Technology has created a new media paradigm. Without a doubt. Social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are here to stay. Probably. But, in parallel, this renewed ecosystem has recreated, on the one hand, the dreams of publishers to increase the digital traffic of their media and, on the other hand, the ambitions of companies, analysts or institutions to manage their relations with journalism professionals individually. A serious mistake.
In recent years, the communications sector has undergone a huge transformation. The modus operandi of media in 2025 has changed due to advances in AI, the rise of so-called independent journalism and transformations in information consumption patterns. However, one thing has remained immune to this new age, virtually unchanged by trends and almost inscrutable to journalistic dogmas of faith: successful PR still depends on having strong links with the media.
Not even the AI or the RRSS will be able to alter -at least in their totality or easily- some concepts intimately associated with journalistic culture.
No doubt there will be many examples. But let’s take a couple of them. One, dedicated to the clients of communication agencies. The other is for the media, those still extremely indispensable vehicles for generating Fourth Estate. Regardless of whether their digital editions are more or less well-oiled or survive with greater or lesser solvency the road traffic that their news offerings provoke.
The first one refers to the temptation of analysts, managers or heads of public or private institutions to activate on their own initiative supposed communication strategies with the media. In reality, they are not guilty of anything. They are only at the mercy of the maelstrom of events. Of an immediacy that overwhelms us all, but which, at the same time, requires tactical calm. The message that first reaches a newsroom is unsuccessful. Nor to a journalist with whom you have established professional ties. Sometimes these manoeuvres can be counterproductive. They can end up with exclusivity tactics or selective choice of media to disseminate a corporate or institutional news item or a special market valuation. Or contravene it through third parties, usually customers, suppliers or knowledgeable management, who leak revealing information without regard to the communication tactic.
The second might seemingly clash with access to the primary sources of a newsworthy subject. But nothing could be further from the truth; A journalist’s contacts and professional agenda are like the Grail (…) undoubtedly sacred. In more frequent and, therefore, less transcendental cases, in the day-to-day news, a stock market, economic, geopolitical or commercial valuation or a relevant corporate novelty can collide with a company’s due diligence policy if it is given to the media without the adequate control and supervision of an agency or a communications specialist. Beyond the designs of SEO managers seeking preferential digital repercussions. Without this oversight, which should be minimal but unavoidable, the communication spigot between companies and the media can be closed without remedy.
The value of journalistic culture
In both cases, there is an underlying guiding principle: the importance of journalistic culture. This is something that must continue to govern communication tactics. It is surprising that in this day and age, where information flows at breakneck speed, company directors and even communication managers demand that agencies stop a news story. As if they had omnipotent power. And, moreover, against the clock. Or that, in the opposite direction, the media entrust them with altering agendas to urgently satisfy a chronicle about to take flight.
It is not that it should be renounced – of course- but, rather, to convey that it is not always feasible. In other words, it is the exception to an unwritten rule that exists and must remain in the journalistic ecosystem.
So the key to properly open this Pandora ‘s Box requires in the first instance confronting the technological avant-garde, accepting the effects, direct, beneficial and harmful, of the RRSS and, above all, preserving journalistic culture. A bit of heritage and tradition is never a bad thing. For which, we leave you with a decalogue of good practice. It never hurts in troubled times when hostile (geopolitical and ideological) attacks proliferate, (economic and financial) headwinds blow, and ( corporate and AI-related ) intellectual property battles rage against the media industry and communication quality standards.
Perhaps this is an opportune moment to put on record a number of recommendations for good journalistic practice in modern times.
The ‘Ten Commandments’ of today’s Communication
1 · Personalisation is non-negotiable. In the past, PR specialists could send press releases to hundreds of journalists and cross their fingers. That strategy is no longer effective. Every day, journalists receive hundreds of submissions and can recognise a generic message at a glance.
2 · Authentic storytelling captures attention. Journalists and the public alike know the difference between a real story and a marketing gimmick in today’s world. Brands that prioritise authenticity over promotion will be the most successful in media relations.
3 · Build relationships, not transactions. Media links are not deals, but connections. Journalists prefer to collaborate with PR specialists who provide genuine value rather than simply a press release when it suits them.
4 · Understanding the new media landscape . YouTube channels, blogs, newsletters, podcasts and micro-influencer platforms have grown in number as traditional media have shrunk. Reaching audiences wherever they are is the goal of media relations. Not just TV stations and newspapers.
5 · Multimedia content is a must. Journalists are often under pressure to produce interesting content. Providing multimedia content, such as images, videos, infographics or short audio clips, makes it easier for them to report on the topic.
6 · Use AI to work smarter. It enhances journalistic practice, but will not replace PR specialists. Instead, it can help with proposal writing, finding journalists, monitoring media and even monitoring coverage in real time.
7 · Speed is essential but not essential. News move faster than ever before. You will miss opportunities if you cannot react quickly. However, you may miss them if the response system loses efficiency and attractiveness by being meteoric. Or leave room for improvisation. Mistakes are paid for.
8 · Transparency is non-negotiable. Attempting to manipulate a situation or hide facts rarely succeeds. Brands that are straightforward, truthful and prepared to face up to their mistakes strengthen their ties with the media.
9 · A long-term strategy trumps short-term victories. A single press release will not be enough to build strong channels of engagement with the media. It is necessary to build permanent bridges of credibility, provide ongoing value and create long-term bridges of connection.
10 · End of the Decalogue. Epilogue: create an annual media relations calendar. This is something that is mainly within the reach of communication agencies that deal with media and clients alternatively.
Commonality of criteria (…) and interests
The search for instruments to increase digital traffic and subscriptions is not guaranteed. Even less so in convulsive times like the present, when information is devoured in an attempt to understand, no more and no less, a change in the international order and in the social relations of coexistence. For this reason, the communion of criteria between agencies and their clients and of interests between the former and the media must not be devalued if journalistic quality and rigour are to be instilled. Or without losing the values of objectivity and, above all, the right to truthfulness, which on too many occasions is confused with a freedom of expression that is not conspicuous by its absence, but is invoked by those who lack rational and weighty arguments to impose their ideas. Not infrequently, moreover, because of hidden interests.
Perhaps if journalistic culture returns to its origins, without renouncing technological progress, the Reuters Institute survey, which states that only four out of ten opinion leaders in Spain (41%) have confidence in the prospects and future of journalism, could be reversed. And only one in six (17%) express little or no faith in the profession.
