What 5 Journalists Want From Comms Pros in 2026 - and What They Should Leave in 2025
Five reporters share their thoughts on things they want comms pros to keep and stop doing.
This is my last newsletter of the year! As a journalist, I know I’m meant to have a way with words but they’re failing me when it comes to articulating my gratitude. “Thank you” doesn’t do me any justice. I am SO proud of the community we’ve built here. I’ve been touched by every message, comment and subscription to Off the Record. You’ve made this little corner of the internet feel like something really special. I’ve learnt so much about how the PR world works too, so thank you for that education. It’s never been about the numbers but... Off the Record has had tens of thousands of views, hundreds of thousands of impressions and we’ve hit more than 3,200 subscribers (all since July)!
It does feel like the newsletter has made a tangible difference by helping to bridge the gap between journalists and comms pros. To everyone who’s dared to challenge the midnight embargo, tried one of my slightly unconventional suggestions or shared my content this year...thank you.
I’m also so grateful to every journalist who’s been generous with their time and insight, especially those who said “yes” to being featured when Off the Record was just finding its feet.
So, for the final time this year, I’m thrilled to feature other journalists to share what they saw from comms people in 2025 that they think should stay in 2025, and what they want to see more of from comms pros in 2026.
George Greenwood, investigations reporter at The Times, said: “I’ve appreciated PRs who play it straight, and are up front if they aren’t going to tell you everything. Game playing just ends up poisoning relationships, and doesn’t help clients in the long run. When pitching, I’ve appreciated PRs who are highly targeted, and have done their research on what I do, and why I might be interested in their client’s work or view for an investigation. I simply block PRs who send irrelevant round robins.”
Catherine Early Early, freelance environmental journalist, said: “[In 2026, I want to see] more targeted working with journalists on exclusive stories or chunkier feature topics, which means giving us a heads-up far further in advance than typically happens. What do you want to see less of? [I want to see less] jargon. There’s still way too much in press releases. Given the impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises, plastic and chemical pollution etc across all parts of society and the economy, environment stories should be picked up by different desks - but that won’t happen if only environment specialists understand what you’re talking about!”
Isaan Khan, reporter at the Daily Mail, said he appreciated “being honest with the journalist even when the information being presented to them is problematic for the organisation, instead of trying to pressure the journalist not to write the story at all”. He added: “By providing context, that often goes some way to getting the organisation’s perspective heard in the story, and in the long run keeps a relationship intact.” He also urged PRs to have a desire to understand the story the journalist is trying to tell, rather than “too much of a focus of what the organisation is trying to get across.” The award-winning journalist said: “A middle ground can often be reached, which then benefits both parties.”
Keith Bays, senior producer and political reporter at GB News, said: “For me there’s a couple of things that should remain in 2025: comms people, firstly, no asking what the specific questions are for an interview. We are journalists there to scrutinise elected officials and hold them to account on behalf of the public; this is not China or Russia. Secondly, if I provide a topic, e.g. the leadership, I don’t think it’s great I have to spend an inordinate amount of time being lobbied not to discuss a topic. I’m the journalist and I’ll exercise good editorial judgement. In 2026, apart from refraining from incessant lobbying before interviews and trying to pry specific questions out of journalists, I think I would like to see more information and clarity on op-notes from comms people. Often they are vague and lacking in helpful information, or I’ll read an op-note, it will say one thing and when I turn up at the job it’s different. One thing that annoys me most is when comms people don’t specify how long I have for an interview or how many questions on the op-note, or they’ll say a number in the email only then to reduce the time or number of questions on arrival. In summary, I want to see them be across the detail more and be more transparent. We are there to hold elected officials accountable; they should not do anything to try and prevent that.”
And for my final piece of advice this year...the thing I would like to see left in 2025 is 10.30pm and midnight embargoes. They don’t work in the digital age. I often encourage people to experiment with embargoes but there are other options that can work well for broadcast and print which aren’t either of those aforementioned options. The thing I want to see more of from PRs in 2026 is incorporating video into pitches. More to come on this in future Off the Record editions soon!
Comms pros and journalists need each other. It’s a symbiotic relationship. When it works well, it can be a powerful force for highlighting under reported stories, holding power to account and help the public better understand the world they live in. The more we listen, collaborate and strengthen that bond, the better our stories (and our industry) become.
Remember folks, keep this just between us! We’re off the record.
I also offer media masterclasses for brands/PRs/organisations looking to sharpen their storytelling, improve their relationships with journalists and boost their media coverage. If you’re interested, please email me at stephspyro1@gmail.com
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