- Freedom of the Press and Public Trust Remain Key
Concerns
- Global Survey Reveals Surprising Trends and Tips,
Straight from Journalists' Mouths
- Cision to Host Free State of the Media Webinar
Featuring Speakers from Top News Organisations
LONDON, April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With a
seemingly infinite supply of crises, 2020 made an indelible mark on
newsrooms around the world with a host of challenges that continue
to influence the media today – from editorial strategies and work
behaviors to what they want and expect from PR professionals. To
provide deeper insight into the current media landscape and how PR
teams can be better partners to journalists going forward, Cision
released its much-anticipated 2021 Global State of the Media
Report, chock full of emerging trends you can't afford to ignore,
best practices for an evolving normal and "aha" moments you can act
on quickly.
View the full report here.
This is Cision's 12th annual study and is based on a
survey of more than 2,700 journalists in 15 countries around the
world from 1 February to 1 March
2021. The report features:
- Top challenges impacting the media today
- Technology's influence on the way journalists evaluate stories
and the types of stories they're looking for this year
- Best and worst days and times to pitch and follow up
- Fastest ways to get on a journalist's "block/don't call"
list
- Inside tips to build and maintain successful partnerships with
journalists
Key Findings:
- Journalists' views on public trust in the media have
steadily improved over the last five years, but the challenge
continues. More than half (53%) of journalists feel the
public lost trust in the media over the last year.* While UK
journalists were likely to report on a loss in public trust, they
also regarded being perceived as a trusted news source as the most
important factor for their organisation.
- Censorship remains a significant concern. Nearly half
(46%) of all journalists predict a continued deterioration of
freedom of the press over the next three years.*
- Journalists are both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by
pitches. PR pros need to build highly targeted media
lists. Nearly 3 in 10 journalists (28%) receive more than 100
pitches per week with most ending up in the virtual bin due to
irrelevance. And, contrary to popular belief, a sizeable percentage
say they like receiving pitches on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday.
- Journalists want PR pros to help make their jobs
easier. With journalists covering several beats and
stories per week, they're looking for press releases (according to
78%) and original research (68%) along with graphics and invites to
interview experts or attend events.
- PR pros should avoid pushing journalists' biggest
buttons. Pitches that sound like marketing brochures, lack of
transparency and following up repeatedly are among the top pet
peeves for journalists.
- PR pros need to anticipate, monitor and quickly act on
trending stories. With increased competition for eyeballs,
journalists are closely assessing whether a story idea has the "it
factor" that will translate into traffic and social shares (and
ultimately ad revenue).
"The global media landscape is evolving in the face of
highly-fragmented, 24/7 news consumption, shrinking newsrooms and
the influx of non-traditional influencers," said Maggie Lower, Chief Marketing Officer for
Cision. "After a year like no other, the partnership between the
media and PR pros – and the technologies they use to develop and
distribute content – are becoming even more critical. PR teams who
are not actively using data intelligence and newswires to guide and
promote their campaigns are at risk of falling behind as they
compete to have their stories heard."
Cision UK is hosting its 2021 State of the Media webinar in May
(date TBC), featuring speakers from top media outlets to give their
perspective on the findings. The agenda is jam-packed with
actionable insights and best practices for PR pros.
Methodology
Cision conducted its 2021 State of the Media Survey between February 1 and March 1, 2021. Surveys
were emailed to Cision Media Database members, which are vetted by
the company's media research team to verify their positions as
media professionals, influencers and bloggers. The survey was also
available to media professionals in the PR Newswire for Journalists
database. This year's survey collected responses from 2,746
respondents in 15 countries across the globe: UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Spain,
Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia.
*Certain data points, identified in the report, didn't
include APAC markets due to variations in questions asked.
About Cision
As a global leader in PR, marketing and social media management
technology and intelligence, Cision helps brands and organisations
to identify, connect and engage with customers and stakeholders to
drive business results. PR Newswire, a network of over 1.1 billion
influencers, in-depth monitoring, analytics and its
Falcon.io social media platform headline a premier suite of
solutions. In addition, Cision has entered into a definitive
agreement to acquire Brandwatch. Cision has offices in 24 countries
throughout the EMEA, Americas, and APAC. For more information about
Cision's award-winning solutions, including its next-gen Cision
Communications Cloud®, visit www.cision.co.uk and follow
@CisionUK on Twitter.
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