Navigating Today’s Changing Media Landscape
Over the last decade, the media landscape has changed drastically – which isn’t news to anyone in the communications and public affairs world. Newsrooms are shrinking, journalists are being asked to cover more issue areas with less resources and AI is starting to produce more and more content, with varying degrees of reliability and accuracy.
Recently, Fortune announced it was laying off over 10% of its staff, while outlets like WIRED were shifting to newsletter format to cover more topics with less resources. This adds to a growing list of media companies that have been hit by job cuts in 2025. Forbes, Vox, The Washington Post, Scripps, IndieWire and the Huffington Post are just some of the outlets that have laid off employees so far this year, as well as Bloomberg News, which cut a significant amount of staffers earlier this summer.
Some skeptics even go so far as to say the days of earned media are all but done. However, at Calkin Public Affairs (Calkin PA) we understand that is actually not the reality – not by a longshot. Media relations remain a bedrock for successful public relations, public affairs, campaigns and reputation-shaping efforts, it’s just that the art of engaging with journalists and newsrooms has changed.
So, what does that mean for those who work in professions that need to engage with the media regularly in a variety of capacities? Well, first and foremost it means you need to recognize these changes and then you can start to re-align engagement strategies. Here are some key things to understand about the state of media today:
The media landscape is getting steadily smaller: There are significantly less journalists covering a never-ending supply of pitches and “breaking” news. This means investing and developing relationships with journalists and taking the time to research journalists’ beats, past reporting and interests matters now more than ever to break through. And if/when those journalists move to a different outlet, a well-maintained relationship can stay intact.
Pitches are more frequent than ever, so content matters now more than ever: A perfect storm is happening with less journalists getting more pitches than ever from PR pros, corporate communications representatives and organizations of all sizes. Tailored, compelling pitches with catchy, attention-grabbing subject lines are critical to cutting through the noise. Generic pitches that are being sent to dozens of other journalists will be dead on arrival. It is also just as important to think through how you are making the pitch. By using social media channels such as X or LinkedIn to engage with journalists, public and private-facing communications are often gaining more traction and attention than traditional pitches because you are showing more interest in their work. Sometimes it takes trying all channels to finally break through.
Local media remains a strong opportunity: While local newspapers and regional outlets are shrinking, disappearing and consolidating, localized storytelling is still in high demand for the outlets that are weathering the storm. Pitches to these outlets need to have strong local tie-ins, ideally connecting the dots for reporters to showcase the value of the story to regional readers. Find regionalized data or studies, business-ties or local people to highlight to make the pitches relevant.
Overworked reporters need your help: Journalists don’t have the research teams, designers and resources they once did, so need you to do the work for them. If you get a reporter’s attention, have data, visuals, quotes and key links to additional background ready to immediately to send, ideally via one sharable link, never with multiple attachments (which can also lead to automatic bounce-backs).
Social media is now a critical news source: Most people now get news and entertainment from social media platforms. Successfully pitching influencers and social media managers or brands/organizations to share your relevant news on their channels can reach millions organically, and needs to be a key part of every pitch effort. Posting your own news and cross-promoting on your own social and partner channels also extends reach. Additionally, “owned” content on LinkedIn, websites, media sites and beyond is imperative to maximizing the eyes on your content and engagement on your news.
California outlets and the Capitol Press Corps remain powerful news sources: Policy-focused outlets centered in Sacramento, that have reporters throughout the state, continue to drive coverage on legislative, regulatory, environmental and economic news in the state. These outlets drive the news of not just the day, but often the hour and the minute. Pitches to garner visibility around causes, legislation or policymakers needs to have the “so, what?” question answered clearly. In other words, why is this important for the state, economy, society and CA consumers? The days of fluff pieces are gone – pitches to these outlets need impact spelled out, and quickly in your pitch.
Journalists need visibility just like your stories do: Celebrate journalist wins. Reporters are looking for validation and visibility in their work just as clients are. By promoting their stories on social media and owned channels, it extends the reach of great reporting and raises the profile of the journalist, forging a stronger relationship for the next pitch opportunity.
Media relations is still more of an art than a science, but understanding how the landscape continues to evolve will help ensure better outcomes. We still strongly believe in the value of earned media for our clients and their stories- it still remains a critical tool in our Catalyst Model of client engagement.
But it is just one tool. The Calkin PA team will share more about those additional capabilities and how they make for winning campaigns in future posts!