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Brand narratives in the age of AI: The new comms risk PR teams can’t afford to ignore

May 8, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Communications Lumina, PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

This is a guest post from Jane Hunt, a digital PR expert, published author and CEO of JBH, an award-winning digital PR and SEO agency.

Much of the current conversation around AI in communications has focused on misinformation and disinformation, and rightly so. However, there is a quieter risk emerging for PR professionals, one that is less about falsehoods and more about absence. AI systems spread narratives, but also determine which narratives are visible in the first place.

Tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are becoming the first step in discovery. In doing so, they filter brands based on how clearly and consistently they are understood across the web.

This creates a new risk: not being misrepresented or criticised but being omitted entirely. If a brand’s narrative is weak, fragmented or difficult to understand, AI systems may simply bypass it in favour of brands who have a very clear positioning.

How AI systems construct (and distort) brand narratives

Large language models (LLMs) do not assess brands in the same way as traditional search engines. Rather than ranking pages based on keywords or backlinks alone, they synthesise patterns across vast datasets that include media coverage, blogs, reviews, forums, and structured content.

Google has indicated that its AI-generated responses prioritise high-quality information drawn from multiple authoritative sources, while OpenAI has stated that models favour information that is consistently represented across trusted data.

In practice, this means repetition becomes a proxy for credibility, consistency signals authority and clarity signals usefulness.

The three narrative risks: ignored, miscast or diluted

The first and most overlooked risk is invisibility: When a brand lacks a consistently reinforced narrative across credible sources, including the press, AI systems can struggle to categorise it. This makes it far less likely to appear in AI-generated answers. Evidence of this can already be seen in Google’s AI Overviews, where only a small subset of brands are cited even in highly competitive categories.

A 2024 study by Seer Interactive found that visibility in AI-generated results is influenced by more than just rankings, with factors like content quality, PR, and strategic positioning playing a growing role. This indicates a shift from volume-driven SEO and PR to more coherent, authoritative brand narratives.

The second risk is distortion: When the dominant signals around a brand are negative, inconsistent or unclear, AI systems will still include that brand, but often in a reframed or simplified way. Because LLMs reflect aggregate sentiment, a small number of high-profile criticisms can outweigh a larger body of neutral coverage. Similarly, a complex repositioning may be reduced to a perception of confusion, or a short-term crisis may become a defining narrative, one that AI overviews may reference in the answer if they do feature the brand.

Once this pattern is established, it is reinforced at scale across summaries, comparisons, and recommendations.

The third risk is dilution: Brands with generic, indistinct messaging often fail to surface in AI outputs because they lack memorability. If a brand’s positioning is very similar to competitors, it becomes harder for AI systems to choose it as an example. This aligns with well-established research in cognitive psychology, which shows that distinctiveness improves recall.

Why traditional PR metrics fall short

Traditional PR metrics such as media coverage, impressions, and backlinks still have value, but they are not sufficient indicators of visibility in an AI-driven environment. These metrics measure reach, but they do not capture how a brand is interpreted or summarised by AI systems.

What matters more is whether a brand’s narrative is consistent across sources, whether third parties can clearly articulate what the brand does, and whether it appears in content that explains, educates or solves problems. As a result, PR should be shifting from a focus on visibility metrics to a focus on interpretability i.e. how easily a brand can be understood and featured in an answer.

What comms teams should do now

For comms teams, this shift requires a more disciplined and strategic approach to message and narrative development. Consistency must be treated not just as a branding exercise, but as a form of risk management. Fragmented messaging weakens the signals that AI systems rely on to classify and recall a brand.

Narratives must also be designed to stand independently of the organisation. If journalists, analysts or customers cannot easily explain what a brand does, AI systems will face the same challenge. Clarity and simplicity are essential.

In addition, PR efforts should prioritise high-trust, high-context publications. Thought leadership, expert commentary and educational content are far more likely to be used by AI systems than purely promotional announcements. These formats provide the explanatory depth that LLMs depend on.

Finally, narrative shaping must be proactive. By the time a narrative becomes visible in AI-generated outputs, it has already been reinforced across multiple sources. This leaves little room for reactive correction. PR teams must focus on seeding and reinforcing clear narratives early, before alternative or negative interpretations gain traction.

For more advice on updating your comms strategy for the impacts of AI and LLMs, check out key insight from Vuelio’s latest webinar, ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘.

25 years of the Journalist Enquiry Service: Its impact on the biggest news stories, then and now

May 7, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Communications, Media Media Database, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers, Journalist Enquiry Service Blog Posts /by Andrew Strutt

The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service celebrates a special milestone this year as it’s 25 years since its launch. The service has been there to assist thousands of journalists over this period, and give PRs the opportunity to secure media coverage for their experts, case studies, press releases and more.

Here is a look back at some of the biggest events and stories the Journalist Enquiry Service was able to help amplify across the UK over the last 20 years, and what’s happening in our 25th year.

Global economic events

Talking about big economic events from the last 20 years, 2008 would stand out for many of us in the UK and Europe – certainly comms and journalists tasked with covering the business and personal finance beat at the time.

Personal Finance-related media requests from journalists and broadcasters surged in the midst of the crisis, reflecting the immediate need for consumer information about what this meant for the public’s finances. And UK PR and comms people were there to help, offering advice from key experts and case studies from those impacted.

But that wasn’t the end of wide-spread financial woes, with the Cost of Living Crisis continuing to rumble on. First catching significant media attention towards the end of 2021, the Journalist Enquiry Service’s Personal Finance category saw a significant and sustained spike, increasing by nearly 70% from 1,926 in 2020 to a peak of 3,254 in 2022. Journalists needed practical, consumer-focused advice on budgeting, inflation, and debt, and turned to the UK PR users of the Journalist Enquiry Service for support. In 2022, Business & Finance media requests peaked again, (6,339) this time with asks for corporate strategy and the broader economic outlook.

What does this mean for PRs now?

If you want to reach out to a journalist covering Business & Finance in 2026, the focus should be on thought leadership and forward-looking analysis. Go beyond simple reporting when responding to requests and offer expert commentary on long-term economic forecasts, sector-specific performance in challenging environments, and strategic advice for businesses navigating the current climate.

Trying to get coverage with Personal Finance journalists? The big increase in the number of requests during times of crisis over the last 20 years suggests that the media is looking for immediate, practical advice on topics like saving, managing utility bills, mortgages, debt management, and more. For these significant events that will affect consumers due to high inflation and economic volatility, have experts ready to provide clear, non-jargon solutions.

Infrastructure and construction

While the Construction & Property and Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy categories on the Journalist Enquiry Service are traditionally less busy than others – primarily serving niche trade publications – related requests grew significantly between 2005 and 2008 – peaks coinciding with the planning and initial heavy construction phases of projects like the Elizabeth Line and the Battersea Power Station redevelopment – both having driven high media interest in the sector’s activity and scale.

Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy requests from the media have surged again recently – indicating the media’s increased focus on the industrial and supply-chain aspects of large-scale infrastructure, and perhaps the growing focus on energy transition, too.

What does this mean for PRs now?

When it comes to Construction & Property-focused media, general construction activity is less newsworthy than project milestones. If you want to get media coverage in this sector, focus on major project announcements, planning approvals, and any impactful delays. There is also a chance to cover innovative engineering if you can explain how it is done, the final launch, and what impact this is going to have on the sector and the local community.

Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy has seen major growth as a category recently and will most likely continue due to major projects like HS2 still on-going and recent ones like Thames Tideway only recently completed. The focus for PRs needs to be on technical innovations, UK manufacturing successes, and the energy implications of infrastructure. Stories and experts to talk about the materials used, the engineering feats, and the green energy solutions will resonate strongly with journalists covering this sector.

Political instability and change

The Public Sector, Third Sector & Legal category is another traditionally smaller category for the Journalist Enquiry Service, but it’s seen a sustained increase in requests from the media since 2015 – unsurprising, considering the political uncertainty of Brexit in 2016, calls for Scottish Independence and several different changes of Prime Minister during the recent Conservative government.

The number of requests shot up from 1367 in 2014 to 2407 in 2017 – taking in the 2015 General Election and the 2016 Brexit Referendum, reflecting the massive focus from journalists on both the legal and public implications of leaving the EU.

Requests from journalists hit an all-time high of 2907 in 2022, coinciding with the Conservative government making multiple Prime Minister changes (Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak) – journalists sought to cover the continued political instability, and the fallout around the cost-of-living crisis – something PR subscribers to the Journalist Enquiry Service were able to help with.

What does this mean for PRs now?

When political turmoil or constitutional shifts occur (like a new PM or a major policy pivot), PRs should focus on proactively pitching legal and public policy experts with clear, non-partisan analysis of how new legislation, devolved powers, or government restructuring will affect public services, the third sector, or regulatory environments. After an election or a major policy announcement (e.g. a post-Brexit trade deal, a new devolution package), the focus should shift to the mechanics and consequences of the policy. The number of journalist requests don’t just peak before a change, but also afterwards as the media covers the implementation and the ensuing legal and social challenges.

In terms of the opportunities for the Third Sector, the periods of crisis or public sector cuts ( often a consequence of political change), increase the media’s attention on charities and non-profit organisations. PRs working in this space should focus on data-driven stories demonstrating the impact of their work in filling gaps left by state services and advocating for policy change.

The social media boom and new technology

The development of technologies has been vast over the last twenty years and from 2005 until 2017, there was massive growth and journalists have made use of the Consumer Technology category with requests rocketing up from 903 to 4794. This coincided with the explosion of smartphones, social media platforms, and the app economy, and journalists were keen to cover all these changes. Since 2017, the number of requests has remained high, with the media tending to focus on general consumer gadgets and apps as they develop and evolve.

The Computing & Telecoms category has likewise seen a similar initial rise in requests from the media, hitting its peak in 2016 with 3490. This was largely driven by the development of modern communication infrastructures such as broadband, 4G, and cloud services. Another increase in journalist attention came in 2023 after the launch of the first major landmark in large language models (LLMs) – ChatGPT. AI has become one of the most consistent keywords on the Journalist Enquiry Service, but deep tech topics like quantum computing can also crop up in other categories such as Business & Finance and Manufacturing, Engineering & Energy.

What does this mean for PRs now?

Journalists that cover consumer technology, such as gadgets, are less likely to be looking for the technical specifications (which drove interest pre-2017) and are now more focused on the cultural, social, or personal impact of the technology. For instance, covering the ethics of a new social media feature, or how an app changes lifestyle, will resonate better than simply launching a new phone model.

PRs working in spaces such as AI and quantum computing may want to look beyond just the Computing & Telecoms category and also pitch to business journalists who will be looking at the commercial application, ROI, or national industrial strategy behind the technology. Most tech journalists working on trade outlets will know the technical complexity of new technologies and will instead be interested in covering the tangible, real-world benefits of what is being developed and launched.

The Journalist Enquiry Service in 2026: Even more ways to connect with the media

ResponseSource and Vuelio have always sought to support the comms and media industries with their unique challenges. This year, we’ve integrated media requests from the Journalist Enquiry Service into the Vuelio Media Database to enrich and expand opportunities for connection and collaboration.

Embedding media requests into the Vuelio Media Database directly provides PRs a peek into newsrooms now, combining with insight into what is coming up months in the future from forward features lists.

As the media and comms industry evolves with the changing times, the Journalist Enquiry Service will continue to be here to connect them, and help with the big news stories of the future.

Find out more about the Journalist Enquiry Service here.

The UK Housing Crisis: From A Supply Problem To A Political Emergency?

May 6, 2026/0 Comments/in PR, Communications, Media Media Monitoring, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers, Lumina Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

The UK housing debate has become heated as arguments over who we are building for and whether the current political leadership is capable of delivering on its promises abound.

Over the last month, the conversation has moved away from construction targets and toward a much messier reality involving planning gridlock, industrial supply chain failures, and a burgeoning leadership crisis in Westminster.

To understand how these narratives are moving, we analysed media data using Vuelio’s Lumina. This AI-powered tool surfaces the stories that matter, the different viewpoints within them, and the specific people and organisations driving the news. Between 5 April and 30 April 2026, we examined 17 distinct stories with competing perspectives to cut through thousands of media items and offer a definite look at where the narratives sit right now.

The results show a sector under immense pressure. From the grey belt of Kent to the rural Highlands, the debate is fragmenting. For those in public affairs and communications, staying on top of these shifts is the difference between leading the conversation and being buried by it.

Here is what the data tells us about the current state of the UK housing market…

A Perfect Storm Brings Housebuilding To A Decade Low

The most dominant story right now reflects a growing concern that the national housebuilding machine has ground to a halt. While the Labour government remains committed to its target of 1.5 million homes, the industry is describing a perfect storm that makes those numbers look more like a dream than a delivery plan.

The Home Builders Federation and major players like the Berkeley Group are leading this narrative, arguing that the entire financial model of building in the UK is becoming unviable. They point to a mix of high interest rates, rising material costs, and what they call bureaucratic ‘sludge’ in the planning system. This has led to a situation where major developers are cutting back on land purchases, with no clear path to profit.

Due to the data, this viewpoint carries a lot of weight. Construction starts in London have plummeted to levels not seen in years, and national figures for brick and block deliveries are falling. As reported by Guardian Online, these systemic delays are now being described as a ‘housing recession’, putting the Government in a difficult spot. While ministers insist their planning reforms will eventually work, the industry loudly disagrees.

The key drivers here are the industry bodies who have shifted from quiet lobbying to very public warnings. Neil Jefferson of the Home Builders Federation is a central figure, framing the crisis as a failure of policy to meet economic reality. When these organisations speak, they go beyond representing individual companies, to an entire supply chain that feels abandoned by the current fiscal environment.

The Battle Over ‘Beauty’ And Family Space In London

While the national story is about volume, the London narrative is about quality and suitability. A major divide has opened up between City Hall and its critics over what kind of homes the capital actually needs. The Deputy Mayor for Housing Tom Copley has been vocal in defending the current strategy, predicting that 2026 will be a turnaround year.

However, a growing chorus of experts and politicians disagree. The Housing Forum and the G15 group of housing associations are pushing a perspective that London is centering units over people. They argue that building thousands of small one-bedroom flats does nothing for the 75,000 households stuck in temporary accommodation, or families living in overcrowded conditions. They instead want a shift toward counting the number of people housed, rather than just the number of front doors created.

This debate has become aesthetically-focused, as well. Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly has entered the fray, attacking what he calls ‘soulless tower blocks’. He advocates for ‘mansion blocks’ and ‘intelligent density’, in some clever political positioning. With the focus on ‘beauty’ and ‘gentle density’, the Conservatives seek to win over local residents with a tendency to block new developments. Their bet: people are less likely to say no plans that are an aesthetic improvement.

