When it comes to the “frenemy” relationship that seems to exist between news reporters and public relations practitioners, the question that gets asked a lot is, “What do you want from me?” News reporters are naturally suspicious and see any attempt of PR pros to offer them tips, story ideas and other suggestions as problematic. PR professionals often note frustration that their work doesn’t yield results in terms of news coverage.

I have worked with multiple PR classes as a guest speaker and the questions they often have are along the lines of “How do I get you to trust me?” and “What does it take to get you to pay attention to my stuff?” In news classes, I often find that beginning reporters have awkward or weaselly experiences with PR pros, thus breeding an “us vs. them” mentality.

Muck Rack, a PR software company, conducted its “State of Journalism 2019” study recently in an attempt to bridge the gap between these groups that thrive under symbiotic conditions. Here’s a great look at what they found in terms of the things journalists say they want and don’t want from their PR counterparts:

If you want the whole report, you can connect with them at this link.

(H/T Teachapalooza group and Al Tompkins for alerting me to this.)