Journalists using AI to save time but don’t want AI-generated pitches or press releases

Just fifth of journalists now say they don't use AI, down from a third a year ago.

Person using finger on digital tablet with 'AI' superimposed over the top in red — Picture: Shutterstock/Pixels Hunter

For more than a decade, Cision has been taking the temperature of the journalism profession. This year’s State of the Media report, based on a survey of nearly 1,900 journalists across 19 markets, shows a newsroom under pressure and in transition.

Journalists are dealing with smaller teams, overloaded inboxes, misinformation, and growing questions around trust. At the same time AI is changing the way they work for good.

Like every industry adopting AI, journalism is seeing both the opportunity and the risk. The opportunity is speed. The risk is credibility.

How are journalists using AI in 2026?

Journalists are using AI to save time

It’s clear that generative AI has moved from novelty to everyday newsroom tool.

When we asked journalists whether they use AI tools, only 21% said they don’t – down from 33% just a year ago. In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, that figure drops to just 11%.

So how are journalists using it?

For the most part, reporters are using AI for work around the story. The most common uses are brainstorming angles and interview questions (48%), research and fact-checking (43%) and transcription or summarisation of interviews and audio (41%).

In other words, AI is becoming a behind-the-scenes “co-pilot”. It is helping with the time-consuming tasks that surround reporting. Somewhat reassuringly, the story itself remains firmly in human hands.

AI-generated PR materials must be used with caution

Journalists are more cautious when it comes to the use of AI in media relations.

More than half (53%) said they’re opposed to receiving AI-generated pitches or press releases, with 25% neutral and 21% in favour.

Their concerns aren’t abstract: they cite marketing spiel, unsourced information and irrelevance among their biggest frustrations. A reminder to PR professionals that personalisation is key and AI should be used with caution.

One journalist we surveyed put it bluntly: “Don’t rely blindly on AI platforms… AI can be one of the biggest sources of misinformation.” That should be a clear warning for PR and communication teams. AI can help with speed and structure, but it cannot replace accuracy, relevance or a human understanding of what a journalist actually needs.

Maintaining trust in the post-truth era

Journalism’s core currency is trust. In an era of misinformation, synthetic content, and AI-generated deepfakes, that trust is under pressure.

It is no surprise that half of journalists (50%) cited accuracy, fact-checking and combatting misinformation as the top challenge facing the profession today.

There is a tension here. AI can save journalists time, but it can also create more work. The same technology that can summarise an interview in seconds can generate a convincing falsehood just as quickly.

More broadly, 43% of journalists cited “navigating the rise and impact of AI in journalism” as one of their biggest challenges. The newsroom is not rejecting AI. But it is still working out how to use it without undermining the very trust it depends on.

The human role is becoming more important

So what does all of this mean for the future of the newsroom?

The strongest relationships in journalism – between a reporter and a source, between a story and its audience, between a publication and its community – resist automation.

The newsrooms that will thrive in the future are those that understand what AI can and cannot do.

AI can turn a lengthy interview into a polished transcript, but it cannot replace the instinct that tells a journalist which question to ask next.

AI can surface patterns in data. It cannot always judge what those patterns mean for the people affected by them.

For now, AI is accelerating workflows. But journalists remain in the driver’s seat when it comes to finding the story, testing the facts and earning the trust of their audience.