According to MyLondon, this debate is a fundamental challenge to the Mayor’s strategy. If the public starts to believe that the new homes being built are the wrong homes, political support for massive development could vanish. The key drivers in this section, including Anna Clarke of The Housing Forum, are successfully reframing the crisis as one of distribution and suitability, not just supply.

Political Instability Casting A Shadow Over Policy

Perhaps a concerning trend for those in the housing sector is how much the Mandelson controversy and questions regarding Keir Starmer’s leadership are starting to take hold of the policy agenda – the work of fixing the planning system curtailed by a focus on internal dissent and scandals.

Commentators like Alex Brummer for This Is Money and reporters for the Financial Times are painting a picture of a ‘rudderless’ Britain, with power draining away from Downing Street. And this could have real-world consequences for the economy going beyond gossip, with the Bank of England maintaining a cautious approach to interest rates, and the uncertainty in Westminster making investors nervous.

When a Prime Minister is under fire, bold reforms get pushed to the back burner, and we are already seeing this play out with housing targets. Industry analysts are increasingly calling the 1.5 million aim ‘fanciful’ as the political capital needed to force planning changes through is being spent on managing party rebellions.

The key drivers here are high-profile columnists and disillusioned backbenchers, who are linking political failure directly to the housing slump. Their argument: If the government cannot manage its own party, how can it manage the biggest building programme in 50 years? This link is potentially dangerous for the Labour brand, turning a technical policy failure into a perceived character flaw of leadership.

Supply Chain Shocks And Creative Solutions

While influential players argue in London, other stories show how the crisis is hitting the ground in different ways. The GMB Union has raised a red flag regarding brick manufacturing, pointing out a ‘nonsensical’ energy policy that gives relief to mortar makers but excludes brick kilns. This has led to factories idling and stockpiles growing, even as the country begs for more homes. Charlotte Brumpton-Childs from GMB is a key driver here, aiming to protect manufacturing jobs and pointing out the disconnect in government strategy.

Concurrently, there are creative, and controversial, attempts to bypass the planning system. In Ireland, the government has approved exemptions for garden homes and modular cabins. While ministers like Micheál Martin champion this as a pragmatic solution to a national emergency, housing advocates like Threshold warn it could lead to a return to substandard ‘beds in sheds‘.

In Kent, Hallam Land is testing the new grey belt rules with a 300-home proposal in Sevenoaks. This has sparked a familiar villager versus developer trope,, with local residents calling it an ‘absolute joke’, and the developer characterising the move instead as a ‘sympathetic expansion’. This story could be a preview of the many battles that will take place across the UK as the Government attempts to reclassify green belt land.

What This Means For Comms Professionals

For PR and public affairs professionals, this data suggests that supply vs demand messaging won’t get attention from the press, or from stakeholders. Campaigns focusing on building more should make way for updates on what is being built, where it is, and who it is for:

The suitability message: The focus is shifting to family-sized homes and ‘intelligent density’. If representing a developer, lead with how projects fit the local population’s specific needs, not the contribution to a national target.

Infrastructure first: The Sevenoaks story shows that local opposition is still rooted in infrastructure fears (doctors, schools, traffic). Communicators must address these points before they talk about the houses.

Everything is political: Housing is being used as a means to criticise the current UK leadership. Any project that stalls can be framed as a failure of the Government – be prepared for your project to become a political pinball.

Supply chain transparency: The brick and energy crisis shows that the how of building is just as important as the where. There is a space for thought leadership on industrial strategy and how it supports housing.

The UK housing crisis is currently enmeshed in a collection of competing crises, with a construction crisis, a planning crisis, and a leadership crisis all happening at once. The narrative has moved from a debate about numbers to a complex argument about aesthetics, family needs, and industrial viability.

Navigating this environment requires an understanding of the perspectives that are gaining traction and the key drivers and stakeholders who are shifting public opinion. The data from Lumina shows that the winners in this debate will be those who can bridge the gap between policy ambition and the reality on the ground. By staying ahead of emerging trends in the press, communicators can help shape a more constructive conversation.

Find out more about the closer alignment between public affairs, communications, and the political press here.

The LLM visibility gap: Why PRs need to earn attention in AI answers

April 29, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs Media Database, Media Monitoring, PR, Lumina Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

The communications landscape has been transformed by the emergence of artificial intelligence, and the traditional tools of PR have had to evolve to keep up. For organisations operating in a world of fragmented media and accelerating sharing, AI must be utilised as a tool, but also treated as an influential stakeholder.

The challenge has taken PR & Comms professionals beyond traditional media monitoring, with success now also depending on whether Large Language Models (LLMs) recognise your organisation, your clients, and your messaging, and include them in their generated answers. If absent from AI summaries, your organisation risks becoming invisible to a generation of users who rely on these systems for their primary information.

AI can be a blocker, or a connector

AI is a powerful stakeholder in its own right, and like any other stakeholder, can’t be ignored.

During Vuelio webinar ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder‘, the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Anne Gregory highlighted how the growing dependence on these tools is reshaping how we practice communications.

‘AI is much more than just an assistant; it is a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.

‘It mediates our engagement with organisations and individuals, and evidence is emerging that AI is often believed more than other traditional sources.’

This shift in trust represents a significant risk for those caught unprepared. If an LLM synthesises a narrative about your client or brand that is factually flawed, or omits your perspective entirely, the speed at which that ‘truth’ takes hold is fast.

However, many PR teams still aren’t paying significant attention to this. Purposeful Relations‘ Stuart Bruce highlighted how teams currently allocate their resources as just one example.

‘If you look at where budgets and effort are currently directed, the focus remains heavily on social media influencers,’ he observed. ‘Meanwhile, far less attention is paid to AI answers, which are becoming significantly more influential and persuasive.’

‘Invisible’ organisations

Media fragmentation has made it harder than ever to maintain a coherent narrative. Between political volatility, geopolitical shifts, and the sheer volume of digital noise, the feedback loop of communications is compressing. In this environment, comms teams need to go beyond monitoring and interpreting to anticipating and ‘pre-bunking’.

Because the risk of being ignored by LLMs is a commercial one. Gartner’s recent report ‘Top Predictions to Inform 2026 Comms Strategies‘ highlighted a critical shift for Chief Communications Officers (CCO) towards Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).

Gaining visibility in AI answers doesn’t require a skill set completely new to comms professionals, however. The shift can be simple: to be included in an AI answer, your organisation must provide enough digital touchpoints for the model to verify your information as reliable.

As Stuart Bruce puts it: ‘AI creates content in the same way a journalist or an analyst might, by synthesising countless bits of information from across the web.

‘The more touchpoints the AI finds to verify a fact, the more likely it is to include it. If we don’t create an environment where the AI can find enough evidence of our perspective, it simply won’t give it.’

Closing the gap

The secret to a successful campaign in 2026 and beyond lies in ensuring your key facts, executive commentary, and brand milestones are structured and accessible to LLMs – placing information in enough reputable digital locations (from media outlets to white papers and official statements) that an AI agent perceives your narrative as the authoritative one.

As Dr Anne Gregory warned: ‘Once a narrative is set, it becomes extremely difficult to counter. This is why PR must come in early. AI agents use information to create their own sources of knowledge; if the data they collect is flawed, the consequences for the organisation are severe.’

PRs continue to be the architects of brand reputation, tasked with influencing both the human audience and the intelligent agents that interpret the world for them.

What’s next?

The organisations that will thrive in this AI-mediated world are those that earn credibility through the discoverability of their message – like the comms outreach of old, but evolved.

At Vuelio, our platform is built to support exactly this kind of purposeful communication, with our Lumina suite continuing to evolve to meet the needs of today’s comms teams. Whether you are in-house or agency, the goal remains the same: to ensure that when AI is asked a question about your sector, your organisation, or your clients, your voice is the one it uses to provide the answer.

Find out more about Lumina.

AI is the new stakeholder for PR and comms

AI is the new PR & comms stakeholder

April 23, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Communications, Media Media Database, Media Monitoring, Political Services, PR, Press and Bloggers, Lumina Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Artificial Intelligence impacts PR & comms in two distinct ways. It transforms how practitioners work with massive volumes of media, and at a greater degree of sophistication and personalisation. At the same time, it’s also a powerful force shaping how information is surfaced, interpreted, and acted upon across the entire communications industry. What’s changed isn’t just ‘how’ you do the work, but your reason for doing it in the first place.

Not sure if you agree? The current landscape makes clear just how important factoring in AI’s influence is. According to Gartner’s latest predictions for 2026, the mass adoption of public Large Language Models (LLMs) as a replacement for traditional search is expected to drive a significant increase in PR and earned media budgets by 2027. To add to this, BCG’s AI Radar global survey found that corporate investments in AI have doubled since last year.

From the PRCA’s recent green paper on responsible AI, to the CIPR’s focus as part of its survey for 2026, the sector is rapidly investing in this future. And with the EU AI Act deadline on the horizon, the urgency for robust governance and planning has never been higher. As Rupert Younger, Director of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, put it as long ago as 2024: ‘AI is not just a technology, it has become a stakeholder’.

To navigate this new reality, we were joined by Dr Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus at the University of Huddersfield, and Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist and Co-founder of Purposeful Relations, for our latest webinar, ‘AI as the new PR & comms stakeholder’.

Watch the full webinar here.

In the session, we explored how this new stakeholder is redefining reputation, influence, and strategy.

What kind of stakeholder is AI?

While many across the comms industry still view AI as a digital assistant for finding efficiencies and speeding up elements of our daily responsibilities, Anne argues it has moved into a more active role:

‘In one sense, AI is a compliant assistant, helping us along the campaign creation trail from research to identifying and prioritising stakeholders, tracking sentiment. But even here, it’s doing that in your name and in your organisation’s name. You have to have a stake in its work, because it certainly has a stake in yours.’

‘We’re becoming increasingly dependent on these tools, and they’re shaping our practice and behavior, but AI is much more than just an assistant. It’s a powerful actor in the information ecosystem.’

While AI lacks anything approaching human intentionality (for now…) its algorithmic processes produce significant real-world consequences. It shapes organisational perceptions and mediates engagement with individuals, often presenting summaries that are believed more than traditional sources.

‘AI is becoming a very strong stakeholder,’ said Anne. ‘ I like Dr. Nici Sweaney’s definition of these agents and AI, it’s an accidental stakeholder’.

Stuart Bruce added that there is still significant confusion regarding what AI actually means for practitioners. Purposeful Relations’ research with 72Point revealed that 44% of UK consumers trust AI answers – a figure nearly double the 24% who trust social media influencers:

‘If you look at where budgets and effort goes at the moment, it’s going to social media influencers; it’s not going into what’s happening with AI answers, which are becoming a lot more influential and persuasive.

‘Anne talked about accidental stakeholders – you’ve actually also got the accidental AI users, because even those people that aren’t using AI, they’re still going to be seeing those AI overviews in search. This is where we talk about ‘zero click’, because people are often seeing those answers and going no further.

‘It’s not just about visibility, it’s actually also about accuracy – how your organisation is being portrayed, your leadership, and your people. You’re going to want your particular perspective to be coming out in AI answers.’

The dangers of underestimating AI’s role as a stakeholder

If AI is treated only as a tool or assistant, organisations face substantial reputational risks. Anne warned about the danger of underestimating AI’s power to curate and shape truth:

‘For a lot of people, it has become a source of truth. Maybe PR people are more skeptical of AI than others… but the world isn’t peopled by AI experts or public relations experts. Even though we know these summaries are often incomplete and biased, we tend to believe them. If we don’t regard AI as an influential stakeholder, we could be putting ourselves in jeopardy.’

Anne pointed out the difference with this stakeholder and stakeholders as they’re currently understood, particularly the media.

‘There’s an interesting difference here. If you’ve got a beef with a journalist and you think they’ve not represented you fairly, you can go and have a conversation with that journalist, and you can present them with a case. You can even go to the editor and get some sort of redress. You can’t do that with AI, not in the same way at all.

‘AI is a very powerful and influential stakeholder, but not one that you can necessarily influence back directly. Once a narrative is set, it becomes really, really difficult to counter it. Which is, of course, where PR comes in.’

Trouble can also come if comms practitioners fail to make full use of traditional tools in the PR kit that came way before AI: getting a story out to as many influential sources as possible.

For a practical example, Stuart shared the story of a university industrial dispute. The AI’s narrative was dominated by the trade union’s perspective, because the union had provided multiple touchpoints – website statements, social media, and media quotes. The university, in comparison, having viewed the situation as negative, only responded directly to journalists:

‘The trade union gave them half a dozen quotes – the university gave them one. It just wasn’t credible. This is what AI as a stakeholder actually means. The more touchpoints that AI can find to verify that a piece of information is a fact, the more likely it is to be included in that AI answer.’

Shifting narratives and the speed of change

Anne reflected on the speed of adoption, noting that CIPR’s AIinPR 2018 literature review could not have predicted the current reach of generative models. She admitted that while the PR industry was initially slow to adopt and adapt, it has quickly developed an ‘obsession with tools’ rather than considering the broader implications:

‘We didn’t realise that AI is a stakeholder for the whole organisation. We are only now waking up to the fact that we have an enormous role in the governance of these systems. At the end of the day, we’re talking about the legitimacy of whole organisations.’

Stuart emphasised the need for PR and comms teams to factor AI’s influence into strategies now, particularly to curtail false narratives, misinformation, and disinformation:

‘If organisations aren’t doing something now, it’s too late.

‘NATO published a paper on misinformation and disinformation and one of the concepts that NATO talks about a lot is “pre-bunking” and “inoculation” – making sure that your information is out there. And that’s what you need to do with AI – it’s too late to wait, and watch, and see. You actually need to be making sure that it understands your perspective now – it’s not just as simple as dealing with a truculent journalist or an activist group. AI is influenced by a multitude of sources.’

Navigating governance and internal responsibility

With a lack of one source of truth regarding the ethical use of AI, Stuart highlighted the importance of ‘living and breathing’ internal governance and responsibility, involving continuous training and feedback loops:

‘Too often what people try to do is create an AI policy, and on its own, that’s fairly meaningless. Governance is something entirely different. The policy only means something if you’ve done some training to go with it.’

Stuart introduced the concept of a ‘social license’ for AI — gaining trust from other stakeholders, internal and external, for how an organisation embraces the technology.

‘It’s making sure that it’s not just about how you as PR people or comms people are using AI, but how the organisation is embracing it. How on earth do we get trust from all of our other stakeholders for the things that we might want to do with AI? How do we bring our employees with us? How do we make sure that we’re using it in the most sustainable way possible?

‘What are we doing to address issues around bias and inclusivity, fairness and access? The answer is going to be different for each organisation.’

What can the industry do now to work with this new stakeholder?

Both speakers offered critical advice for practitioners to follow now. Anne urged the comms industry to continue to question what AI offers and evolve their approach as the technology changes:

‘Constantly ask yourself three questions: Why are we using AI? How is it built? And who is it going to be affecting?

