More signals do not automatically produce better decisions. For communications teams, the work increasingly lies between noticing a development and deciding whether there is a credible, timely reason to respond.
A wider remit, not a longer day
The Arthur W. Page Society’s public introduction to its 2025 Navigator benchmarking reports describes an expanding communications remit and greater expectations of business-wide impact. Media relations now sits within a broader set of organisational responsibilities, rather than operating as an isolated activity. [1]
That does not make the core work disappear. Muck Rack’s State of PR 2026 found that 84% of respondents spend at least a quarter of their role on media relations. Its publisher’s analysis places that continuing responsibility alongside new demands around AI and how organisations appear in AI-generated answers. [2]
Resources remain a constraint. Cision’s 2026 PR Success Toolkit reports that 81% of senior PR leaders feel pressure to “do more with less”, drawing on earlier research. The CIPR/PRCA 2023/24 audit also identified overwhelming workload as a source of workplace stress. This is a resourcing and leadership issue, not something software alone can resolve. [3] [4]
Information is not yet an action
Cision’s toolkit captures a revealing tension: 96% of communications teams rely on data more than ever, yet 43% struggle to turn it into actionable insight. Collecting information and using it to make a recommendation are different capabilities. [3]
An alert still needs interpretation. Does it connect to an organisational priority? Is there an expert with useful evidence? Is the conversation developing, or has the relevant moment passed? Until those questions are answered, an additional signal can become an additional task.
Relevance matters on both sides
The receiving side is under pressure too. The Institute for Public Relations and Peppercomm’s 2024 interview research describes shrinking newsrooms and a mismatch between executive expectations and the available opportunities for coverage. Its findings favour more realistic expectations and targeted contributions. [5]
Cision’s 2026 State of the Media makes the relevance gap explicit: 72% of journalists say fewer than one-quarter of pitches are relevant. Yet 66% rely on PR-provided material for story ideas. The problem is not that journalists have stopped needing PR. It is whether a particular approach helps them do their work. [6]
Make the decision easier to reach
These studies cover different populations and periods; they are not a single measure of the profession. Together, they suggest a practical priority: protect time for relevance, timing and judgement rather than treating the volume of information or outreach as progress.
Traditional monitoring helps teams find information. PitchVector is designed to support the next decision: what deserves action. Its workflow connects live media signals with organisational priorities, relevant opportunities and a focused next step. The purpose is to make the reasoning visible and the work accountable, while leaving the judgement with the team. Explore how the PitchVector workflow supports that decision.
More information is useful only when it helps a team make a better decision.
Sources and context
Links below lead to the original publishers’ public findings or report overviews. The studies use different samples and methods; the conclusions here are PitchVector’s editorial interpretation, not evidence of product performance.
- Arthur W. Page Society — Page Navigator Benchmark Reports, 2025 (public overview)
- Muck Rack — State of PR 2026 (publisher’s findings and analysis)
- Cision — 2026 PR Success Toolkit (drawing on 2025 research)
- CIPR/PRCA — 2023/24 Workplace Mental Wellbeing Audit (official findings)
- IPR & Peppercomm — Navigating a Changing Media Landscape, 2024 (co-publisher’s findings)
- Cision — 2026 State of the Media (official findings; 1,899 journalists surveyed in January–February 2026)