In June I sat in the Bathurst library for two hours at an ABC workshop on media literacy, run with the Australian Library and Information Association and Western Sydney University.

Partway through, the facilitators ran an exercise. A series of images went up on the screen and the room was asked to say which were real photographs and which had been generated. Roughly two-thirds of the people present had already told the room they use AI tools in their work or study.

The Medianet 2026 Media State of the Nation report puts data to what reporters already feel. Seventy-eight per cent of journalists say AI-written pitches decrease their trust in the PR source that sent them. Not indifference — active erosion. The trust that good PR is built on, depleted by the tool that promised to make outreach easier.

Newsrooms are smaller than they were five years ago. The Washington Post, CBS News, the BBC, and outlets across Australia have all made significant cuts — and the pace is accelerating. For businesses watching this unfold, the instinct is to see opportunity. It is the wrong read.

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From supply chain limitations to unclear messaging, jumping into PR too early can waste both money and opportunity.

Here's how to know if your business has the foundations in place to make PR work.

Communications isn't marketing, and that distinction matters more than most organisations realise.

We've watched businesses pour resources into campaigns that generate attention but struggle to build lasting trust or reputation. At Stitch, we believe communications comes first—it's the foundation upon which effective marketing can be built.

You can't market your way out of unclear messaging or advertise your way into genuine relationships. This is especially true in regional markets, where trust is currency and authenticity isn't optional.

Before you launch that next campaign, ask yourself: have we done the communications work?