‘Remember, it’s not just an agent at your service; it’s an equaliser of power that takes a stake in you and your organisation as much as you use it to influence others.’

Stuart expressed concern that hype, and confusion, around terms like Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is turning a portion of comms people off of thinking about the ramifications of AI as a stakeholder:

‘There is a lot of hype, but the fundamental point remains: you must renew your communication strategy. If comms people aren’t thinking about this this year, they’re going to be in real trouble.’

Simple tips for AI-friendly outreach

When asked for tips on making media outreach more AI-friendly, Stuart was adamant: do not write for machines.

‘We should still 100% be writing for humans. However, it’s possible to write for humans in an AI-friendly way so that AI can understand and read it as well.’

He identified three factors AI prioritises:

Recency: AI likes fresh content to supplement its training data. If you have a research report, keep refreshing it with new aspects.

Relevance: AI recognises specialist niche titles and trade media. Some syndicate titles that practitioners sometimes sneer at are actually vital because AI uses them to fill data gaps.

Reputation: AI looks for ‘proof points,’ like whether a spokesperson has a matching biography on the website or a consistent LinkedIn profile.

Stuart suggested that practitioners must broaden their scope of stakeholders. While first-tier earned media remains important, much of it is hidden behind paywalls. AI will look elsewhere for information:

‘When a comms team is doing outreach, if the CEO has got a limited time to do interviews, it changes the priority of the ones we’re going to accept. When we talk about owned media – not just necessarily talking about your own owned media – often we’re talking about partners, suppliers, or customers, and what they’re publishing and sharing.

‘We are in public relations – the key word is “relations”. Sometimes we focus on two small a segment of stakeholders. We might look at the media, we might look at politicians, but it needs to be a lot broader than that.

‘We really need to understand all of the relationships that an organisation has and think about whether we can manage those relationships in a better way, but also what impact that’s going to have on AI answers, because it is going to have an impact on both.

‘Fundamentally, organisations need relationships to exist. You can’t exist in a vacuum, so it’s important that we get this right.’

And to finish on a positive note: Anne saw great opportunity for public relations’ new stakeholder in AI – bringing new ways to connect and relate:

‘That’s one positive thing that AI can help us with. Look at the spread of relationships that are going to help us get traction with a whole range of other organisations, and influential people.’

For more on how AI is speeding up the spread of information – and challenges to the comms industry – check out our previous webinar ‘AI, Disinformation and the Risks They Pose for Communicators Today‘ with Thomas Barton, Executive Director of the Council for Countering Online Disinformation and CEO of Polis Analysis.

AI as the New PR & Comms Stakeholder

April 23, 2026/in PR, Comms, Brand, Stakeholder Management /by Yi Chen Lin

AI is no longer just a tool, but a force shaping how information is surfaced, interpreted, and acted on across the communications industry.

This webinar explores what this shift means for reputation, stakeholder influence and communications strategy — and where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) fit within this evolving landscape.

Expertise comes from Dr Anne Gregory, Professor Emeritus of Corporate Communication at the University of Huddersfield, and Stuart Bruce, PR Futurist and Co-founder of Purposeful Relations.

Fill in the form below to watch the webinar and learn:

How AI behaves and influences as a stakeholder in its own right
The challenges and opportunities AI presents as a new audience
The long-term impact of AI and LLMs on the communications landscape

Home improvement advice, running coaches and gardening experts: How to get UK press coverage in April 2026

April 16, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Communications, Media PR, Press and Bloggers, Journalist Enquiry Service, Media Database, Media Monitoring Blog Posts /by Andrew Strutt

What are journalists looking to cover in April and beyond? With another big holiday now behind us in Easter, it can be tricky to know what topics might stand out for the media in among all the current affairs and trending issues. From insight via the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service (which is now also available in the Vuelio platform), we share what journalists have been looking for recently and where you can expect to get media coverage over the next month or so.

Interest in home improvements rising

The Home & Garden category is always a popular one on the Journalist Enquiry Service but recently ‘home’ has been cropping up in a lot of enquiries – in March, it appeared in 11% of the total for the month. Within this, there were also around 2% focused solely on ‘interiors’ as journalists look to get experts and comment on ways that people can make home improvements before the summer arrives.

Journalists at Your Home, Livingetc, Homebuilding & Renovating, House Beautiful, Metro, Daily Mail, and Ideal Home all sent enquiries last month relating to the home. These included looking for case studies of interior designers or influencers who have created a beautiful home, expert commentary about using vintage pieces from the 1960s in homes, home storage products to review and for information on a Spring/Summer home, garden & DIY makeover feature.

Going forward? In April last year, ‘home’ appeared in just over 8% of the total requests meaning that journalists will continue to be looking for experts, products to review and case studies for the rest of this month and likely into May as well. Interior designers are particularly popular but anything home-related will have a good chance of securing media coverage in either consumer magazines or websites.

Running and fitness experts in demand

Marathon season is very much upon us with the Brighton marathon taking place last weekend, and Manchester happening this weekend, before London on 26 April. The media has been looking for experts in this field, and ‘running’ has cropped up in 2.5% of requests in March. Journalists have also looked to cover health and fitness more generally as well and ‘fitness’ appeared in just over 2% of the enquiries last month.

The running-related requests have included the best running essentials for beginners inspired by the London Marathon, a physiotherapist specialising in running, and PTs and running experts to provide advice and tips on carbon plate trainers. Meanwhile, the fitness enquiries have seen journalists looking for diet and fitness transformations of women over 40, information on the new wave of wearable health and fitness tech you can talk to, and a physiologist or sports science expert to provide comment for a piece about cardio fitness.

Going forward? We are very much into ‘running season’ right now and the media are regularly looking for experts (running coaches, former athletes, and personal trainers) to help give advice or tips to tie in with their articles. Running appeared in 2% of the total requests in April last year, so we would expect to see similar engagement this year. Fitness more generally is a frequent keyword on the service and normally offers up more opportunities to feature case studies and products to review. If you have experts ready to give comment then they could get coverage in Women’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The Times, Marie Claire, or The Independent as journalists from all these titles sent a request last month.

Gardening tips and advice wanted

With Spring now fully in bloom and better weather (slowly) returning, journalists look to cover gardening tips and tricks to share with their readers. ‘Gardening’ appeared in a little over 5% of all the requests in March with ‘plants/planting’ featuring in 1.5% as the media sought advice on what flowers and shrubs people should be looking to plant during this season.

Journalists at Country Living, Good Housekeeping, PA Media, Gardens Illustrated, and woman & home have all sent gardening-related enquiries in March. These have mainly been asking for experts to answer questions such as solving daffodil blindness, whether you should get rid of caterpillars and about self-seeding plants. There have also been a few case study requests for people who grew their own balcony garden in a city apartment, and for products to review such as lawnmowers and other gardening equipment.

Going forward? April last year saw a similar level of interest in gardening to March this year with 5% of all enquiries being around this topic, and it then increased in May 2025 to over 6%. Journalists will tend to seek out gardening experts to share their advice but there will also be the chance to get products featured and case studies as well.

Other opportunities for PRs in April and beyond

The current war in the Middle East has generated a lot of media attention and that has fed through to the Journalist Enquiry Service as well, particularly in relation to ‘energy’ which appeared in just over 3% of the requests last month. The war’s impact on gas and oil prices has been the main focus of journalists sending requests and we are likely to see more enquiries regarding energy experts and analysts to share their insight going forward over the next few weeks and months.

Another topical issue is the ‘environment’ and that cropped up in 3% of all enquiries in March. With Earth Day taking place on 22 April, there is likely to be a greater focus from the media on this topic. If you have environmental experts or case studies of people that are making a difference to reduce their impact on climate change and global warming, then they could well get national or broadcast coverage.

Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Find out how here.

Health in Focus: Resident doctors & devolved elections

April 15, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, Public Affairs Political Services, PR, Political Database, Political Monitoring Blog Posts /by Aidan Stansbury

For the 15th time since March 2023, the resident doctors went on strike following the Easter break, bringing the cumulative cost of the dispute, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, to an estimated £3bn. The strikes have developed following a breakdown in talks between the Government and the BMA. The passing of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act earlier this year, which was originally intended to be conditional on positive BMA talks, briefly hinted at a thaw in hostilities. Streeting has also spoken positively about talks, saying that he believed the Government and the BMA had ‘collectively constructed a serious, good-faith attempt to resolve this dispute’. The deal presented by the Government included a minimum pay rise of 3.5%; higher pay rises on average for the lowest paid foundation year 1 (FY1) and foundation year 2 (FY2) doctors, at 6.2% and 7.1% respectively; reform of the pay structure leading to more frequent pay rises; at least 4,000, and up to 4,500, additional specialty training posts over the next three years, with at least 1,000 of these beginning this year; reimbursement of mandatory royal college exam fees; and substantial contract reforms to locally employed doctors.

Despite these ‘constructive talks’, the BMA has accused the Government of moving the ‘goalposts’ at the last minute, moving from a two-year pay uplift to a staggered increase distributed across three years. From the Government’s perspective, the BMA’s expectations are ‘unreasonable and unrealistic’, triggering a regression into the bitter hostilities seen previously with public appearances laced with high criticism and dismay at the actions of the opposing parties, rather than the ‘collective’ reasoning and negotiation. On the picket line, Chair of the BMA Dr Jack Fletcher said that the Government is now refusing to talk with the BMA and offer a ‘credible deal’ that does not have real-term pay cuts baked in. The Government chose, through the Prime Minister, to publish an article in The Times, saying the rejection of the deal was reckless and benefited no one. At the time, Starmer issued a 48-hour ‘take it or leave it’ ultimatum which went unheeded. This ‘strongman’ approach seems to show the Government reverting to type on this issue, having responded to calls for a more collaborative and respectful approach to dealing with the BMA in the past. Since the conclusion of the strikes, Streeting has also been unequivocally sharp in his frustration and criticism with the BMA’s actions, asking them to ‘stop pretending that this government can sort out everything for everyone everywhere all at once’ and calling their claims ‘categorically untrue’ and ‘nonsensical’.

A key aspect of the Government’s ultimatum was that if the strikes went ahead, the Government would have to pull the 1,000 specialty training places put on the table for the current training round. The Government has said this was being pulled to cover the costs of the strikes, taking place in a period to cause the most ‘havoc’ to the NHS. For them, this was not a punishment nor a threat, but a logistical choice the BMA has made. This move has been criticised, including by Jeremy Corbyn MP who called the move a ‘disgrace’ that will cause patients to suffer and push doctors to leave the UK and work overseas. Once again, this highlights the irregularity of negotiations between the Government and trade unions more widely. To seek an end to a dispute there must be negotiations between the two parties involved, and where an agreement can’t be reached compromise is sought from the parties. If a compromise can’t be reached then the Government must opt to either exit negotiations or leverage themselves in the negotiation to reach a compromise. The issue arises where leverage over public sector workers, such as pulling training places, ultimately always harms the public and the Government’s objectives as well as those on strike.

This creates a paradox where the Government is forced to leverage against its own ambitions while the trade union stays, as it seems, in an uncompromising stance able to criticise this leverage as harming the public. Of course, the Government could do more and spend more to appease the concerns of the BMA, drawing money away from other key areas in the healthcare sector, or the wider public purse as a whole. But as noted by Streeting, this could cost over £30bn a year once all public sector employees are considered. Importantly, when we look at the BMA itself, its own employees have chosen to strike having been offered a 2.75% pay rise, notably below the 3.5% Government offer to doctors which the BMA has described as a ‘crushing blow’. This possible irony encompasses the complex nature of this situation and the frustration that stems from the Government. Nevertheless, the Government must square this circle to alleviate further criticisms, whether those are calls for more financial generosity and ‘backing’ of the NHS, or for an outright ban of doctors strikes. The latter, which according to the FT is reportedly under review by senior health officials, could represent a seismic shift in industrial relations.

The upcoming local and devolved national elections will prove hugely consequential for the Government with polls placing its popularity at record lows. For the Labour party, the bar for success is probably the lowest it has ever been, with no control over Scotland nor Wales being deemed a probability rather than a disaster as it once was. Reform, Plaid Cymru and the SNP, the strongest cohort of the non-traditional parties in the upcoming elections, look set to dominate both in Scotland and Wales, bolstering a wide array of proposals in the health space. It is useful to examine the likely winners and understand, specifically in the case of a probable coalition Government in Wales, what policies are the sticking points for parties. The SNP is polling strongly in Scotland, relative to what could have been a difficult election. According to a MRP poll conducted on behalf of the National Newspaper, the SNP is predicted to win a small majority, taking home above 30% of the vote. The party’s manifesto is yet to be published but will highlight the steps ahead for the health sector.

In Wales, current polling suggests a Plaid Cymru win, with Reform taking second spot, and the incumbent Welsh Labour Government falling to less than 25% of the seats, a huge drop for a long-lasting administration. Polling also suggests a possible coalition bridged between Plaid Cymru with Labour and/or the Greens. For Plaid Cymru this presents a decision to either form an alliance with the experienced Government-ready Labour Party or the fresher and arguably more ideologically-aligned Green Party to form a workable Government.

In its manifesto, Plaid Cymru sets out two key pledges to recruit 100 additional salaried GPs and establish 10 new surgical hubs to tackle regional ‘postcode lotteries’. The vision presents a decentralised governance model, seeking to remove political influence by transferring responsibility for placing boards into special measures to a reformed NHS Executive specifically tasked with managing operations set out by the Government. In its plan for the First 100 Days set out in February, Plaid Cymru said that it would also commission an independent review on the performance of the NHS in Wales and establish a health finance efficiency team to drive fiscal performance. This focus on efficiency is a key pillar throughout all manifestos, highlighting the cross-party consensus on the plethora of waste in the current slow-acting, overly bureaucratic NHS system. Plaid Cymru also pledges a Real Living Wage for social care workers and the implementation of a ‘no wrong door’ approach to mental health that bridges the gap between child and adult services. A core part of Plaid Cymru’s plan for Wales is a shift to prevention, centred around a new dedicated Minister for Public Health. Other initiatives outlined by the manifesto include greater emphasis on social prescribing and nature-based interventions, 28-day guarantees for Carer’s Needs Assessments, and a ‘young cancer travel fund’ to assist patients with the hidden costs of seeking treatment far from home.

Reform UK’s plan for Wales focuses closely on structural accountability, performance-driven management, and a return to standardised care. The proposal is a comprehensive emergency action plan to scale up planned care and eliminate corridor care through national patient flow standards. A key theme is professional rigor: an intention to tie health board leadership pay and contracts directly to performance while amending the NHS Wales Act to allow for direct ministerial intervention in cases of persistent failure. Reform also seeks a reversal of the NHS’s approach to identity and language, pledging to end the use of the term ‘birthing persons’ and strictly maintaining single-sex wards. The plan also includes modernising the NHS Wales App, standardising IT systems, and introducing targeted recruitment incentives for dentists in rural areas. It also emphasises ‘lawful resident status’ as a requirement for NHS eligibility, framing healthcare as a benefit reserved for those with legal standing.

