Muck Rack's State of Journalism Report: 88% Ignore Pitches

THE SHORT VERSION: Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2026 report, surveying 1,044 journalists, found 86% of stories still originate from PR pitches, but 88% of journalists immediately disregard a pitch that misses their beat, and AI adoption among journalists climbed to 82%. Founders pitching press without checking a reporter's last five stories are wasting the one shot they get.

What happened

Muck Rack published its State of Journalism 2026 report via GlobeNewswire on March 19, 2026, based on a survey of 1,044 journalists fielded between January 30 and March 2, 2026, with 897 responses included in the final analysis, primarily from the United States with additional representation from the UK, Canada, and India. The report found that 86% of journalists say at least some of their stories originate from PR pitches, confirming pitching still works as a channel, but pitch relevance remains the industry's biggest complaint: nearly half of journalists say they seldom receive pitches that match their actual coverage area, and 88% say they immediately disregard any pitch that misses their beat entirely. On the technology side, AI adoption among journalists climbed to 82%, up from 77% the prior year, with ChatGPT usage at 47% (up 5 points), Gemini at 22% (up 9 points), and Claude at 12% (up 6 points).

Why the State of Journalism matters now

The State of Journalism report is the closest thing PR has to an annual reality check on whether its basic assumptions still hold, and this year's answer is that pitching is not dead, targeting discipline is just non-negotiable. An 88% instant-disregard rate for off-beat pitches means the marginal cost of a bad pitch is not just wasted effort, it actively damages the relationship for the next, better-targeted pitch. And with 82% of journalists now using AI tools themselves, the reporter on the other end of your pitch may already be running your company name through ChatGPT or Gemini before they reply, which folds Media & PR strategy directly into AI search strategy.

1. Read a journalist's last five bylines before sending anything.With 88% of journalists disregarding off-beat pitches instantly, the five-minute check of a reporter's recent coverage is the highest-leverage thing you can do before pitching. Skip it and you are burning the relationship, not just the pitch.
2. Assume the journalist will AI-check your company before replying.With 82% of journalists using AI tools, treat your own AI search visibility on Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity as part of your press kit. A reporter who searches you and finds nothing credible is less likely to follow up.
3. Pitch fewer reporters, more precisely, rather than blasting a list.The report reinforces that relevance beats volume. Build a list of 10 to 15 reporters who have covered your exact niche in the last 90 days rather than buying access to a 1,000-contact media database.

By the numbers: Disinformation and funding are journalists' top industry concerns, tied at 32% each, while concern about AI's effect on the profession climbed 8 percentage points year over year to 26%.

What to do this week

Before your next press push, pull the last five bylines of each reporter on your list and cut anyone whose beat doesn't match your news, even if they're a big name. Then check what ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews currently say about your company, since a growing share of journalists are checking the same thing before they write back.