Why visibility alone no longer defines influence, and why organisations must now take responsibility for clarity, continuity and trust. There was a time when corporate communications could be reduced to a single, familiar question: Did we get the coverage? I remember rooms where mornings began with newspapers spread across the table, pages folded back to the clips that mattered.
A front-page mention lifted the mood. A missed opportunity lingered longer than it should have. Over time, column inches became a shorthand for success, not because journalism lacked rigour, but because our profession learned to equate visibility with value.
This is not a rejection of earned media, nor a denial of how PR has traditionally worked. It is an acknowledgement that what once defined success is no longer sufficient on its own. Journalism has evolved.
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Newsrooms are leaner, cycles faster, and the expectations placed on journalists heavier than ever. The relationship between organisations and the media today requires more clarity, preparation and respect, not pressure to perform as a blunt instrument of validation. What has changed most is not the role of journalism, but how organisations must show up alongside it.
Audiences are fragmented. Attention is scarce. Earned media still matters deeply, but it can no longer carry the full weight of explanation and institutional memory on its own.
Most leaders have felt this shift. A story lands well, then disappears within hours. A complex decision is reduced to a headline stripped of nuance.
The real question is no longer “Did we get coverage?” but “Did anyone actually understand what we were trying to say?” This is where the shift from chasing headlines to owning the narrative becomes unavoidable. The PESO model is no longer a neat set of channels. It now behaves as a connected system, where credibility flows across platforms and owned media increasingly provides the anchor that gives everything else coherence and longevity.
This is not an argument against advertising or third-party platforms. Paid media remains essential for reach and commercial growth. The challenge arises when exposure is not supported by a coherent narrative ecosystem behind it.
Trust is built through repeated, credible signals over time. Stakeholders expect organisations to explain themselves directly and consistently, not only through intermediaries.
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