When Journalists Leave the Room: The PR Industry’s New Role in a Misinformation Era

by Gina Milani:

Back in college at San Jose State University, I was pursuing an Advertising degree with a journalism focus and spent my senior year working at the Spartan Daily campus newspaper. The ad office sat right next to the newsroom, separated by a single pane of glass. One day, after a high-profile shooting, I watched the journalism students spring into action, eyes fixed on the news feeds. I remember thinking, “Dang it, I’m on the wrong side of the glass.”

After a recent IPR webinar, I found myself wondering… am I still?

Hosted by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) and Peppercomm, the webinar “Navigating the Changing Media Landscape” offered a fascinating look at the evolving state of journalism and PR. I wanted to highlight some key takeaways, open it up for wider discussion—and add a few reflections 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, proliferation of new platforms like TikTok and podcasts, the advent of AI 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 today 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 ground-breakers.  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.  

News reports suggest 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, this 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:

1. 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.  
2. 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.) 
3. This new reality speaks to the overall commercial health of the media and ultimately if people are willing to pay for news.   
4. 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.   
5. 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.  
6. 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.  
7. Sadly, we’re not seeing much action on mis-information (since the webinar, Facebook discontinued all of its fact checking on Meta platforms.)  
8. 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.

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Gina Milani is the founder of PRToolFinder.com and president of Milani Marketing & PR, LLC a virtual agency specializing in enterprise software since 2001. She is a longtime member of the Public Relations Society of America and serves on the Executive Committee of PRSA’s Independent Practitioners Alliance.

Written by: Editor