The Green Party’s vision for Wales centres on transforming the nation into a ‘Marmot nation’ where health equity is a national mission, moving away from fragmented, disease-led models toward a system built on prevention and long-term wellbeing. This vision begins at the first 1,000 days of life, with the manifesto focusing on strong access to perinatal care and youth mental health, while enshrining the right to healthy food and regulating harmful food environments to treat obesity as a public health challenge. The manifesto also calls for a 20–30 year workforce plan, improved gender-affirming care, and a gendered approach to mental health. Through the expansion of Nature for Health programs and the retention of 20mph speed limits, the policy seeks to integrate environmental health with medical care.

Welsh Labour’s manifesto proposes a £4bn Hospitals of the Future Fund, which aims to drive new hospital builds and major developments across the country. The primary care strategy hinges on a guaranteed appointment for medical needs and a significant expansion of dental services, including a new dental school and a revised dental contract. Labour also places a heavy emphasis on specialised health plans, specifically targeting women’s health with dedicated actions for endometriosis and incontinence, alongside maternal mental health support. Their preventative agenda is notably interventionist in line with national Government proposals, seeking a ban on energy drink sales to under-16s and exploring new planning restrictions to keep takeaways away from school grounds. To ensure delivery, Welsh Labour plans to regulate NHS managers and set a strict 26-week target for all NHS appointments.

With the May elections less than a month away, polling suggests that Labour will fall short in both Wales and Scotland. The current projected winners, Plaid Cymru and SNP, will likely represent a greater push for the devolution of powers and authority in the health space, further decentralising control. Greater devolution, while reaping the benefits of care managed closer to home, could also lead to weaker cross-border healthcare and policy synchronisation across the UK, potentially exacerbating health inequalities. This is a vital consideration the aforementioned parties must take when deciding to take steps asymmetrical to the UK Government. Meanwhile, the UK Government is still attempting to wade through the miry depths of as low as 16% in polls. There is wide speculation that a catastrophic round of May elections, however that will be defined, could see the likes of Angela Rayner or Streeting come into play. The latter of whom the BMA could will be happy to see the back of as Health Secretary…

PR opportunities for media outreach this month: The latest updates on the Vuelio platform

April 14, 2026/0 Comments/in PR, Communications, Media Media Database, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

In the fast-paced world of public relations, success often comes down to timing – and precision. To help you hit the mark this month, the Vuelio research team has been busy adding new opportunities for media outreach and connection to the platform.

April has been a month of significant expansion and refinement – from forward features, to increased international data, the platform is more primed than ever to help you navigate the media landscape and share your message.

Here is a breakdown of the latest data and trends to inform your strategy for the coming months.

More contacts to leverage across the globe

Our research team has been hard at work to ensure the platform remains accurate and comprehensive for comms. This month, an extra 5,745 outlets were added to the Vuelio Media Database, bringing the total database to over 1.24 million media destinations worldwide.

Our international reach continues to broaden, so if you are managing global accounts, make the most of extra opportunities in these key markets:

United States: +980 new outlets
Italy: +531 new outlets
France: +325 new outlets
South Korea: +220 new outlets

In the UK, we’ve added refreshed and deepened information for 2,671 media contacts, ensuring your outreach engagement rates remain high.

35,000+ forward features now live

There are now 35,684 individual opportunities to dive into for your media outreach.

Instead of reacting to the news cycle, look months ahead to see when major publications are planning features on everything from renewable energy to wedding trends.

How to use this data across sectors:

What Journalists want from PRs this month

The Journalist Enquiry Service, now accessible within the Vuelio platform, remains a vital pulse-check on what the media needs from PRs. In April, the team processed over 2,000 submissions from journalists, broadcasters, and content creators, with the Daily Mail, The i paper, and PA Media leading the charge.

If you are looking for quick wins this month, our data shows that journalists are actively searching for:

Practical Living: Beyond just interiors, there is a shift toward practical advice. Think home improvement, cost-saving tips, and sustainable living.

Broadening Tech Horizons: While AI still dominates the headlines, journalists are now seeking expert commentary on broader digital transformation and how technology impacts traditional business sectors.

Specialist Insight: We are seeing a steady rise in requests for authoritative, human voices to comment on complex health and social topics – get case studies and spokespeople primed and ready.

Best of Lists: There is an insatiable appetite for product reviews and buying guides, particularly in the home and lifestyle categories.

Expert insight: Shift from reactive to proactive

To wrap up this month’s update, we asked our Research team for their top tip for the coming weeks. The consensus? Lead with demand, not lists.

Instead of simply blasting a press release to a pre-saved media list, use Journalist Enquiry Service insights to see what journalists are actually asking for today, and then use the Forward Features tool to see what they will be asking for in three months.

When you approach a journalist with a solution to an editorial gap they’ve already identified, you stop being a pitcher and start being a partner.

Find out more about Vuelio’s suite of products for PR, comms, and public affairs professionals here.

What Gartner’s 2026 comms predictions mean for your strategy and how the latest generation of PR tools can help

April 9, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs Stakeholder Management, Lumina, Media Database, Media Monitoring, Stakeholder Engagement, Political Services, PR, Political Database, Press and Bloggers, Political Monitoring Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Determining the future of your communications strategy shouldn’t feel like guesswork. In 2026, the industry is moving from tactical delivery to an era of strategic value, where the most successful teams act as the architects of an organisation’s social and reputational capital.

Following the PRCA’s update of its official definition of public relations, Gartner’s ‘Top Predictions to Inform 2026 Comms Strategies‘ report lands at a time when the PR and communications profession is redefining itself from the inside out.

Here are predictions that have direct implications for external PR and earned media strategy, and how Vuelio can help comms, PR, and public affairs professionals meet the challenges ahead.

The rise of earned proof in an AI-mediated world

Gartner predicts a fundamental shift in how trust is established. 60% of communications leaders are forecasted to focus their strategy on ‘Earned Proof’ – building trust based on what an organisation can demonstrably show, rather than just what it claims.

In an environment where AI systems increasingly mediate what audiences see, brand reputation will depend on the credible, raw material that both humans and AI models use to determine trustworthiness.

Building this proof means understanding how your stories are being interpreted. Vuelio’s Media Monitoring provides a 360-degree view of your impact across broadcast, print, online, and social media. However, in a fragmented landscape, a list of clips is no longer enough.

This is where Lumina, our AI suite built specifically for PR and comms, becomes vital. Its Stories & Perspectives module moves beyond simple alerts to cluster mentions into narratives, reflecting different media and stakeholder angles. By seeing how stories evolve and where they gain traction, you can identify the exact moment to inject authentic voices, such as employee or customer advocacy, that AI models interpret as markers of trust.

Reputation agility and the end of siloed monitoring

Gartner anticipates that the speed of the news cycle will demand ‘Reputation Agility’; an ability to detect early signals and respond before misinformation enters AI-generated summaries. This is a critical defensive measure, as Gartner predicts that 70% of communications leaders will use AI-driven tools to detect and respond to reputation-damaging content before it reaches a mainstream audience. The path a story takes today is kinetic, often striking political triggers that abruptly change its trajectory.

Navigating this complexity requires breaking down the walls between media management and public affairs. If your platform only tracks one strand of a story, you are missing half the picture.

Vuelio offers a fully integrated platform that connects media monitoring with a comprehensive Political Database and Political Monitoring. This allows you to track a narrative as it travels from a local planning debate to the floor of the House of Commons. Our in-house Policy Research team acts as an extension of your own, flagging relevant announcements and providing the context needed to respond at pace.

‘The path a message takes in today’s multi-platform media and political landscape is often unpredictable, subject to potential rebounds and buffers,’ explains Kelly Scott, VP of Government and Stakeholder at Vuelio. ‘In this environment, it is absolutely vital to correct misinformation at pace, engage with both media and political influencers, and mobilise credible third-party voices.’

Influence intelligence and the role of the central strategist

Gartner posits that PR and comms professionals are transitioning into a central intelligence role. This shift is driven by the need to manage automated influence; Gartner predicts that by 2027, 30% of influencer-driven interactions will be managed by AI entities, requiring comms teams to monitor brand representation not just in headlines, but in the answers generated by AI systems.

Operating as a central strategist requires moving beyond counting clips and towards measuring value creation. Vuelio Insights provides AMEC-accredited analytics that allow you to track share-of-voice and key message penetration, linking coverage directly back to commercial goals.

Vuelio’s Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) is purpose-built for the nuances of comms. It serves as a corporate memory, allowing your team to log every interaction, from a call with a journalist to a meeting with a civil servant, in one searchable place. This ensures your organisation speaks with one voice, protecting your reputation across all channels.

In this evolving landscape, the PR professional is becoming the primary architect of brand reputation, tasked with influencing both human audiences and the intelligent agents that interpret what those audiences see. By aligning human trust with machine interpretation through a unified platform, you can transition from being a communicator to a strategic leader who predicts shifts and advises at the highest level.

Future proofing your strategy

The future of comms is integrated, evidence-led, and highly strategic. At Vuelio, we believe that providing the right intelligence infrastructure is the only way for organisations to operate at the speed and scale this new environment requires. Our commitment is to empower communications teams to deliver meaningful impact by turning complex data into actionable strategy.

By unifying media, political, and stakeholder intelligence into one ecosystem, we’re here to help you understand not just what is happening, but why, and what to do about it.

Want more about stakeholders strategy? Sign up to Vuelio’s upcoming webinar on an increasingly important stakeholder in 2026 – artificial intelligence. Join us for ‘AI as the New PR & Comms Stakeholder‘ on 21 April.

How the changing landscape of political journalism impacts PR and comms professionals

April 8, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs Media Database, Media Monitoring, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Andrew Strutt

Political reporting in the UK is arguably more splintered and divided than ever before. Combine that with a significant number of younger people losing interest not only in politically-focused news, but in politics completely, the media ecosystem is a difficult one to operate in for journalists, but also for PR teams with important messages to share.

At the recent Society of Editors conference, political reporters from newspapers and broadcast media reflected on the challenges and opportunities – here is what this means for PR and comms professionals navigating the political sphere.

The importance of neutrality

While many newspapers have in the past declared their political allegiances, especially in the run-up to elections, the majority of political journalists today are striving for neutrality. This is even more important for broadcast journalists, as Sam Coates, deputy political editor at Sky News, explained:

‘When you’re a broadcast journalist, people have a different type of relationship with you than they do with journalists in print. They form a view on how you go about your job and how you present what you say. Therefore, fairness when reporting across political parties and reporting across the government system must be absolutely at the heart of your approach.’

Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent at The Times, has worked across ‘the full political spectrum’ when it comes to news organisations, having reported for HuffPost, Sky News, and now The Times. Aubrey hasn’t found it too challenging to adapt as ‘you are led by the stories and the facts that present themselves’. Integrity to the story was something that Sam also emphasised – ‘you’ve got to be respected on all sides’ to earn the trust of audiences, sources, and colleagues.

The impact on PRs: Political press releases and information should be presented as neutrally as possible. Broadcast journalists especially can’t be seen to favour a particular side and the facts need to be trustworthy and reliable for use. Some news outlets do still have more of a political stance, so always keep in mind who you are reaching out to when putting a press list together for your media outreach, and what will most likely appeal to them.

To help, the Vuelio Media Database features content details and deep intel on media covering the entire political gamut, featuring print, broadcast, podcasts, social media, and more. To receive requests directly from reporters and broadcasters covering politics in the UK and internationally, check out the Journalist Enquiry Service, now embedded into the Vuelio platform.

With politics now inextricable from the majority of media reporting, Vuelio’s integrated political suite also offers a Political Database, Political Monitoring, and more, all in one place.

Differences in national political reporting and local

The majority of national press titles will have a journalist based at Westminster making use of their lobby pass to the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, and daily briefings.

Sam believes that it’s important that there are journalists on site ‘trying to understand how political parties, government departments, Downing Street, and the operation of power actually works’ and communicating this to the public.

Aubrey echoed the importance of the lobby as ‘a really powerful force’, highlighting its role during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as journalists demanded answers from the government on issues with national significance.

Local news outlets are unlikely to have a journalist based out of Westminster and therefore have a different focus when it comes to reporting on politics. Maria Breslin, editor of the Liverpool Echo, explained:

‘We have a local democracy reporting service, which is really important in terms of reporting on what is happening on the ground with our local authorities and our councils. I think we’re in a different space than the national press. We’re thinking about how politics impact on the lives of people, and telling people’s stories, as opposed to politics for the sake of politics.’

Impact on PRs: It may sound fairly obvious, but national press journalists are looking to get political news and information that is going to impact the whole of the country. Already inside Westminster, they have the ear of government officials, so exclusive political research and information with implications on a national scale will catch their eye.

Local outlets are much more focused on their specific audience and are, naturally, covering politics closer to home. Case studies are likely to resonate well with local political reporters, or experts that can delve into how the latest political issue, controversy, or announcement will affect people directly, and what it means for their town, city, or county.

Have relevant case studies to offer journalists? Connect with local reporters via the Journalist Enquiry Service.

Meeting the audience where they are

While national and local press have different audiences that they target, both are now increasingly moving towards where their audiences are getting their news – social media. Maria remarked on the fact that there is now ‘a whole generation of people who source their news from different platforms’. This includes platforms like TikTok (a social platform increasingly employed by Reform UK in its campaigning) for big political events like party conference season.

This has been a key consideration for Sam and Sky News as well, which has a daily podcast, previewing what the day ahead looks like from a political viewpoint. It’s been put together with the audience front of mind:

‘Everything about how we do that podcast is designed to meet a very particular audience. It’s made so it’s ready for the commute of people, largely in Westminster, and it was conceived and designed because we had this audience in mind. And this is the kind of conversation and thought process that’s going on at Sky News right now.’

Impact on PRs: While political reporters and columnists are still writing for print, there is an increasing likelihood that the content will go out across various platforms including vertical video sites like TikTok. Journalists therefore no longer just need facts and stats, but may require visuals and spokespeople to work across these different mediums. If you’ve got experts who are comfortable with speaking on camera, or would be willing to make appearances on podcasts or vlogs, then this will help them to stand out and get them coverage.

To monitor which platforms to target for your upcoming campaigns, Vuelio Media Monitoring and bespoke reports from the Vuelio Insights team offer a 360-view of what is becoming an increasingly fragmented media and political landscape – harder to navigate than ever before, but filled with extra opportunity to share your story. Want more insight? Uncover narratives emerging in the press with Vuelio Lumina.

For more on navigating the modern media landscape, download Vuelio report ‘How news travels in today’s fragmented media environment‘.

