital website, and a large 22% now contribute to podcasts. Journalists work across different audiences in different formats, so PR needs to explore how stories can translate to these different forms of medium.

79% of journalists said that less than a quarter of pitches they receive a week (with 50 or more pitches being received each week) are relevant to their work, and untargeted outreach is a large frustration which contributes to inbox pressure. PR teams need to tailor their outreach when pitching, as it will contribute to a better chance of being seen and breaking through.

Speaking about breaking through – what about following up? Many PR people have different views, but 64% of journalists believe a PR professional should only follow up once, while 28% said to never follow up. A small 8% said to follow up more than once.

Those stats are slightly confusing to say the least, especially the 28% who said to never do it. But, the data shows that one small nudge is enough, preferably over email, as 97% of journalists prefer pitches via email.

Getting social on social media

Most people are on social media, and getting active on there is the perfect way to engage and connect with experts in the industry, discuss hot topics, and promote your work or organisation. With so many socials available, which one is the best to be social on?

LinkedIn has risen to the top for being the most widely used social media platforms for professional reasons, according to 62% of the respondents asked. Additionally, 33% believe it to be the most valuable platform for their work, making it useful for PR pros to use it to research journalists and engage with different content.

But, what about the other platforms? There seem to be a platform online for anything these days, with many individuals using social media for personal and professional reasons. Aside from LinkedIn coming in at first place with 62% of people saying they use it the most, Instagram pulls through in second place with 54%, and Facebook closely behind at 53%.

X, YouTube, and WhatsApp follow suit, while TikTok, Reddit, and Bluesky are slightly further behind. The last in the race are Threads and WeChat, with only a slim 10%. If you want the big three – it’s time to become active on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook… if you aren’t already.

Pitch perfect

Making the perfect pitch takes time, but curating the perfect one is crucial if you want to get a journalist’s attention. 4 in 5 journalists (79%) say they are most likely to engage with pitches that are aligned to their beat and audience. 35% say a quick newsworthy angle makes them engage, and 33% say it’s all about credible data or research.

These three top points make it clear that the best pitch is relevant and has depth, formed with data and research to back points up.

Aesthetic pitches are on the lower end, with 9% of journalists mentioning visuals as crucial, and 13% wanting pitches concise and easy to scan. When writing a pitch, always ensure they are factual, relevant, and timely. Making it pretty isn’t the goal here.

Human-made content stays winning

AI is truly the talk of the town, and it doesn’t seem to be dipping in popularity any time soon. Generative AI is also becoming more widely used, and for journalists, 48% of them use it for brainstorming content (interview questions, headlines, and story angles). This doesn’t include using it to generate full articles.

This is closely followed by 43% of them using it for research and fact-checking, while 41% use it for summarising interviews or for transcription. The lower rankings come down to using it for full content creation (27%), so it’s clear that most journalists are avoiding AI for the final creation of work.

21% (about one in five) journalists avoid AI altogether, and there has been a large geographical divide in AI usage. North American journalists are less likely to engage with AI compared to their European counterparts. Whatever your stance is, when it comes to the final written piece (whether that’s a pitch, article, or any final product), using your own creativity and written style is important.

It’s clear that industries are constantly evolving, but one thing out of all these findings remains clear – human content and building relationships is always going to be crucial. Finding out what journalists like and dislike will allow PR teams to strengthen bonds and relationships, while with the rise in AI, the stats prove that continuing to use genuine human creativity and ideas in articles is the way to go.

Author: Rachel Varnham

With an impressive academic and journalistic background, Rachel brings the ideal experience to her role in education PR. Boasting an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology from the University of Kent and a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Anglia Ruskin University, she has a personal understanding of the inner workings of universities, which she subsequently built on in her career as a staff writer and editor prior to BlueSky Education.