The media landscape in 2025 is dynamic, digital, and not without its hurdles. Journalists and public relations (PR) professionals alike are grappling with swift changes – from new tech to shifting audience habits – amid a climate of uncertainty.
The recently released “2025 State of the Media Report” and the “2025 Comms Report” by CISION shed valuable light on how things are changing, highlighting key trends and challenges worldwide across media and PR.
Let’s break down the highlights and what they mean for the PR and media industry in Australia and worldwide.
• Quick Overview •
In 2025, several major themes stand out from the State of the Media report’s findings:
1 – Changing Audience Behaviours: Adapting to evolving audience media consumption is now the number one challenge cited by journalists globally.
Audiences are scattered across more platforms than ever, forcing newsrooms (and PR pros) to chase eyeballs in a fragmented media world. (This even overtook last year’s top concern of maintaining trust / combating fake news.)
2 – AI Adoption & Anxiety: Over half of journalists are using generative AI tools like ChatGPT to support their work, and another ~13% plan to start. Notably, the Asia-Pacific region (including Australia) leads in embracing AI – yet APAC journalists also report more worry about AI’s impact on their industry than their North American or European counterparts.
In short, AI is both a useful new tool and a source of unease in newsrooms.
3 – Social Media: Ubiquitous but Fragmented: An overwhelming 96% of journalists use social media for professional purposes (mostly to publish or promote their work), with LinkedIn now the most-used platform globally. However, social media habits are fragmented across regions: for example, WhatsApp is far more popular as a journalism tool in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific), while North American journalists have been quicker to try newer platforms like Bluesky.
Knowing where your target journalists hang out online is key.
4 – Relevance Is Everything: “Relevance” emerged as the magic word in media relations. PR professionals provide the most value when they connect journalists with relevant sources and story ideas that fit their beat. On the flip side, lack of relevance is the top reason journalists reject pitches – and some won’t hesitate to block repeat offenders who spam them with off-target ideas.
The lesson for PR: do your homework on what each journalist actually covers before pitching them.
5 – Relationships Matter (Don’t Forget the “R” in PR): Building real relationships is still crucial. A whopping 85% of journalists said the best way for a PR pro to start a relationship is to introduce themselves with a simple email – even when you’re not immediately pitching a story. Taking time to genuinely connect (not just send mass press releases) makes a difference.
Too many forget about the “R” in PR – “relations” – building relationships continues to hold critical value. A friendly check-in or coffee catch-up can go a long way toward future media opportunities.
• Challenges •
Early chapters of the report asked journalists about their biggest challenges over the past year. The answers paint a picture of an industry under pressure.
Top concerns included:
Keeping up with Audience Change – 42%: The biggest challenge cited by journalists worldwide is adapting to changing audience habits and content consumption patterns.
With audiences spread across diverse channels (from traditional media to TikTok), journalists are struggling to meet their readers/viewers where they are.
Combating Misinformation & Erosion of Trust – 40%: Maintaining credibility as a trusted news source in the “fake news” era is a close second challenge.
Journalists are concerned about misinformation and public scepticism, making it harder to uphold trust. (Notably, this concern was last year’s top issue before being overtaken by audience behaviour in 2025.)
The Rise of AI – 30%: The emergence of AI has shot up the list of journalist worries. About three in 10 journalists named AI as a major challenge this past year. In fact, AI jumped from sixth place to fourth in the challenge rankings compared to last year, reflecting how quickly AI is disrupting news work.
There’s anxiety about deep fakes, automation, and how AI might affect jobs – even as many journalists also use AI (a double-edged sword, as noted above).
Lack of Staffing & Resources – 29%: Newsrooms are running lean. Nearly a third of journalists say that fewer staff and resources make it harder to do their jobs.
Many media outlets have faced budget cuts and layoffs, leaving remaining staff wearing multiple hats.
Increased Workload & Burnout – 16%: With fewer resources and the 24/7 news cycle, journalists are feeling stretched thin. 16% pointed to heavier workload demands as a significant challenge.
Juggling more stories (across more platforms) with less time is a recipe for burnout, and it means PR folks need to be mindful of journalists’ limited bandwidth.
– The Bottom Line –
For media and PR professionals alike, the latest report findings underscore the need to adapt and focus on fundamentals. Audiences have more choices than ever, so both journalists and PR professionals must stay agile in how they reach people (be it via LinkedIn or the next new platform). Technology like AI offers new tools, but it needs to be used thoughtfully – many journalists are cautious about AI-generated content, so human feel and judgement remain vital.
Most of all, the old truths still hold: relevance and relationships are everything. A pitch that’s tailored and timely is far more likely to cut through, and a bit of personal outreach (without an agenda) lays the groundwork for trust.
The media landscape may be evolving, but these insights speak to the fundamental value of understanding your audience and building real connections. For PR practitioners, that means remembering what the “R” stands for – and approaching journalist engagement as a long-term partnership, not just a transaction. In 2025, helping journalists do their job effectively is a win-win that will ultimately benefit your story and theirs.
Find out more about AMEC along with membership options at: https://amec.org.au/
Links and related reads:
- CISION – 2025 Comms Report
- CISION – 2025 State of the Media Report
- Rare Earths: Powering Tomorrow’s Technology
- Silica Sand: Shaping the Future
- AMEC – Championing Australia’s Resource Industry
- AU Resource Spotlight: Au, Cu, Li, REEs & SiO₂ (Website Version)
- Australia’s rare earth miners challenge China dominance (Future Mining)
- Read our full series on our website
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