Cutting through the noise: Why podcasts should be central to 2026 campaign planning

March 19, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media Media Database, Media Monitoring, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Engaging the attention of audiences as the media continues to splinter into new formats is a major challenge for PRs. Operating in this world of fewer ‘gatekeeper’ titles brings opportunity (more spaces for coverage) but also confusion (where should PRs place their energies and time when reaching out to the media?).

Counter in the erosion of trust in ‘traditional’ media formats, the mass move to social for news and entertainment, and the proliferation of AI-generated content, and the challenge for PRs becomes not just being heard, but being believed.

In the midst of this noise, one medium has moved from the fringes to the heart of the media mix: the podcast. Podcasting has become a powerhouse of influence, offering a level of intimacy and engagement that print and even broadcast television can fail to match.

Here is why podcasts should be part of your campaign planning and media outreach:

The power of authentic conversation

The move towards podcasting is a shift towards greater depth and connection. For recent webinar ‘The Trump challenge: Chaos, confusion and government communications’, Vuelio partnered with the Institute for Government alongside former No.10 Press Secretary and The Rest is Politics Presenter Alastair Campbell, The Times Washington Editor Katy Balls, Chief Executive of Government Communications (2021 – 25) Simon Baugh, Institute for Government Programme Director Alex Thomas and Senior Fellow and moderator Jill Rutter to discuss the changing nature of how we connect with audiences.

Katy Balls highlighted the blueprint for success used across the Atlantic to engage with audiences ahead of the election:

‘When you look at the last US election, there was a podcast strategy to reach the young men who were perhaps less good at getting out to vote, a bit non-political. It was an unconventional way to get to voters. It didn’t feel as though it came up through focus groups; it feels like an authentic conversation.’

This ‘authentic conversation’ is what PR campaigns can lack when relying solely on social media soundbites or static press coverage. A podcast allows a brand, organisation, or spokesperson time to explain a complex position, humanise a leadership team, or dive into the nuances of a CSR initiative.

Breaking through the static

For Alastair Campbell, the boom in podcasting represents a healthy pushback against the attention wars of modern social media. He believes that listeners are increasingly hungry for substance:

‘I hope that the podcast world is part of a desire for a kind of deeper debate,’ Campbell said. ‘It’s part of this completely transformed landscape where you have to be heard. Connection is happening all the time. Now, that doesn’t mean you should be communicating all the time. You should be thinking about how your message is being communicated.’

This distinction is vital for campaign planning. It is no longer enough to broadcast a message and hope it sticks. PR professionals must consider the mode of connection. Because podcasts can create a one-on-one relationship between the host and the listener, leading to higher levels of trust than other mediums.

The statistics: A growing influence

The data for 2025 and 2026 confirms this fundamental shift in consumption. Global podcast listeners are projected to reach 619 million by the end of 2026, with the UK market seeing particularly robust growth.

Over 70% of the UK population aged 16+ have now consumed a podcast, with 33% listening weekly.
Research indicates that podcast listeners are more likely to trust recommendations made within an episode than those seen on social media feeds. 86% of engaged listeners can recall ads and brand mentions, a rate significantly higher than traditional digital formats.
The definition of podcasting is also evolving. With YouTube now a leading platform for ‘watched’ podcasts, the medium offers a visual component that can be easily ‘clipped’ for TikTok and Instagram, providing a multi-channel return on investment for a single piece of content.

Strategic integration and niche targeting

One of the most compelling reasons to factor podcasts into PR outreach is the ability to target micro-audiences. While a national newspaper reaches a broad demographic, a podcast like The Rest is Politics or niche industry-specific shows reach a highly self-selected, attentive group.

Vuelio’s research into the story of water pollution in the UK highlighted how podcasts can take a complex, emotive issue and sustain public interest over months, rather than the days a typical news story might last. By providing a platform for experts and campaigners to speak at length, podcasts turn news into a narrative to follow.

This is particularly useful for connecting with often ignored audiences. As Katy Balls pointed out, podcasts can reach the non-political or the disengaged by meeting them in a space that feels personal, rather than institutional or overly curated (even if it is…).

How Vuelio can help

Navigating this new landscape requires the right tools. The Vuelio Media Database has been expanded to include comprehensive data on thousands of podcasts, allowing you to identify the right hosts and producers with the same precision you would use for a national editor. You can research topic, audience reach, and even pitching tips to ensure your story resonates with the specific tone of a show.

Vuelio Media Monitoring also includes sophisticated broadcast and podcast data. We monitor thousands of hours of audio content, providing transcripts and alerts whenever your brand, client, or competitor is mentioned. This allows you to quantify the impact of your audio outreach, ensuring that authentic conversation translates into measurable PR success.

Find out more about Vuelio’s integrated services for PR, comms, and public affairs here.

Journalist Enquiry Service integration into Vuelio

The power of connected media intelligence: Media requests added to the Vuelio Media Database

March 17, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media Media Database, Media Monitoring, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

The ability to react quickly while maintaining a long-term strategic view is what separates successful campaigns from those that falter. Vuelio has always evolved to meet the challenges of the comms industry, which is why we’ve integrated media requests from the Journalist Enquiry Service into the Vuelio Media Database.

In what can be a fragmented and increasingly disconnected media landscape, here are the benefits of an integrated platform for PRs planning media outreach and building relationships with journalists, broadcasters, podcasters, and influencers.

Full context for pitch-perfect pitching

Context is key when planning your media outreach to gain coverage for your brand or clients.

You might find the perfect journalist in your chosen media database, but have no definite read on what they are working on right now, and could need from you. Alternatively, a media request on its own lacks vital background information on the journalist it came from to help you tailor your pitch perfectly.

Embedded media enquiries from the Journalist Enquiry Service within the Vuelio Media Database grants users this wider context. A request now sits in the same platform that features a comprehensive profile of the individual behind it, including their career history and specific patches. This visibility allows you to understand their recent beats and preferred contact methods, gathered by our in-house research team, ensuring your response to a request they made will be both timely and relevant.

Real-time intelligence

Aligning your brand or client with the current news cycle is vital for gaining coverage in the media, in combination with knowledge of what editorial teams are working on for upcoming longer-lead content.

With the Journalist Enquiry Service now a core part of the Vuelio Media Database, PRs have a window into the live newsroom and foresight into what is coming up months in the future – direct from media professionals themselves.

Embedded enquiries can provide a real-time heat map of the topics journalists on your media lists are currently investigating and researching. Comms teams can be both proactive and reactive with their media outreach. Instead of guessing what might be trending, you can see the editorial needs of the UK media as they happen, allowing you to pivot your strategy to meet the immediate demand for expertise.

Streamlining the PR path to media coverage

Managing a busy press office means finding extra efficiencies, and integrated services mean no switching between tabs and platforms.

Both sides of media opportunities (what you’re pitching, and what media professionals need now) are combined within the Vuelio platform.

Whether a media contact is looking for products for a gift guide, a comment for a breaking news story, or a guest for a podcast, PR subscribers to the integrated platform can access requests quickly. This centralisation boosts opportunities for coverage, and improves workflows for comms teams of all sizes, whatever their sector.

Balancing immediacy with longer-term strategy

PR is a blend of short-term wins and long-term authority and relationship building.

Immediate opportunities: The Journalist Enquiry Service provides a constant stream of opportunity – journalists actively seeking help for stories that could go live tomorrow.

Long-term planning: The Vuelio Media Database’s log of forward features lists allows a look months into the future, highlighting seasonal opportunities, and planned editorial specials.

Access to both tools in one platform allows for more effective balancing of daily tasks: A mix of strategy mapping for upcoming campaigns, and responses to urgent press requests, all in Vuelio’s connected solutions for PRs and media professionals.

Supporting you and your clients (current and future)

Deeper intelligence into what the media wants from PRs is here for both in-house teams and agencies.

Media requests that provide insight into opportunities agencies can pitch to new clients are now directly within the platform they utilise for current client campaigns. Prospects and clients can be catered to in one place, with accuracy.

And accurate pitching is vital. One of the most common complaints Vuelio hears when asking the journalist community about their irks is around ‘spray and pray‘ pitching; vague, irrelevant emails that don’t meet their specific needs. To help, our integrated platform provides deeper intelligence into what the media wants from PRs.

When a journalist submits a request that might seem broad (journalists can be vague, too…), the platform’s database allows you to dig deeper into their previous work and editorial deadlines. By seeing their history and the types of stories they usually cover, you can interpret their needs more accurately. This leads to higher-quality responses that provide exactly what the journalist is looking for, which in turn builds the trust necessary for long-term media relationships for you, your clients, and stakeholders.

A unified ecosystem for every PR

Whether you are a dedicated Vuelio users, a long-time subscriber to ResponseSource, or currently using a mix of different services, the transition to a fully integrated platform offers some clear advantages:

For Journalist Enquiry Service subscribers: Moving to the integrated platform provides a wealth of new data. Alongside requests, you have access to a full media intelligence suite that includes a comprehensive database of over one million outlets and influencers.

For Vuelio Media Database subscribers: A new, active stream of opportunities. Stop waiting for your pitch to be opened – respond to journalists who are explicitly asking for your help, in real-time.

For new users: The most complete PR tool on the market, combining a trusted 25-year-old media request service with a world-class media database.

The power of integration

While the media further fragments and grows, the tools the comms industry uses for its outreach need to evolve. The integration of media requests into the Vuelio Media Database is our response to the industry’s need for greater efficiency, deeper insights, and more meaningful connections.

By bringing these services together, we have removed the barriers between identifying an opportunity and acting on it. Comms professionals can now work faster, smarter, and with a level of insight that was previously impossible. Whether you are aiming for a mention in a local blog or a front-page story in a national daily, the platform provides the infrastructure to make it happen.

Find out more about the Vuelio Media Database.

Health in Focus: Rare Cancers Bill, Commission into Social Care and Interim report into Maternity care

March 11, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs Political Services, PR, Political Database, Political Monitoring, Public Sector Blog Posts /by Aidan Stansbury

In previous years, the Spring Statement would dominate the political discourse, acting as the sister to the Autumn Budget and providing a focal point to direct public policy and opposition criticism. However, with Chancellor Reeves’ shift to a single annual fiscal event, the Spring Forecast could instead be seen as another session of repetitive political pantomime.

The almost weekly rendition of an economic metric followed by ‘up’ or ‘down’ to rally the benches works to portray the image of a supported and backed Government. This allowed the Spring Forecast to become a moment for Reeves to celebrate the work of the Government so far. Reeves boasted about the record cash settlement for the NHS and reductions in waiting lists, which recent analysis by the Telegraph found will only meet their 18-week pledge 15 years late, and declined to include the topic of health in any of her forward planning, with focus centred on trade, investment, education, and energy.

Many in the sector will be disappointed by this speech, as it seems despite the NHS being placed at the core of the Government’s mission, the Government is not going far or fast enough to realise its potential. Most fundamentally, the value of improving and investing in the NHS is that it can release benefits and savings all across the economy. One of these areas, social care, experienced its first proper update from the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care when Baroness Casey of Blackstock, chair of the Commission, gave a speech to the Nuffield Trust Summit. Lady Casey called for a ‘sixth social giant’ to match the five set out by the 1948 Beveridge report which concerned the challenge of supporting the old and sick population. Lady Casey called for the Government to deliver the ‘creation moment’ for social care in what was ‘a moment of reckoning’, achieving progress against the backdrop of continual Government failure.

Days prior to the speech, Lady Casey wrote to the Health Secretary Wes Streeting setting out six initial recommendations, ahead of her interim report set to be published this year. The recommendations called for a designated board for adult safeguarding, an urgent review into adult safeguarding statutory duties, scaling up investment in dementia trials, faster progress on the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, a Dementia Tsar, and a fast-track ‘passport’ scheme for those with Motor Neurone Disease. These recommendations were swiftly accepted in full by Streeting, who also confirmed that an interim Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will be published by September, with the full framework by the end of this year. With the Commission holding an end date of 2028, and the repetition of the long-term ‘National Care Service’ in every social care press release, social care may be the slowest moving sector in politics. Many label this the social care political ‘taboo’ with the most prominent example being the failed reforms set out by the May Government, labelled the ‘dementia tax’ in a media and political tsunami. Rather, it would seem it can be more promptly termed the older people ‘taboo’. Recent movements from the Government, but also political parties across the spectrum, further reconcile this. A dramatic moment of political self-harm with the stripping of winter fuel payments, the refusal to touch the Triple Lock, and the inert nature of social care, all highlight that the backlash embedded in policy that impacts older people’s lives leads to impasse on improvements and policy metathesiophobia.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, also saw an interim report in recent weeks in which Lady Amos identified six factors which were contributing to pressure on the maternity system and impact the poor performances of many wards in regard to avoidable baby loss. Notably, the interim report took a key focus on the issue of racism and discrimination in maternity wards. This included the prevalence of stereotypes regarding ‘angry or aggressive’ Black women who could tolerate more pain, the discrimination of Muslim women based on their religion, the judgement of young couples, and insufficient accessibility for non-English speaking patients. The report also took note of significant workforce pressures, with many staff working beyond capacity, stretched to fill obstetric rotas and with poor morale, incivility and stress across clinical teams. This has been compounded by poor relationships across workforce hierarchies and inaction against poor behaviour and improper practice. The report says these pressures have accumulated into poor wraparound care, a lack of compassion, and diminished capacity and support in neonatal deaths and throughout the bereavement process.

The Rare Cancers Act gained Royal Assent on 5 March, a Private Member’s Bill by Dr Scott Arthur that has been backed by the Government since it was tabled in October 2024. The Bill was introduced to improve the Government’s focus and research on rare and less common cancers, which can be defined as cancers that affect no more than 1 in 2000 people. The current landscape means that pharmaceutical companies are disincentivised to fund rare cancer research because it appeals to smaller populations, creates weaker profits and can be logistically difficult to conduct clinical trials. The Act requires the Secretary of State to review the law on market authorisations for specialised medicines, called orphan medicinal products, considering international approaches and whether the current approach properly encourages research and investment into rare cancers. The Health Secretary is to report on this within three years of March 2026. The Act also creates a bespoke contact registry for rare cancer patients, appoints a National Specialty Lead and opens the National Disease Registration Service to help facilitate, centralise and promote rare cancer clinical trials.

The Act has been backed by many rare cancer charities including the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, as well as Blood Cancer UK and Brain Tumour Research, who have said the Bill will work to build a framework to improve survival rates for cancers where patients can benefit from a more coordinated research landscape alongside a clearer core point of accountability for the Government. A key feature of the Government’s life sciences strategy has been to try and bring pharmaceuticals companies onboard, working with NICE and the MHRA to bring down clinical trials waiting times and bureaucracy, uplifting investment through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, and most recently, through the passing of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Amendment) Regulations 2026 empowering the Secretary of State to direct NICE’s cost-effectiveness threshold as a matter of public policy. This influx of investment and ‘cosying up’ has been welcomed by the sector but also been scrutinised for a perceived choice to promote corporate profits over patient centred care. Specifically, the Liberal Democrats have been vocal in their criticism, calling for a clear impact assessment of the decision and advocating for this funding to be directed towards more hospital beds and efforts to tackle the crisis of corridor care.

