This week's PR Roundup looks at what communicators can learn from Sony's public pledge for product sustainability, a new list honoring the top 50 independent creator-journalists, and the continuing problem of AI summary results for the news industry and earned media.
Sony Prioritizes Sustainability with a Very Public Touting of its New PS5 Power Saver Mode
What happened: Sony announced a new Power Saver mode for the PlayStation 5, allowing supported games to run at reduced performance in exchange for lower energy use. The move is part of the company’s long-running 2010 “Road to Zero” environmental initiative. While the feature won’t launch during the current beta, it’s expected to go live globally in the coming months.
According to an article in Polygon, Shuzo Kikuchi, VP of product management at Sony Interactive Entertainment, says with Power Saver enabled, “supported PS5 games will scale back performance and will allow your PS5 to reduce its power consumption,” and “If not enabled, or if games do not support the feature, the performance will not be scaled back and power consumption will not be reduced.” The website noted that “scaled-back performance” actually means that VR mode will be unavailable and that “some gameplay features may be limited.”
This public messaging move by Sony goes against the "silence gap" trend, revealed in a new study released by Clarity Global, “The Responsible Business Outlook for Communicators.” The gap shows that 87% of U.S. executives now rank ESG among their top business priorities, but only 39% have increased their ESG communications in the past 18 months.
Communications takeaways: For PR pros, this signals a shift: sustainability messaging is moving beyond packaging and into core product functionality, and not all companies want to stay quiet about it.
Yet, according to Clarity Global’s study, nearly a third (31%) of U.S. business leaders cite “greenhushing” as a top concern, compared to lower rates across the globe. The strategic silence is not a sign of inaction, but a response to the current political and regulatory environment, state-level anti-ESG legislation and ongoing uncertainty around federal climate disclosure rules.
Jason Wakeford, Partner, U.S., Clarity Global, says Sony’s bold approach demonstrates the power of linking product innovation to climate action and inviting consumers to be part of the solution in ESG messaging.
“By giving users the choice to prioritize performance or reduce their console’s environmental impact, Sony is reflecting what today’s audiences want: sustainability that’s accessible and on their terms—not imposed from above,” Wakeford says.
Wakeford also notes that silence can breed skepticism and misses opportunities for organizations to engage stakeholders who care about responsible business.
“Brands that communicate ESG progress openly, and empower customers to join the journey, gain credibility and loyalty,” he says. “Now is the time for U.S. businesses to move from hushed progress to heard impact, by turning data into stories that inspire action and loyalty.”
A Continuing Crisis for Media and the PR Industry: AI Summaries
What happened: A recent report by Pew Research Center confirms what many data watchers and growth managers already know: AI summaries are killing page views. The report states that Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results.
This spring Pew analyzed data from 900 U.S. adults who agreed to share their online browsing activity. About six-in-ten respondents (58%) conducted at least one Google search in March 2025 that produced an AI-generated summary.
Notable findings from the report include:
- AI summaries reduce click-through rates. Only 8% of searches with an AI summary led to a link click, versus 15% without an AI summary. And just 1% of AI summaries resulted in the user clicking on a source in the AI overview itself.
- AI summaries increase the likelihood of ending a browsing session. On 26% of pages with an AI summary, Google users ended their browsing session. In comparison, this happened on 16% of pages with only traditional search results.
Since Google introduced AI Overviews in 2024, website referral traffic has shown a steep decline for news publishers, and now it’s hitting organizations and brands—something for PR folks who depend on earned media and search engine results to be aware of.
Communication lessons: In congruent timing, Matt Caiola, CEO at 5WPR, wrote a great piece this week for PRNEWS, outlining how PR must own the story when AI owns the summary.
“The implications are clear: narrative authority is slipping from human hands to machine logic,” Caiola writes. “Brands that once relied on bylines, interviews and expert commentary to shape their reputation now face a new challenge: how to maintain their voice and protect intellectual property in a world where AI decides what gets seen, cited and remembered.”
