Off the Record: An unfiltered Q&A between PR and journalists.

You pitch. They ignore it. You follow up. They go cold. You craft the perfect story. They write something completely different.

Meanwhile, journalists are sitting on the other side wondering why PR teams keep sending them irrelevant content, burying the lead, and getting defensive when they ask a single question.

Both sides are frustrated.

Neither side ever says it out loud.

Until now.

What to expect:

We're putting a journalist and a senior PR professional in the same room and letting both sides answer the questions that both sides have always had but never got to ask.

Hosted by Sinead Denning, PR Events Lead at Presspage, and joined by Thomas Macaulay, freelance journalist who earned his stripes as Managing Editor at TNW (a Financial Times Company) and now advises PR teams on media strategy, storytelling and journalist relations. He's spent a decade on the receiving end of pitches, so he knows exactly what makes him open one and what makes him hit delete.

Joining the conversation is Jon Walsh, most recently Head of PR and Communications at Genesis Motor Europe, who has led media relations for names like Mercedes-Benz, McLaren and Red Bull Racing. He also spent eight years as a motoring journalist before crossing into PR, so he's seen both sides of the pitch firsthand.

Maybe you have a question you've always wanted to ask a journalist but didn't feel you could? Or maybe you'd like to pick an experienced comms leader's brain?

You can submit your question/s before the session here and actively shape the conversation.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION/S HERE

What you'll get:

✅ A journalist's honest take on what makes a pitch worth reading

✅ What PR professionals actually wish journalists understood about their work

✅ The unspoken rules both sides operate by and where they clash

✅ Real answers to questions you can bring back to your own press relationships

What this is NOT:

❌ A polite industry panel

❌ A "how to get coverage" tutorial

❌ Polished talking points

You've always wondered what the other side really wants from you. This is your chance to find out.