As the political narrative crescendos into the May local elections and the 2024 King’s Speech, policy is expediting, with the notable passing of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act and the Rare Cancers Act, and the imminent Tobacco and Vapes Bill, rounding up the policies outlined in 2024’s King Speech. Labour will look to turn around their polling and the aftermath of the triumph of the Greens in Gorton and Denton. Since the Mandelson saga, Streeting has obscured himself back into the perimeters of the cabinet and has faced calls for his sacking in the wake of a secret plot against Starmer. Many commentators fear that a Labour wholesale reshuffle and reset is inevitable when political destruction impends in the local, Welsh, and Scottish elections in May, and Streeting may be the favourite to throw his hat in the ring for the premiership.

C-suite comms getting hit with TL:DR? How to make CXO updates more impactful

March 10, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, PR, Communications PR Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

Audiences are increasingly on the lookout for trust signals before they engage with a brand or organisation, and what could be more trust-worthy, and engaging, than a high-profile CEO who is willing to speak up with honesty and regularity?

‘Creator CXOs’ – c-suite level storytellers who create content for their brand and share their takes on social media – are on the rise. Yet, despite the resulting surge in executive activity on platforms like LinkedIn, engagement is beginning to plateau or, in many cases, completely plummet.

In flooded feeds, sterile corporate-speak updates and AI-generated ‘thought leadership’ aren’t going to prevent your stakeholders from scrolling. Here’s how to stop your c-suite sparking snores on social and beyond.

Escaping ‘corporate bot’ syndrome

When corporate comms are so heavily filtered and sanitised, they lose the human element that pays off on social platforms. If leaders treat social media as a one-way megaphone rather than a telephone, the audience will switch off.

‘Being authentic is a daily ritual; it isn’t just a buzzword,’ said Prashant Saxena, VP of Revenue & Insights, SEA at Isentia.

‘Instead of sharing company wins, like hitting Q3 targets, share the ‘why’ behind the decisions. When you post about a new initiative, explain the difficult trade-offs you faced or the core value that drove the decision. What was the moral compass of the decision made?’

If an executive’s content sounds like it could have been written by any CEO in any industry, it’s lost its human element. Authenticity has to be at the core of the strategy and not just an added bolt on.

Production versus perspective

Outsourcing, team rewrites, and multi-level approval rounds are part and parcel of PR to maintain consistency, quality, and brand voice. And team work or additional assistance is still useful for CXO content – as long as it’s for its production and not its perspective.

When a leader completely hands off their presence to a team without providing personal voice notes or unique takes, the resulting content can very quickly become hollow. Audiences are quick to pick up on artificially – particularly when they’re already served reams of it on LinkedIn already. To bridge this gap, comms teams can act as curators of a leader’s genuine thoughts, rather than architects of a fictional persona.

Prashant believes that the most successful leaders on social media are those who show the ‘messy’ reality of progress:

‘Perfection is intimidating, but progress is inspiring. Posting about a challenge you are currently navigating, or have recently overcome, invites empathy and engagement that a polished success story never will.’

Organisations that transform their CXOs into relatable figures signal the right values rather than just listing titles. They aren’t selling a product, or regurgitating industry talking points, but opening a conversation.

Posting and ghosting

Another pitfall for creator CXOs is the ‘post and ghost’ method – sharing a piece of thought leadership and then leaving the post with no follow-up. Rather than showing an industry expert with an unmissable point-of-view, it can signal a disengaged leader who isn’t interested in the conversation, only the business conversion.

Comments and replies sections are where to stick around to engage with audiences and other creators, and to champion your organisation. A good place to start with opening up a conversation – your own team mates.

‘Stop being the only one talking about how great your company is,’ says Prashant. ‘Elevate the voices of your employees, customers, and partners. Repost an employee’s win with your personal commentary on why you’re proud of them. It shows you are listening and that your leadership has a tangible impact on real people’.

Socially successful CXOs build a community and not just a following. A leader who listens will be more influential than one who only speaks.

Building a reputation

Ultimately, the goal for any PR team should be to help their CXO be more than someone to scroll past.

‘Encourage leaders to share real stories, lessons learned and challenges, not just achievements or announcements,’ advises Patrizia Galeota, PR Specialist & Podcast Host of PR LIKE A BOSS!

‘Posts that reveal personality, values, or a unique perspective stand out in a LinkedIn feed full of generic corporate updates.’

Reputation building means more than the occasional post with no follow-up. As the media landscape fragments and politics, policy, and public opinion become increasingly intertwined, the consistency of a leader’s voice becomes a brand’s greatest asset.

‘Reputation is a downstream outcome of an upstream habit,’ says Prashant. ‘If you want to fix your engagement, sounding like a ‘Creator CXO’ actually does a lot of harm to a personal brand. Starting to sound like a person who happens to be a CXO is better.’

The most successful comms strategies from the c-suite in 2026 will be those that break down the wall between the executive level and the audience. By embracing relatability over perfection, and interaction over broadcasting, brands can ensure their leaders aren’t just seen, but are actually heard.

‘When CXOs communicate directly, it humanises the brand and builds trust. Social updates from leadership can inspire employees, attract talent and signal thought leadership to clients and investors,’ adds Patrizia.

‘Authentic CXO content becomes a bridge between strategy and culture, showing that the organisation isn’t just a corporate entity, but a community led by visible, approachable people.’

For more on communicating with authenticity, read advice from thought leaders at brands including AirBus and FutureBricks on building a personal brand.

New season trends, Easter gifts and travel experts: How to get UK press coverage in March 2026

March 9, 2026/0 Comments/in PR, Communications, Media Media Database, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Andrew Strutt

Wondering how to get featured in the UK media during March? After weeks of bad weather, brighter skies are on the horizon and journalists have already been looking to get ahead with their coverage of big events coming up in the calendar such as Easter. Find out below what else the British press have been looking for over the last month and how this impacts requests coming into the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service in March and beyond.

Springing into a new season

While the news cycle may not be seasonal as such, the beginning of a new season normally generates a good number of enquiries and that’s been the case for ‘Spring’ as it received just over 3% of the total requests in February.

Being such a broad topic we’ve already seen quite the range of enquiries with everything from looking for a premium vacuum cleaner for some Spring cleaning, to getting the garden ready after Winter, and asking for the latest beauty products and trends. Journalists from the Daily Mail, Stylist.co.uk, Ideal Home, Take a Break, Amateur Gardening, and Cheshire Living all sent Spring-related requests last month.

Going forward? There will be plenty more Spring requests over the next few months, with March 2025 seeing over 5% of requests being related to the season. They tend to be geared more towards a consumer-facing audience with topics like fashion, home & garden, beauty, and food & drink normally proving the most popular. However, if you have a new trend or product for this season then there will be plenty of opportunities to get it featured in the media.

Egg-citement for Easter building

Both Mother’s Day (15 March) and Easter (5 April) have fallen earlier in the calendar this year which means that enquiries have already been coming in for Easter already, with over 2% of the total requests in February. ‘Eggs’, unsurprisingly, has performed well as a keyword appearing in 1% of the enquiries and ‘chocolate’ has been in just under 2%.

While the majority of requests have focused on eggs, there have been other opportunities as well for those that don’t have a chocolate product to present to the media. There have been enquiries for crafts, activities and homeware, treats for grown=ups to enjoy, and ideas for Easter days out. These requests have come from journalists at the likes of The Week, The Daily Telegraph, Sussex Life and The British Travel List.

Going forward? There are still around three weeks until Easter and we would expect plenty of last-minute requests for review products and ideas to feature in articles. In March last year, just over 3% of all enquiries were for Easter and we would expect similar interest this year so have eggs and related-gifts ready to send out and you could get national press coverage.

School holiday getaways

Easter doesn’t just provide the chance to eat lots of chocolate, it also gives families the chance to head off on their holidays during the two-week school break. Journalists have been looking to get information for this early with just under 7% of enquiries last month being for ‘travel’. Nearly 4% of requests have been looking for ‘hotels’ and just under 2% for ‘holidays’.

Enquiries have come from journalists at The Daily Express, Saga, The Times, PA Media, Travel & Retreat, and Elite Traveler. The requests have included looking for holiday accommodation in the Cotswolds, French campsites for a plane-free family holiday, information around solo travel companies, hotels and resorts, and travel experts to comment on the new travel rules for 2026.

Going forward? The peak of the travel requests is yet to come (normally in April or May) and March should see a good amount of enquiries come through with 4% being travel-related last year. Journalists tend to look either for travel experts to provide comment and advice, or look for information and guides on the best resorts, hotels, etc. in certain countries. Get these prepared and ready to send out to possibly get coverage in the national press or a trade travel title.

Other opportunities for PRs in March and beyond

The Spring season sees people getting back out in their gardens and journalists have tried to get ahead of this as ‘gardening’ appeared in just under 4% of the total requests in February. This keyword saw a big jump up in March 2025 to nearly 6% of the total. Gardening experts and horticulturists are normally the most in demand but there will also be the chance to get gardening gear and gadgets featured in the media too.

Money remains a key talking point in the media and just over 4% of requests in February were ‘money’ related. With Rachel Reeves only recently announcing the Spring statement and news of the energy price cap changes, journalists are actively looking for money experts to provide comment and advice on what this means for consumers’ finances. Get quotes prepared and you could find your client appearing in the national press or on a broadcast title.

Want to get the most out of the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service? Find out how here.

How to tackle the comms risk of AI super-powered mis- and disinformation

March 5, 2026/0 Comments/in Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs Media Database, Media Monitoring, Media Analysis, PR, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Phoebe-Jane Boyd

While AI is a powerful catalyst for workflow efficiency and creativity, it is also an accelerant for the spread of false or misleading content. Comms practitioners will have to deal with both sides of artificial intelligence’s rapid integration into the systems of communication that surround us. The ability to embed AI as an extra asset in the PR toolbox also comes with dangers caused by malicious actors intent on causing harm.

For the Vuelio webinar ‘AI, Disinformation and the Risks They Pose for Communicators Today’, Thomas Barton, Executive Director of the Council for Countering Online Disinformation (CCOD), joined us to explore how AI is fundamentally changing the scale and speed of disinformation.

With a background spanning geopolitical intelligence at Polis Analysis and years in the political sphere, Thomas explained how PRs can protect organisational reputation and maintain integrity when the very tools we rely on are used to distort the truth.

Watch the full webinar here.

Defining the threat: Misinformation vs. Disinformation

Before tackling the technological risks, Thomas stressed the importance of understanding the specifics:

‘To boil it down to simple terms: disinformation as the spreading of false information with the deliberate intent to deceive. There is a malicious motive behind the circulation of that content. With misinformation, the key difference is that there is no intent; someone may spread misleading content without the deliberate intention of doing so. It is essentially a question of intent.’

How AI can be used to scale-up deception

While disinformation is as old as human history (Thomas cited examples ranging from Octavian’s smear campaigns against Mark Antony to Cold War subversion), generative AI has increased scalability and persuasiveness.

‘Traditionally, running a disinformation campaign required considerable staff and budget for manual processes,’ said Thomas. ‘Now, a sole malicious actor with the power of an AI platform can manufacture and spread false content at scale in almost real-time. This allows for a technique called ‘flooding the zone’ – overwhelming a user’s feed with so much low-quality disinformation that they become disorientated and eventually withdraw from the information environment entirely.’

Beyond volume, Thomas warned that AI-generated content is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality.

‘Synthetic-authored tweets are often found to be several percentage points more believable than those authored by humans. AI is actually better at deceiving people than we are. Furthermore, we can now use AI to scrape publicly available data to build personas of specific individuals, tailoring false narratives to their biases and interests to provoke a stronger emotive response.’

Real-world consequences: From stock markets to deepfakes

While mis- and disinformation is still most discussed through the political lens, its impact on corporations is already big – and only growing.

Thomas highlighted several instances where false information led to tangible financial hits, including a fake tweet that significantly impacted Eli Lilly’s share price and a similar hit to Pepsi. AI has only increased the sophistication of false information:

‘A really important case study is what happened at Arup. An employee was brought into a video call where their colleagues were impersonated in a deepfake. This is not a theoretical threat; it is a real-world form of fraud that organisations must wake up to.’

Practical steps for comms teams

How can teams protect themselves? Thomas argued that the next cybersecurity-style evolution for businesses must be information integrity:

‘Proactivity is critical. It starts at the top; senior executives and boards must understand how disinformation manifests as a corporate risk, whether through stock manipulation or brand trashing. Once leadership is across it, the whole workforce needs protection. Media literacy training should be mandatory.’

Another way to fight the use of AI for malicious intent? AI for good.

‘AI can be a nightmare for spreading falsehoods, but it is also a tool for good. Serious organisations in 2026 should be using LLM-based detection tools to monitor potential campaigns in real-time. These tools allow you to identify, defend against, and ultimately disrupt false narratives before they take root.’

Stopping the spread once it starts

When a false narrative does begin to spread, the instinct to react immediately can be counterproductive. Thomas advises a measured assessment of the threat level before engaging.

‘The challenge is to avoid giving oxygen to false narratives. If you respond to every low-scale bot, you may inadvertently spread the content further. However, if a campaign is orchestrated and poses a reputational crisis, you must fight fiction with facts. The best approach is to ensure your response is data-driven and leveraged through trusted third parties who can legitimise your record-correction.’

Positive counter-forces

Despite what can seem like a scary landscape, Thomas was optimistic about the growing ecosystem of counter-forces, including startups across the world developing deepfake detection and watermarking technologies. However, he believes that technical solutions must be paired with legislative change:

‘Longer-term, we need regulatory policy that addresses the root cause: the platforms. We should have more control as users – toggles that allow us to filter for content regulated by the broadcasters’ code or international journalistic standards. I don’t subscribe to the narrative that the web is “ruined”. We just need the right guardrails.’

Thomas’s final message to the PR and comms industry was a call for corporate social responsibility:

‘Business has to step up. If you are a socially responsible business in the age of AI, you must show you are willing to fight back against these risks. It is in your commercial interest to ensure we all benefit from a clean information environment.’

Find out more about Thomas Barton and his work with the Council for Countering Online Disinformation (CCOD) and Polis Analysis by getting in touch via LinkedIn.

AI, Disinformation and the Risks They Pose to Communicators Today

March 4, 2026/in PR, Comms, Brand, Stakeholder Management /by Yi Chen Lin

As artificial intelligence accelerates the spread of false or misleading narratives, communications teams are facing new risks to trust, reputation, and crisis response. How can organisations safeguard their reputation and messaging in such an unstable media environment?

