Journalists Reject AI-Generated Press Releases As Untrustworthy
Medianet managing director Amrita Sidhu told Mumbrella’s 2026 CommsCon in Sydney that journalists dismiss AI-generated press releases as lazy and untrustworthy, citing Medianet’s 2026 Media Landscape Report of 800 journalists. The survey found three-quarters received pitches suggestive of AI and half almost always detect machine-written copy. While journalists use AI for research and proofreading, 86% now cite press releases as a key news source, raising stakes for personalised PR.
Key Points
- 1Report finds three-quarters of journalists received pitches suggestive of AI-generated content.
- 2Journalists largely distrust AI-written PR, viewing it as lazy, inaccurate, and trust-damaging.
- 3PR teams must personalise and fact-check pitches to avoid being labeled 'PR slop' and losing trust.
Scoring Rationale
Survey-backed, timely finding with clear practitioner implications; limited novelty and primarily focused on Australian media, narrowing broader impact.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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