When I was in college at San Jose State, I was on track for an Advertising degree (with a concentration in journalism), and worked my senior year at the Spartan Daily campus newspaper. The Spartan Daily Advertising office was adjacent to where the journalism students were working, separated by a long pane of glass. One day, a high-profile shooting took place, and all eyes in the journalism room were glued to the monitors, and in that moment, I remember thinking, “Dammit, I’m on the wrong side of the glass.”
A recent IPR webinar I sat in on recently made me wonder…am I still?
The webinar was offered by The Institute of Public Relations (IPR) and the Peppercomm Strategic PR agency and was called “Navigating the Changing Media Landscape.” It was a fascinating discussion and I wanted to shine a light on it, try to encapsulate it here for wider discussion, and add some additional thoughts of my own.
Navigating the Changing Media Landscape: PR Professionals as Arbiters of Truth in a Misinformation Era
For anyone working in the industry it’s no secret that the media world is in the throes of unprecedented transformation, comparable in scale to the seismic shifts brought on by the invention of the printing press. The decline of traditional local news, the introduction of social media and proliferation of new platforms like TikTok and podcasts, and the alarming rise of misinformation have reshaped the landscape. As traditional journalism struggles to adapt, public relations professionals find themselves thrust into an unexpected role: guardians of truth in an increasingly polluted information ecosystem.
The Decline of Traditional Media and Its Consequences
The statistics paint a grim picture. A recent Medill study revealed that the U.S. has already lost over a third of its newspapers, especially in rural areas, creating “news deserts” where communities lack reliable local coverage. Digital-first outlets like Axios Local have emerged, but they are far from filling the void. In these deserts, misinformation thrives, skewing public perception. In one example, political victories with slim margins were reported as landslides, reinforcing echo chambers instead of challenging them.
This erosion of traditional journalism has left gaps that influencers, social media platforms, and even dubious “dark money” websites have filled. (Wikipedia reports that in today’s day and age, almost 62% of adults get their news from social media platforms and that number is increasing.) However, these new voices often lack the accountability and ethical standards historically upheld by professional journalists, compounding the challenge for PR practitioners and the public alike.
PR’s New Role: Investigative Reporters and Watchdogs
As newsrooms shrink and the lines between paid and editorial content blur, PR professionals are increasingly being called upon to ensure the accuracy and transparency of the information they disseminate. This requires a delicate balance. PR teams must serve as strategic counselors, challenging clients when necessary and verifying claims before amplifying them.
“We’re essentially the watchdogs now,” one industry expert on the panel noted. “Where journalists once held the line, it’s now on us to push back and uphold ethical standards.” This shift has elevated PR from a support function to a critical bulwark against misinformation, with practitioners navigating a treacherous terrain of influencers, AI-powered disinformation campaigns, and biased algorithms.
The Entrepreneurial Opportunity: Building Media Literacy
The crisis of misinformation is not just a PR problem—it’s a societal one. The speakers called for bold, innovative solutions to address this issue at its roots, suggesting a unique opportunity for enterprising entrepreneurs. They highlighted the urgent need for media literacy programs, particularly targeted at younger generations.
“Imagine a curriculum starting in middle school,” one speaker proposed. “Teaching kids how to critically evaluate sources, identify misinformation, and understand the impact of media bias could change the game.” Such programs could equip the next generation with the tools to navigate the complexities of the modern media landscape while fostering trust in credible journalism. (It appears however that even these efforts are being challenged in state houses across the country on the grounds of bias being baked in depending on the source of the curriculum. Until we resolve that issue and built trust and consensus around how we want to help our young people navigate today’s information superhighway, looks like they’re on their own.)
The Role of Technology and AI
AI’s potential in combating misinformation was a key point of discussion. While some PR professionals are already leveraging tools like Perplexity for media analysis, others see AI as a double-edged sword. Used responsibly, AI can enhance efficiency, enabling deeper storytelling and precise targeting. However, its misuse—whether in creating deepfakes or amplifying false narratives—poses significant risks.
PR practitioners must lead the way in adopting AI ethically, ensuring that the technology supports transparency and accountability. This will require industry-wide standards and a commitment to addressing the challenges of misinformation with innovative, proactive strategies.
A Call to Action
The media landscape is changing rapidly, and with it, the role of PR professionals. They are now tasked with navigating an environment fraught with disinformation while upholding the values of truth and transparency. As Axios’ Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen wrote in a recent “Behind the Curtain” column, the new reality “highlights the difference between media (what people consume) and reporting (a set of standards for pursuing fact-based information). In the new world order, media and reporting are tossed together with a mix of truth, opinion, and nonsense.” At the same time, the crisis presents an opportunity: the chance to build a more informed society through education, innovation, and ethical leadership.
Entrepreneurs, educators, and PR leaders alike have a stake in this mission. Whether through creating media literacy curricula, embracing emerging AI-powered media monitoring and tracking tools and technologies for verifications and/or rapid response, or championing higher standards for content verification, the time to act is now. As one panelist aptly summarized, “If we don’t rise to this challenge, who will?”
8 Key Takeaways:
- – PR are increasingly being asked to pay for their placements, and it’s a slippery slope especially in the vertical publication markets. It doesn’t seem uncommon anymore.
- – PR pros have to adhere to ethical standards and if it IS paid, be transparent (the content must be honest and authentic whether paid or editorial in nature, and be labeled as sponsored content.)
- – This new reality speaks to the overall commercial health of the media and ultimately if people are willing to pay for news.
- – The higher paid journalists are the ones who are being shown the door and recent college grads are covering a beat a mile wide and an inch deep.
- – We should all be extremely worried about mis and dis information. For the industry role, the problem is the more the trust declines the more it hurts everyone.
- – The PR industry can play a much more proactive role by making sure everything we put out is completely credible, making sure the whole story is put out, and all questions answered vs. just some.
- – Sadly, we’re not seeing much action on mis-information (since the webinar, Facebook discontinued all of its fact checking on Meta platforms.)
- – One of the benefits of the PR industries’ growth is it finds itself now in a role of responsibility, if it’s willing to make some hard decisions and ask the hard questions.
- “Navigating a Changing Media Landscape,” featured IPR President & CEO Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D.; Steve Cody, Founder & CEO of Peppercomm; and PR Industry Analyst, Arun Sudhaman. The recording and resources are available at instituteforpr.org under the events tab.
AI Note: Human hands took the notes and wrote the commentary, AI was asked to help in the general organization and streamlining of content before final editing. The image was created by a colleague using AI.