In our latest webinar, AI, Disinformation and the Risks They Pose for Communicators Today, Thomas Barton, Executive Director of the Council for Countering Online Disinformation and CEO of Polis Analysis, provided an overview of the challenges and explored practical steps organisations can take to respond.

Fill in the form below to watch the webinar and learn:

How AI is changing the scale and speed of mis- and disinformation
Practical steps to reduce exposure and strengthen readiness
Comms approaches to consider when false narratives begin to spread
The positive counter forces at play

Top 6 Political Monitoring Tools in 2026: A Strategic Guide for Public Affairs Teams

March 3, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs PR, Political Database, Press and Bloggers, Political Monitoring, Stakeholder Management, Media Database, Media Monitoring, Stakeholder Engagement, Political Services Blog Posts /by Sal Morton

Political monitoring tools are specialised intelligence platforms that track and analyse parliamentary, legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder activity to help organisations anticipate political and policy risk. Unlike general media monitoring software, which focuses on press and social mentions, political monitoring platforms are built around the machinery of government.

They ingest structured data from Hansard, select committees, consultations, statutory instruments, devolved assemblies, and government departments — transforming complex legislative activity into searchable, actionable insight. For public affairs teams, this enables real-time legislative tracking, stakeholder mapping, and regulatory risk detection.

In 2026, these tools operate as integrated public affairs monitoring ecosystems, combining parliamentary monitoring software, stakeholder intelligence, media convergence tracking, and AI-assisted policy summarisation. Political volatility is continuous, not episodic. A Westminster debate can escalate into reputational risk within hours.

Modern political monitoring platforms therefore sit inside governance and risk workflows — shifting organisations from reactive alerts to predictive political intelligence.

Feature	General Media Monitoring	Political Monitoring (2026 Standard)
Primary Data Source	News, Blogs, Social Media	Committees, Consultations, Legislation
Stakeholder Focus	Journalists, Influencers, Consumers	MPs, SpAds, Civil Servants, Regulators, Councils
Analysis Depth	Sentiment and Share of Voice	Policy Impact, Legislative Risk, Stakeholder Mapping
Workflow	Campaign Evaluation	Governance, Compliance, Strategic Advocacy
Intelligence Type	Reactive (What happened?)	Predictive (What is coming?)

The Structural Evolution of Political Intelligence in 2026

Political monitoring has shifted from standalone alerting tools to integrated political intelligence ecosystems. The defining change is the direct, real-time integration of structured data from Westminster and the devolved nations, enabling teams to track Bills, amendments, and secondary legislation throughout the legislative lifecycle.

Technology now assists this process by surfacing relevant parliamentary records, consultations, department releases, and think-tank output based on a team’s defined policy priorities. Rather than replacing expert judgement, these tools reduce manual scanning and ensure that no critical development is missed.

AI-assisted summarisation supports analysts by condensing lengthy documents into structured briefings, which are then reviewed, contextualised, and refined by experienced public affairs professionals. Predictive modelling draws on historical patterns to flag potential voting or regulatory scenarios, but strategic interpretation remains firmly human-led.

Crucially, modern platforms embed governance and audit functionality alongside these capabilities. Integrated SRM tools, reporting dashboards, and clear oversight controls ensure transparency, compliance, and defensible decision-making at C-suite level — with technology acting as an enabler of professional expertise, not a substitute for it.

Evaluating Political Monitoring Software: A 2026 Framework

Choosing the right political monitoring tool in 2026 requires more than feature comparison. The following criteria prioritise platforms that deliver integrated, governance-ready political intelligence rather than standalone alerting functionality.

Parliamentary & Legislative Depth
Comprehensive, structured UK-wide coverage across Westminster and the devolved nations, including Hansard, committees, APPGs, consultations, and full legislative lifecycle tracking.
Stakeholder Intelligence
Searchable databases covering MPs, SpAds, senior civil servants, and local government leaders, integrated with SRM tools to track engagement and institutional relationships.
Governance & Workflow Integration
Advanced dashboards, custom reporting, audit logs, and role-based access controls to support C-suite reporting and compliance requirements.
Media–Political Convergence
Integrated visibility across parliamentary activity, press, broadcast, and social media to detect when policy developments escalate into reputational risk.
AI-Assisted Insight Layer
Automated policy summarisation, narrative clustering, and predictive risk detection, with human-in-the-loop verification.
Regional & Devolved Coverage
Structured tracking across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Metro Mayors, and combined authorities.
Human Oversight & Compliance Safeguards
Hybrid AI and analyst models ensuring accuracy, transparency, and defensible decision-making in high-stakes environments.

Top 6 Political Monitoring Tools in 2026

The following ranking evaluates platforms based on their ‘completeness of capability’ for modern public affairs teams, focusing on their ability to unify disparate data streams into a single intelligence ecosystem.

#1 Vuelio: The Comprehensive UK Political Monitoring Ecosystem

Vuelio is the most comprehensive political monitoring platform in the UK market in 2026. It has successfully managed to be a media-centric tool as well as a full-stack political intelligence ecosystem that serves the needs of PR, public affairs, and corporate communications teams simultaneously.

Unified Political and Media Intelligence

Vuelio’s primary advantage is its integration of media, political, and social media insights on a single platform. This allows public affairs professionals to monitor everything that happens across the UK’s parliaments and government departments while simultaneously tracking how those events are being received by journalists, influencers, and the public. This convergence is critical for managing reputation in a landscape where political and media narratives are inextricably linked.

Deep Parliamentary and Devolved Coverage

The platform provides structured monitoring of all activity from Westminster, the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Vuelio goes beyond the ‘main stage’ to track government department releases, committee reports, and information from wider stakeholder groups such as think tanks and trade bodies. This ensures that teams have a 360-degree view of the political machine.

Advanced Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM)

Vuelio features one of the most up-to-date political databases in the UK, containing over 25,000 contacts. This includes not only MPs and Peers but also their staff, special advisers, council leaders, and chief executives. The integrated SRM tools allow teams to manage their engagement strategies, track who opens and responds to their emails, and maintain a detailed log of interactions to show the value of public affairs to internal stakeholders.

The Lumina AI Suite: Beyond Alerts

Vuelio’s Lumina AI suite represents the state-of-the-art in policy intelligence for 2026. Lumina moves beyond simple alerts by clustering mentions into ‘Stories and Perspectives,’ reflecting different media and stakeholder viewpoints. This allows teams to see which topics are gaining traction, receive early warnings of emerging opportunities or crises, and filter out neutral noise. Vuelio’s roadmap includes curated media summaries customised to leadership priorities and a predictive intelligence layer to anticipate policy change before it happens.

Governance and Professional Workflow

Vuelio is designed for the professional public affairs workflow. Its interactive dashboards allow for real-time analysis across all content sources, and the platform facilitates the creation of visual presentations (through the Canvas module) that replace time-consuming spreadsheets and PDFs. This focus on ease of use and professional reporting makes Vuelio the natural choice for large, multi-functional communications teams.

Conclusion: For organisations requiring integrated parliamentary depth, stakeholder relationship management, media convergence, and governance-ready reporting within a single UK-focused platform, Vuelio provides a consolidated political intelligence infrastructure built for complex public affairs environments.

#2 Isentia: Hybrid AI and Broadcast Intelligence

Isentia is the leading provider for organisations that manage political risk through media exposure, particularly in the broadcast and international spheres. Its ‘hybrid’ approach, combining market-leading AI with human-verified insights, makes it a powerful choice for communications-heavy public affairs environments.

Broadcast and Transcription Strength

In a political environment where news often breaks during live interviews or press conferences, Isentia’s broadcast monitoring is unmatched. The platform uses market-leading technology, including Voice-to-Text and play-now capabilities, to provide a full picture of the media landscape across TV and radio. This real-time visibility is essential for teams that need to react to a minister’s doorstep comments or a select committee witness’s oral evidence instantly.

The Lumina Suite and Narrative Mapping

Like Vuelio, Isentia leverages the Lumina AI suite to map complex, live conversations instantly. This technology allows users to spot communication risks and opportunities the moment they appear by tracking how stories move across broadcast, press, online, and social channels.

Human-Verified Insights

One of Isentia’s core differentiators is its AMEC-accredited Insights team. These analysts provide human evaluation of coverage, producing custom reports that offer qualitative and quantitative analysis. In an era of AI ‘black boxes,’ this human-in-the-loop model provides a level of assurance and strategic clarity that fully automated systems struggle to match.

International and Multi-Market View

Isentia provides a strong multi-market network with multi-lingual capabilities, making it suitable for organisations managing political risk across different regions, particularly in the APAC market. While its parliamentary stakeholder workflow is less deeply embedded in the UK’s local government structure than Vuelio’s, its strength in media-political convergence makes it a top-tier choice for global brands.

Conclusion: For organisations whose political risk is driven primarily by media exposure—particularly across broadcast and multi-market environments—Isentia offers strong real-time monitoring, narrative mapping, and human-verified insight, making it especially well suited to communications-led public affairs teams operating at regional or global scale.

#3 Dods

Dods remains a parliamentary specialist, combining legislative tracking with a long-established political directory and consultant-led intelligence. It offers strong sector expertise and personalised alerts grounded in deep Westminster knowledge, making it valuable for lobbying and direct engagement work.

Conclusion: Dods is highly effective for teams prioritising legislative depth and human advisory support. Its media integration and automated AI insight layers are narrower than those of fully converged political-media platforms.

#4 Roxhill

Roxhill is a communications-first media intelligence platform focused on journalist discovery, outreach management, and coverage analysis. Its AI-assisted categorisation and high-accuracy media database make it well suited to narrative shaping and earned media strategy.

Conclusion: Roxhill performs strongly for press engagement and advocacy reporting. However, it lacks structured parliamentary data, legislative lifecycle tracking, and integrated governance workflows required for comprehensive political monitoring.

#5 DeHavilland

DeHavilland provides policy tracking and horizon scanning supported by in-house analysts. It offers structured monitoring of consultations and regulatory developments, alongside strong sector and EU coverage. Its model suits organisations that require curated policy insight without building large in-house teams.

Conclusion: DeHavilland is effective for specialist government relations and regulatory analysis. Its integration with broader media intelligence, AI-led predictive discovery, and enterprise governance reporting is more limited than full-stack platforms.

#6 Google Alerts

Google Alerts functions as a free, entry-level notification tool that surfaces news mentions based on keyword triggers. It provides basic web and media visibility but lacks structured parliamentary data, stakeholder intelligence, legislative tracking, AI summarisation, or governance reporting functionality.

Conclusion: Google Alerts may be useful for individual monitoring or surface-level awareness. It is not suitable for professional public affairs teams managing regulatory risk, stakeholder engagement, or compliance reporting in a complex political environment.

Detailed Platform Comparison (2026)

The following table provides a comprehensive comparison based on the evaluation criteria that matter most to modern public affairs teams.

Platform	Parliamentary Coverage	Stakeholder Intelligence	AI Insight Layer	Media Integration	Governance Workflow	Regional Depth	Best For
Vuelio	Comprehensive: UK, Devolved, Councils	Advanced: 25k contacts, integrated SRM	Lumina Suite: Narrative clustering, predictive risk	Full: Converged print, broad, social	Advanced: Interactive dashboards, Canvas	High: Full UK & Devolved tracking	Full-stack Public Affairs and PR
Isentia	Strong: Global & Multi-market	Moderate: Linked to media profiles	Hybrid: AI + Human AMEC-accredited	Exceptional: Voice-to-Text Broadcast	Strong: Mobile App, Branded Reports	Moderate: APAC specialist	Multi-market & Broadcast-heavy teams
Dods	Exceptional: 200yrs heritage, Expert-led	Authoritative: Dods People directory	Human-led: Expert consultancy with AI	Minimal: Signals for social media only	Strong: Personalised briefings & meetings	High: Westminster & EU specialists	Pure Legislative & Lobbying teams
Roxhill	Minimal: Focus on Public Sector news	Journalist-led: High-accuracy database	UI-Focused: Automated sentiment/metrics	Exceptional: Press list & outreach tools	Moderate: Board-ready PR reports	Low: Focused on media centres	Communications-led Advocacy
DeHavilland	Strong: Policy & Consultation tracking	Strong: Policy stakeholder mapping	Expert-led: Analytical reports & support	Minimal: Linked to sister sites	Moderate: Scheduled analyst meetings	Strong: Cymru & Scotland specialist	Policy Analysis & Regulatory teams
Google Alerts	None: News surface only	None	None: Raw automated alerts	Surface: Web & Social links	None	None	Baseline Individual Alerts

Frequently Asked Questions

What are political monitoring tools?

Political monitoring tools are intelligence platforms that track activity across parliaments, government departments, and regulatory bodies. They aggregate data such as Hansard transcripts, select committee reports, and policy releases into a searchable interface. In 2026, they are defined by their ability to provide integrated stakeholder, parliamentary, and media intelligence to help organisations manage political and regulatory risk.

What is parliamentary monitoring software?

Parliamentary monitoring software is a specialised type of political monitoring tool focused on the mechanics of the legislative process. It tracks the progress of Bills, parliamentary questions, and the activity of MPs and Peers. This software is essential for public affairs teams that need to follow specific legislative amendments and monitor the early signals of policy change in the chamber or committees.

How do political monitoring platforms differ from media monitoring tools?

Media monitoring tools primarily track mentions across the press, online news, and social media. Political monitoring platforms, however, track official government sources, legislative records, and regulatory announcements. Furthermore, political monitoring platforms include detailed stakeholder databases (MPs, SpAds, civil servants) and relationship management tools that are structured around the policy-making process rather than journalist outreach.

What is the best political monitoring tool for UK public affairs teams?

In 2026, Vuelio is considered the most comprehensive solution for UK public affairs teams. Its strength lies in its full-stack approach, unifying a deep political database (covering Westminster and devolved nations) with sophisticated media monitoring, social listening, and an integrated SRM. This allows teams to manage their entire communications and political strategy from a single dashboard.

How do AI tools support public affairs monitoring?

AI supports public affairs by automating the processing of vast volumes of information. Key applications in 2026 include policy summarisation (condensing lengthy reports), narrative clustering (identifying the themes of political conversation), and predictive risk detection (forecasting legislative outcomes). Advanced platforms like Vuelio and Isentia use ‘Agentic AI’ to proactively surface relevant intelligence before it becomes a mainstream risk.

Are free political monitoring tools reliable?

Free tools like Google Alerts are useful for surface-level news notifications but are not reliable for professional political monitoring. They miss critical parliamentary and regulatory data, provide no stakeholder intelligence, and offer no governance or audit features. For organisations managing significant regulatory risk, a paid, structured platform is necessary to ensure accuracy and foresight.

