You would never know this given the results of our recent usability study. Among other tasks, the journalists tried to find basic information about each company's financials, management, and commitment to social responsibility, along with a PR telephone number. Many of our findings on Web-based PR usability relate directly to the fact that journalists often work under tight deadlines. They need answers fast and don't want to wait for irrelevant downloads, such as the photograph of a piece of toast that was forced on our users by a major federal agency. In our study, we visited journalists where they work.
Many journalists are freelancers or work from home, typically using slow dial-up connections.
Many also have old computer equipment and do not feel an obsessive need to download all the latest software. Thus, non-standard data formats like PDF, Flash, and QuickTime tend to clog their limited Internet connections. In several test sessions, PR information actually crashed the journalists' computers. Not a good thing if you're looking for positive coverage of your company. Journalists spurn the informational black holes that populate corporate PR areas.