The pollsters surveyed 701 members of the YouGovStone 'panel of influentials' - senior professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds including politics, business, academia and health. The research also found that only five per cent regarded PR and communications agencies as vital.
More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of respondents agreed with the statement that 'journalists rely too much on press releases'. A further 61 per cent agreed that media-led stories were the same each year, but with a slight twist.
Trevor Morris, visiting professor for PR at the University of Westminster, responded: 'What industry doesn't have its critics and weak players? However, I suspect that if YouGovStone had done this survey every year for the past 20 years, it would have found that, overall, the reputation of PR has improved.'
On press releases, Morris added: 'Journalists are having to produce more copy. In an ideal world, there would be more and better paid journalists.'