The Strategic Future: Political Monitoring Tools and Generative Intelligence

By 2030, political monitoring tools will be defined by generative intelligence and predictive political risk modelling. The discipline is shifting from tracking what has already been said to forecasting what legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder action is likely to follow. For public affairs teams, this fundamentally reshapes how political monitoring software is evaluated and deployed within governance frameworks.

Accelerated Political Risk and Narrative Convergence

Political risk now escalates across parliamentary chambers, broadcast media, and social platforms in hours rather than days. Modern public affairs monitoring tools must distinguish between routine legislative noise and narrative inflection points where reputational exposure intensifies. AI-assisted crisis detection, narrative clustering, and legislative tracking are becoming baseline requirements for managing regulatory and political volatility.

Governance, Compliance, and Human Oversight

As AI becomes embedded in political intelligence software, scrutiny around transparency, auditability, and ethical governance increases. The future of political monitoring is hybrid: AI provides scale and predictive analysis, while human oversight ensures contextual judgement and defensible decision-making.

Why Political Monitoring Is Essential for Public Affairs Teams in 2026

March 2, 2026/0 Comments/in PR Pulse, Politics, PR, Communications, Media, Public Affairs Political Monitoring, Stakeholder Management, Media Database, Media Monitoring, Stakeholder Engagement, Political Services, PR, Political Database, Press and Bloggers Blog Posts /by Sal Morton

Political monitoring is the systematic acquisition, tracking, and contextual analysis of legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder data to identify risks and opportunities within an organization’s operating environment. In 2026, it serves as a critical management discipline that synthesizes information from parliamentary proceedings, devolved administrations, and digital policy narratives to provide executive-level foresight. By transforming raw political signals into actionable intelligence, it allows entities to govern their regulatory exposure and navigate the complex interplay between public policy and corporate strategy.

Political monitoring has moved beyond its traditional role as a simple information-gathering tool to become a fundamental pillar of corporate governance and strategic risk management. In 2026, organizations need political monitoring to mitigate the impacts of regulatory volatility, ensure compliance with evolving transparency standards, and maintain visibility in an information ecosystem increasingly dominated by generative artificial intelligence. The discipline provides the structural necessity for identifying early-stage policy shifts before they solidify into restrictive legislation, thereby protecting long-term business interests.

The Operating Environment Has Changed

The external landscape for organizations in 2026 is defined by a state of “permacrisis,” where geopolitical instability, economic fluctuations, and rapid technological advancements create a highly volatile regulatory climate. Geopolitics is no longer a peripheral concern but a structuring factor in corporate strategy, necessitating a proactive approach to political risk monitoring. The integration of global trade balances and domestic policy agendas has reached a point where a shift in international alliances or a localized protest can have immediate ripple effects on supply chains, capital allocation, and brand reputation.

Permacrisis and Regulatory Volatility

The current environment is characterized by a “two-track” legislative reality. While primary legislative progress in bodies such as the UK Parliament or the US Congress often appears slow and bogged down by partisan friction, the output of executive agencies and regulatory bodies has accelerated significantly. For instance, financial services regulators like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are moving toward “outcomes-focused” regimes that demand continuous monitoring of high-level principles rather than static rules.

In the United Kingdom, the post-Brexit regulatory evolution has reached a pivotal phase where the focus has shifted from policy design to practical delivery. This transition is complicated by the “legislative powers gap” arising from the expiration of secondary legislation powers under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023. Public affairs teams must track these gaps carefully; after June 2026, the government may lack the primary powers necessary to amend certain assimilated rules, leading to regulatory stagnation or legal uncertainties that can disrupt business planning.

Devolution Complexity Across UK Nations

The governance of the United Kingdom has become increasingly fragmented, with 2026 serving as a landmark year for the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. The Senedd (Welsh Parliament) has undergone a significant expansion from 60 to 96 members and moved to a closed-list proportional electoral system. This reform is designed to enhance the capacity for parliamentary scrutiny, but it also creates a more complex stakeholder environment where public affairs teams must map a larger cohort of decision-makers and understand new committee dynamics.

In Scotland, the intergovernmental relationship with Westminster remains strained by the UK Internal Market Act 2020, which acts as a barrier to the finalization of “Common Frameworks” in areas such as waste management and food standards. The legislative consent process has also become a point of friction, with an increasing number of bills being passed by the UK Parliament without the formal consent of the Scottish Parliament. Organizations operating across these jurisdictions face the challenge of “pulling apart” priorities in energy, industrial strategy, and taxation, making a unified UK political monitoring strategy essential for maintaining regulatory consistency.

Speed of Media-Political Convergence

The convergence of media and politics has accelerated the speed at which policy narratives evolve. In 2026, parliamentary debates and select committee proceedings frequently escalate into broadcast narratives and viral social media campaigns within minutes. This convergence means that a minor amendment tabled to a Statutory Instrument (SI) can become a major reputational threat if not detected and addressed early. Furthermore, the shrinking of the traditional press corps has forced public affairs teams to pivot toward building deeper, data-led relationships with a core group of influential journalists and analysts.

AI Amplification of Policy Narratives

Generative AI has fundamentally altered how stakeholders interact with political information. A significant portion of the public, and even policymakers themselves, now consume news and policy updates through AI-powered assistants and generative search engines rather than traditional sources. This shift creates a “compression” risk, where nuanced policy arguments are flattened into simplified AI outputs that may lack necessary context or nuance. Moreover, the use of AI to power coordinated disinformation campaigns means that public affairs teams must monitor not just what is being said, but how AI models are “synthesizing” the narrative surrounding their organization or industry.

Feature of 2026 Environment	Strategic Impact on Organizations	Monitoring Requirement
Regulatory Acceleration	Agencies moving faster than legislatures.	Regulatory monitoring software.
Devolution Reform	Senedd expansion and proportional voting.	Expanded stakeholder intelligence.
Legislative Gaps	Expiration of REUL powers in June 2026.	Parliamentary monitoring software.
AI Synthesis	Shift from search results to AI summaries.	Generative engine optimisation.
Geopolitical Risk	Conflict as a structuring factor in ERM.	Geopolitical risk tracking.

Five Strategic Reasons Organisations Need Political Monitoring

As the role of public affairs shifts from tactical communications to strategic risk management, the necessity for robust political monitoring tools becomes undeniable. Organizations that fail to institutionalize these processes risk falling behind in a landscape where information is the primary currency of influence.

1. Anticipate Legislative and Regulatory Risk

The primary function of political monitoring is to provide an early warning system for legislative and regulatory shifts. In the United Kingdom, the vast majority of law changes occur through secondary legislation or Statutory Instruments (SIs), which are often technically complex and difficult to follow through the standard parliamentary record. Specialized parliamentary monitoring software allows teams to track the progress of these instruments in real-time, providing links to key documents and committee reports that would otherwise be missed.

Early-stage monitoring is particularly critical during the consultation phase. By identifying government calls for evidence or pre-legislative scrutiny at the “draft bill” stage, organizations can provide input before political positions are firmly set. This “anticipated reaction” helps ensure that policy outcomes are more carefully considered and aligned with industry realities.16 For industries such as financial services or energy, where technical reforms like the “AOA” tax alignment or the “Renewables Obligation” indexation are common, the ability to track granular amendments can prevent significant operational disruption.

2. Protect Reputation in a Converged Media-Political Environment

In 2026, an organization’s reputation is increasingly defined by its presence within high-authority policy dialogues. Parliamentary scrutiny is a highly public affair, with debates and committee sessions televised and recorded in the permanent record of Hansard. When a company is mentioned in these forums, the narrative can quickly transition into mainstream media, where it is often amplified by AI-driven news summaries.

Public affairs monitoring enables teams to detect these mentions instantly, allowing them to provide context or corrections before the narrative becomes entrenched. Furthermore, the rise of “narrative intelligence” tools helps organizations detect the early signs of disinformation or coordinated reputational attacks that target specific policy areas. In an environment where authenticity is the ultimate differentiator, being able to ground one’s external storytelling in the “internal reality” of corporate governance and documented public positions is essential for maintaining stakeholder trust.

3. Map and Manage Stakeholder Influence

Modern public affairs is no longer about managing a simple list of contacts; it is about understanding a complex “influence ecosystem”. A stakeholder intelligence platform provides the ability to map the networks of advisors, researchers, and NGOs that surround key decision-makers. By tracking the shifting stances of these actors through their social media signals, media mentions, and parliamentary contributions, organizations can identify emerging champions and potential adversaries long before a vote takes place.

These platforms also play a vital role in maintaining “institutional memory.” In an era of high turnover among political staffers and corporate public affairs professionals, having a centralized repository of engagement history ensures that relationships are not lost when individuals move on. This coordinated approach prevents “duplicate outreach” and ensures that the organization presents a unified voice to the government across different departments and jurisdictions.

4. Embed Governance and Compliance

The governance requirements for large organizations have significantly increased with the full implementation of Provision 29 of the UK Corporate Governance Code in 2026. This provision requires boards to provide a formal declaration regarding the effectiveness of their “material controls,” which explicitly includes compliance and narrative reporting related to political and regulatory risk. Political monitoring provides the necessary audit trail to prove that the board is actively overseeing these risks and has established robust systems for identifying regulatory threats.

Compliance also extends to the transparency of lobbying activities. The UK’s Transparency of Lobbying Act and the proposed reforms in the Representation of the People Bill 2026 require accurate and timely reporting of engagements with ministers and permanent secretaries. Political monitoring software automates the collection of this data, reducing the administrative burden on teams while ensuring that the organization remains on the right side of transparency registers and ethical codes of conduct.

5. Compete in the Generative AI Era

One of the most profound shifts in 2026 is the standardisation of “answer-first” discovery. Users no longer browse a list of links; they receive a synthesized answer from an AI model. To remain visible, organizations must engage in Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which focuses on ensuring that their content is cited as a trusted source by AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini.

AI models prioritize “reference-grade” material, such as expert commentary, original research, and authoritative journalistic coverage. Political monitoring allows teams to identify the specific sources and publications that AI engines are currently prioritizing, enabling them to focus their PR efforts where they will have the most impact on machine-generated answers. By tracking these AI “citations,” public affairs teams can ensure that their organization’s policy positions are correctly represented in the summaries that now guide the decisions of citizens and policymakers alike.

Strategic Priority	Monitoring Tool / Strategy	2026 KPI
Risk Mitigation	Parliamentary monitoring software.	Early detection of SI amendments.
Reputation	Public affairs monitoring / Narrative AI.	Reduction in response time to policy crises.
Relationship Management	Stakeholder intelligence platform.	Consistency of institutional memory.
Corporate Governance	Board-level political risk reporting.	Effective “Provision 29” declarations.
Digital Visibility	Generative engine optimisation (GEO).	Frequency of citation in LLM answers.

What Happens Without Political Monitoring?

Organizations that operate without a structured approach to political monitoring in 2026 find themselves in a position of perpetual reactivity. In a high-velocity environment, being “late to the conversation” is often equivalent to being excluded from it entirely.

The most immediate consequence is a reliance on reactive crisis management. Without the early warning signals provided by legislative tracking, teams only become aware of policy changes after they have been publicized or implemented, leaving them with no room to influence the outcome. This often leads to missed consultation windows, where the opportunity to provide evidence or propose amendments has already passed, resulting in legislation that is poorly suited to the organization’s operational reality.

Furthermore, the lack of a centralized stakeholder intelligence platform leads to fragmented alerts and “duplicate outreach,” where different parts of the same organization may unknowingly send conflicting messages to the same policymaker. This incoherence erodes trust and diminishes the organization’s standing in the eyes of the government. At the board level, a lack of monitoring creates a significant governance gap, as leaders are unable to provide the data-backed assessments of political risk now required by corporate codes, leading to increased regulatory exposure and potential budget cuts for the public affairs function.

The Strategic Future: From Monitoring to Predictive Political Intelligence

By 2026, the leading edge of the profession has moved beyond passive tracking toward “predictive political intelligence”. This evolution is driven by the integration of advanced AI tools directly into the public affairs workflow, enabling teams to move from “what happened” to “what is likely to happen”.

AI-Assisted Policy Summarisation

The sheer volume of political data—from thousands of pages of Hansard to hundreds of regulatory filings—is now unmanageable through human effort alone. AI tools are increasingly used to provide rapid, high-quality summarisation of these documents, extracting key themes, proposed amendments, and potential impacts on specific business units. This allows public affairs professionals to focus their time on strategic advisory and relationship building, rather than manual data entry.

Predictive Political Risk Modelling

Advanced political monitoring software now incorporates machine learning algorithms that can identify patterns in legislative activity. By analyzing the historical behavior of specific committees, the voting records of members, and the shifting sentiment of online policy debates, these tools can assign probability scores to various policy outcomes. This predictive capacity allows organizations to engage in sophisticated scenario planning, preparing response strategies for multiple “futures” long before they materialize.

Human-in-the-Loop Governance

Despite the power of AI, the strategic future of the discipline remains “human-in-the-loop.” AI is excellent at pattern recognition and data summarisation, but it lacks the “political understanding” and “strategic clarity” required to navigate complex moral and relational landscapes. In 2026, the most effective teams are those that combine machine intelligence with human judgment, ensuring that AI-generated insights are reviewed and contextualized by experts who understand the “unspoken” dynamics of the political world.

Integration into Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

Finally, the strategic future of political monitoring lies in its full integration into Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) frameworks. Political and geopolitical risks are no longer treated as “external context” but as core operational parameters that must be hedged and managed like any other financial or technological risk. Board-level reports in 2026 center on “clarity, speed, and actionability,” using real-time dashboards to link political developments directly to strategic implications and capital allocation decisions.

In conclusion, political monitoring in 2026 has evolved into a sophisticated, AI-enhanced discipline that is essential for any organization seeking to thrive in a volatile regulatory and information environment. By providing early warnings of legislative risk, protecting reputational assets, managing complex stakeholder ecosystems, and ensuring governance compliance, it has become a non-negotiable component of modern corporate leadership. As the landscape continues to shift toward predictive intelligence and generative synthesis, the ability to monitor and influence the political world will remain the ultimate differentiator for successful public affairs teams.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is political monitoring in a 2026 context? It is the systematic use of AI-enhanced tools to track and analyze legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder data to identify risks and manage an organization’s strategic response.
Why is “Provision 29” of the UK Corporate Governance Code important? It requires boards to formally declare the effectiveness of their material controls over political and regulatory risks, making robust monitoring an audit requirement.
Can political monitoring software track devolved administrations like the Senedd? Yes, modern tools are specifically designed to handle the complexity of the UK’s devolved landscape, including the 2026 expansion of the Welsh Senedd.
How does AI improve political risk monitoring? AI provides rapid policy summarisation, identifies patterns in stakeholder behavior, and enables predictive modelling for scenario planning, allowing for more proactive engagement.