Journalism isn’t dead, says ex-Lincolnite reporter turned PR pro

I know it’s not the trendy opinion right now, but journalism really isn’t as dead as some would lead you to believe.

Last year I made the move into PR after the local news outlet I previously worked at, Lincolnshire’s largest independent digital site the Lincolnite, went bust after 14 years trading.

I covered all corners of Greater Lincolnshire, writing thousands of engaging and impactful local news stories, covered local and general elections, wrote a Wembley cup final match report, and interviewed hundreds of people (famous and infamous) in the county.

Every day felt like a source of immense pride as I would, in effect, be Lincolnshire’s leading message board of daily information. I’d be informing the public and giving them the facts they needed to understand some of the county’s biggest issues and concerns, as well as light-hearted relief, local success stories, remarkable charitable contributions, and other general positive news. This, I feel, is something that’s greatly lacking in the general modern news agenda.

Much like numerous other publications across the country in recent years, the Lincolnite eventually met its end in the summer of 2024.

I know what you’re thinking: wouldn’t an ex-journalist of a closed news outlet be walking proof of the decline of modern journalism, rather than its vitality?

Well, since leaving journalism to join the world of PR, I’m seeing the industry from a new perspective: Journalism is evolving into something new, and it’s bolstered my belief in the strength of journalism and the wider press network, and here’s why.

The power of PR

The very existence of public relations teams and agencies is a direct result of the impact journalism has on our day-to-day lives. Businesses and companies seek coverage spots in the press to reach specific audiences and boost and promote their image and reputation; it’s one of the main pillars of marketing, and if it wasn’t effective, there wouldn’t be a thriving industry of professionals working to achieve it.

The agency I’ve joined is seeing clear results and conversions for our clients that would suggest the industry is still very much alive and kicking. Last year, we secured 20% more coverage per client than the previous year, including some big national press across print, online and radio - and we’re off to a flying start for 2026 that might see us beat that record this year.

This is not just because of how amazing we are as a PR team (duh!) but also the strength of the relationships between PR agencies and journalists/editors, and the willingness to support one another in creating a great story for all parties involved. We’re helping journalists produce the content that their audience is after.

Valid argument?

Look, I won’t pretend there’s absolutely no merit to the argument that journalism is dying as an industry, because there is evidence to back it up as a claim: Last year one of the UK’s largest news outlets, the Daily Mirror, saw its print circulation dip below 200,000 for the first time since the Edwardian era, and its parent company Reach cut 10% of its workforce in a severe round of 2024 cuts, blaming “inflationary pressures” and rising costs. 

Add to this the fact that almost 300 local print newspapers in the UK have shut down or gone out of business between 2005 and 2024, and you can recognise the scope of the problems facing the journalism and news sector. It is equally concerning that more than 70% of the over 1,000 publications in the UK are owned by just six companies, suggesting that the industry is consolidating what it has rather than branching out into new avenues.

That does not mean the industry is on its last legs, though. Despite the rise of media conglomerates monopolising corridors of the press, the variety of sectors within journalism, and the variety of outlets within those sectors, presents a beacon of hope and opportunity for the industry’s future.

Diverse press

Perhaps the greatest strength of modern journalism is the diversity and range of coverage you get in a specific publication, sector or the industry. There are publications across a whole host of trade sectors, from engineering to manufacturing, construction to transport, and every region of the United Kingdom will have at least one local news outlet covering their specific area. 

Each of these outlets will have dedicated and passionate reporting teams that are experts in the field they write stories about, and with smaller outlets, you are likely to have a more personal connection with the reporter, meaning the more hard-hitting and impactful stories can often find themselves in either local or trade press headlines.

There is also the professionalisation we’re seeing in social media-focused media. Once tiny one-man bands have become multimillion-pound publications that have spawned spin-offs and new ventures, while podcasters and influencers have disrupted the status quo to lure away respected talent.

While there has perhaps been a rejection of larger ‘legacy’ type media outlets, the demand is still clearly there for a consistent trade press presence, particularly for businesses and consumers looking for either the latest news in their relevant industry, or the newest innovations and products on the market.

The social media shouting match

The long and short of it is merely that everyone’s voice has become louder because of the social media boom. People whose opinions you might never have heard before are now amplified due to the public forum settings of social media platforms, and that includes every positive, and naturally every negative, reaction people have. 

Before the days of social media, there were seldom few outlets that would let you have your say so publicly, which is why journalists for what we would now consider the ‘legacy media’ became so all-powerful. They were the message board for the general public, the key source of information – and they were very strict on what did and did not get put on the board. But we are now in the age of information overload, with the entire world at our fingertips and every possible worldview just a click away.

This, in turn, has created a divisive environment of left v right, radical v conservative, loud vs louder; and we are seeing more hive mind attitudes towards the media, as a result. This has been weaponised by influential online figures and politicians who adopt the cult of personality to turn followers against the ‘legacy media’ and build an element of distrust in what they read. No matter what side of the political spectrum you sit, this is a widespread tactic across the internet in the modern day. 

The data is there to back this up, also. A Statista survey of adults found that just 35% of the British population trust news media in 2025, down a percentage point from the previous year, and the UK ranks way outside the top 20 for media trust across the world, behind the likes of India, Japan, Mexico and Australia; though it is a marginally higher proportion than in the United States of America.

Similarly, the Reuters Institute of Journalism’s annual State of the Media report says 35% of Britons trust UK news in general (slightly higher than in 2023), but a whopping 60% still trust BBC News, and 51% trust their local or regional news publication or broadcast.

Cause for optimism

Ultimately, a country is best served by a free and fair press, and that still remains the case here in the United Kingdom. Despite the amplification of negative opinions on social media, there is still a reliance and an element of trust in the media across large sections of everyday society, and journalism of all shapes and sizes still serves millions upon millions of people every single day. It isn’t a case of the industry dying before our eyes, but more a case of evolving its characteristics to survive in a new climate.

Ellis Karran is a PR account executive at Carrington Communications.

Further reading

The pre-election period: 10 things every public sector communicator needs to know

Has PR industry failed to execute its own PR effectively enough?

How to set up reputation monitoring in LLMs