Muck Rack this week also provided some further context as to how AI summaries decide on link referrals for its summary sources, with its report “What is AI Reading?” The report provided a sliver of light for communicators, showing how earned media appears in AI outputs but also how it shapes results.
Caiola’s PRNEWS piece also provides background context as to why and how this is happening, as well as best practices to get your content back in good graces with search and AI.
Some tactics include:
- When a press release or an executive Q&A is tagged with clear metadata, AI is more likely to connect the content to its rightful source.
- The terminology used in a press release should match what appears on the website, in your social bios and across owned media.
- By distributing your message across blog posts, podcasts, videos and infographics, all tagged with consistent metadata, you increase the likelihood that AI will surface your content and credit your brand.
Learn more about best practices from Caiola regarding PR tactics to feed AI search here.
Inaugural Launch of Project C's Top 50 Creator-Model Journalist List
What happened: Project C, an organization for and about creator journalists and those interested in the evolution of news and information, particularly as it relates to independent journalism and Gen Z/Alpha audiences, released a Top 50 Creator-Model Journalist list, highlighting the most influential independent journalists in the industry today.
With the explosion of platforms like Substack and TikTok and the downsizing of newsrooms, many journalists are finding it more viable to build their own news businesses on their own terms—which is shaping the future of the news industry. The inaugural list is the first of its kind and captures a cross-section of creator journalists who demonstrate the success of the independent news model outside of traditional newsrooms.
“Creator journalism is no longer a fringe movement,” said Liz Kelly Nelson, founder of Project C. “This list marks a milestone in recognizing the journalists driving that shift—those who are not just doing the work, but redefining what it means to build trust, impact and successful business models outside traditional news organizations.”
Project C selected the Top 50 through a multi-step process combining expert curation with industry nominations and a finalist survey. Evaluations included:
- Audience Impact: Reach, engagement and loyalty
- Sustainability: Revenue models, subscriber support, long-term viability
- Journalistic Integrity: Adherence to best practices, including transparency and ethics
- Innovation & Influence: Distinct formats, storytelling and platform leadership
- Topic Diversity: Beats and formats spanning local, national and global news
Finalists were also asked to share business details (revenue mix, staffing, ethics policies and more) to build a more complete picture of today’s independent journalism economy.
Communication takeaways: It’s important for PR professionals to pay attention to this list, as traditional modes of pitching and media relations outreach need to evolve with media industry changes.
Kathy Baird, marketing and communications executive (former Washington Post, Nike, Ogilvy), says communicators need to take notice of lists such as these, because “your job is changing by the second.”
“The rise of creator journalism and news influencers is the new center of gravity,” Baird says. “Waiting an entire day for approval of a corporate statement or press release, or relying solely on traditional press lists, means using an outdated playbook,” Baird says. “I’m not suggesting we abandon traditional media. But we need an expanded understanding of media that includes this new generation of storytellers who move markets, sway public perception and drive conversations in real time.”
Baird offers some best practices for working with creator-model media:
Get to know the universe.
“Follow creator journalists like the ones on the Top 50 list on TikTok, Instagram, Substack and YouTube,” she says. “Subscribe to their newsletters. Read their comments. Understand how they frame stories, build trust and talk to their audiences. You can’t build relevance if you don’t speak the language of this new media ecosystem.”
Adapt your story to new formats.
“Most content in this space is not a 1,000-word article,” Baird notes. “It’s a video clip, a quote card, a visual explainer or a short-form carousel. Are you offering video snippets, raw visuals or soundbites—formats actually usable for today’s audiences? A PDF or executive interview isn't enough. Think vertical video, real-time commentary and flexible assets.
Change your relationships to value people, not publications.
“The creator journalism landscape is not publisher-led, it’s personality-led,” she says. “Creator journalists are media brands in their own right, with distinct voices, loyal followers, and who speak directly to their communities. Treat these individuals like journalists, not amplification channels. Don’t send them mass emails or press release blasts.”
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor for PRNEWS.