Staff Spotlight - Rebecca Speare-Cole, Sustainability Reporter, PA Mediapoint

Giving users exclusive access to PA Media’s breaking news stories at the same time as the media, PA Mediapoint is our unrivalled news monitoring service for PR and communication professionals across the UK and Ireland. Whether you would like to stay abreast of top trending news stories, generate publicity or manage a PR crisis, it can be the critical difference when a story breaks.

In this month’s staff spotlight, we are pleased to introduce you to sustainability reporter, Rebecca Speare-Cole.

What is your job role at Mediapoint and what does a typical working day entail for you?

I cover sustainability and ESG for PA Mediapoint as well as the PA newswire, which can range from greenwashing stories, climate crisis news, sustainability regulation, governance trends and social impact. Days can be incredibly varied, from meeting sources and attending events to writing news stories and editing the channel to ensure it is  serving the customers.

How would you describe PA Mediapoint in one sentence?

PA Mediapoint is an amazing news and PR tool that all kinds of organisations and businesses can use to inform their own content, strategy, marketing and communications.

Tell us about your career journey, both at PA Mediapoint and what led you to working here?

I joined PA as a general reporter, covering all manner of areas like crime, politics, royals, major national events and more. My interest in the climate space and the business world cemented during this period so after I short hiatus working in comms and public affairs for Bill Browder’s human rights campaign, I returned to PA to help build Mediapoint’s new ESG spotlight channel. Before all this, I started my journalism career at PA training and have worked for all kinds of news outlets, including the Evening Standard, the Financial Times, the Sun and Sky News.

Favourite thing about your job?

Sustainability and ESG is the direction the world is going. It’s change, innovation, debate, progress, exploitation, frustration and hope. At times, it can feel like a load of rubbish and at times trailblazing. So it’s a great challenge to cut through the noise and navigate this new, rapidly evolving area.

What’s been the biggest changes in the PR industry that you have noticed?

I think a huge change is how muddied communications has become. There are now so many different channels through which an organisation can tell their story. On the one hand, this has expanded the audience reach exponentially and provides the opportunity to exercise all kinds of communication strategies. But on the flip side, it means the PR industry really has to differentiate between what makes a story newsworthy and what is essentially promotional content that might be place elsewhere. Explaining this distinction to clients is more prevalent and more challenging than ever before.

How do you see the industry changing within the next five years?

Technology and storytelling have always gone hand in hand. Innovations in artificial intelligence and social media platforms will continue to challenge and change communications. I can imagine we will continue to see the lines between news, current affairs, PR, marketing and advertising blur even further.

Tell us a bit about yourself outside of work? What hobbies do you enjoy?

Snowsports is a huge part of my life. I began working as a ski instructor in Switzerland when I was 18 and was lucky enough to teach the sport across Japan, Australia and Canada in the following years. It’s an amazing way to work, travel and make friends from all over the world. As London isn’t the best place to ski, I spend time at Streatham ice rink where I’m learning to figure skate.

Keep posted for our next Staff Spotlight next month!

Explore Rebecca’s ESG insights for upcoming ESG trends and stories in PA Mediapoint’s “Guide to 2024,”. Download your FREE copy today.

Visit PA Mediapoint to find out more about our PR products and solutions.