Job Losses and Public Relations: The Growing Imbalance Between Journalism and PR

The journalism industry is in crisis. Mass layoffs, shrinking newsrooms, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) have reshaped the media landscape. At the same time, the number of public relations (PR) professionals has skyrocketed, creating a significant imbalance between those who produce news and those who pitch stories.

This imbalance is overwhelming journalists with a flood of PR pitches, most of which go unanswered. Meanwhile, misinformation spreads unchecked, and the quality and diversity of news coverage suffer.

So, how did we get here? And more importantly, how can PR professionals better connect with journalists in a way that benefits both industries?

The Decline of Journalism: A Numbers Game

In 2023, 3,087 jobs were cut across digital, broadcast, and print news sectors—the highest annual figure since 2020. But this was just the beginning. In January 2024 alone, over 500 journalists lost their jobs across major media platforms, including:

✅ NBC News
✅ Time Magazine
✅ Business Insider
✅ Los Angeles Times (100+ employees laid off)

The trend isn’t limited to the U.S.—the UK’s journalism sector also saw a 50% decline in newsroom employment over the past year. In total, at least 3,875 journalists were laid off in 2023.

With fewer reporters and resources, journalists are expected to do more with less, covering multiple beats while sorting through an influx of PR pitches—many of which are irrelevant.

The PR Boom: Outnumbering Journalists 6 to 1

While journalism jobs are vanishing, PR is thriving.

  • In 1980, there were two PR professionals for every journalist.
  • By 2008, the ratio had risen to more than three to one.
  • Today, PR professionals outnumber journalists by over six to one.

This imbalance means journalists are inundated with pitches, often from former journalists who moved into PR for better pay and job security.

The Result? Journalists Are Drowning in Pitches

  • 46% of journalists receive 6+ pitches per day (Muck Rack, 2024).
  • 23% get 6–10 daily pitches, while 12% receive 21+.
  • 97% of PR pitches are ignored (Propel Media, 2023).

AI tools have made mass pitching even easier, further clogging journalists’ inboxes. Yet, despite the volume, most pitches are irrelevant, with 73% of journalists citing “not relevant to my beat” as the top reason for rejection.

The Impact on News Coverage

This PR-journalist gap isn’t just frustrating—it’s damaging the quality and diversity of news coverage.

  • Newsrooms lack resources to investigate critical issues.
  • Misinformation thrives, especially in an election year.
  • Diverse voices are lost, as layoffs disproportionately affect minority journalists.

At the same time, PR professionals struggle to get their experts and stories noticed, with poor engagement rates and difficulty measuring impact.

The Bottom Line? The PR-Journalism Relationship Is Broken.

But there’s a better way—one that eliminates spam pitching, wasted time, and ignored emails.

The Solution: Rolli – A Smarter Way to Connect Experts with Journalists

Introducing Rolli—a revolutionary journalist sourcing tool that flips the traditional PR model on its head.

Instead of PR professionals flooding journalists with pitches, Rolli lets journalists find the experts they need, when they need them.

How Rolli Works

✅ Inbound Model – Journalists search for and contact vetted experts directly.
✅ AI-Powered Search – Journalists quickly find relevant sources.
✅ No Spam, No Mass Pitches – Only the right expert gets connected.
✅ Trust & Credibility – Experts and PR professionals are vetted.

With Rolli’s journalist-friendly model, PR professionals no longer need to send hundreds of pitches hoping for a response. Instead, journalists come to them—creating faster, more efficient, and more impactful media coverage.

PR Professionals: Get Your Experts in Front of Journalists

If you’re a PR professional with experts ready to speak, it’s time to ditch mass pitching and start getting real results.

🔹 Sign up for Rolli today and let journalists find your experts instantly.
🔹 Contact us to learn more about how Rolli is rebalancing PR and journalism for the digital age.

Join the future of media relations. Join Rolli. 🚀

Final Thoughts

The journalism industry is at a crossroads, and so is public relations. The old methods—mass pitching, low engagement, and inbox clutter—aren’t working.

Rolli is bridging the gap between journalists and PR professionals, making expert sourcing faster, more efficient, and built for the realities of modern newsrooms.

The future of PR and journalism starts here. Are you ready?

🔹 Next Step:  Sign Up for Rolli