Muck Rack recently published the State of Journalism 2021, results from its survey of more than 2,400 journalists about topics ranging from reporting during COVID-19 to preferences for working with PR professionals.
The results were not surprising. Here are some key findings.
COVID-19
Almost all the journalists (94%) say that some, most or all of their reporting has pivoted to angles related to the pandemic.
Workload
About a quarter (23%) of the respondents say they have a larger workload due to layoffs and furloughs of their colleagues. A smaller percentage (19%) say they have less work.
The average journalist covers three or more beats.
The average journalist receives more than five pitches per day and writes fewer than five stories a week. Only a quarter of these stories come from pitches.
Pitching
- Almost all the journalists (91%) prefer pitches under 200 words. Nearly half (46%) like pitches to be between 1 to 200 words. A quarter (25%) want pitches to be under 100 words.
- Most journalists (68%) prefer to receive pitches between 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. EST.
- More than half the respondents (57%) prefer to receive pitches on Monday. About 20% prefer Tuesdays.
- Almost all the journalists (90%) said it is OK to send at least one follow-up email.
- Most want pitches to come in a personalized email. Phone is the least preferred channel for reaching them.
Muck Rack conducted this research in partnership with Online News Association (ONA), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Foreign Press Association (FPA), National Association of LQBTQ Journalists (NLGJA), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), and more than a dozen other journalism-focused organizations.
Get an infographic of the primary results and the full survey results on the Muck Rack site.
