A Wild Journey Through My Emails

Reporters often have their work email publicly available so that anyone with a tip — a big scoop, a small detail, a file of documents — can reach out. It is a useful strategy: Although my inbox isn’t full of juicy secrets, there have been many instances where (sometimes anonymous) individuals have contacted me to disclose helpful tidbits of information that eventually appeared in a published article. Of course, there are disadvantages when your contact information is easily discoverable. Some less friendly people have emailed me to declare that I’m an embarrassment to the human species because my opinion articles don’t quite match their political views; those letters can be harsh but are easily ignored. Yet there’s one type of email that really frustrates me: those from PR firms bombarding me with ridiculous suggestions and advertisements that have absolutely no appeal to me.

I have a few theories about the methodologies of these PR firms. In some cases, it is pretty clear that a writer becomes associated with a keyword and then is added to a mailing list for press releases associated with that keyword. “Oxford’s Most Desired Gemstone for Engagement Rings Revealed,” reads one email I received from the firm Journo Research, presumably because I am based in Oxford and have mentioned Oxford in a handful of articles. A message from Press Research Network states in the subject line that “Oxford Is Among The UK Cities Most Concerned About Viruses: 2025 Study,” and the key findings of the study are listed in the email body. For whatever reason, it apparently concerns me that “OXFORD RANKS LEAST BOTHERED ON CELEBRATING THE EUROS,” because I received three emails about a study that showed Oxford was the least excited of ten cities for 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.

About the Author

Abigail Anthony

Abigail Anthony is a staff writer at National Review.

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Reporters often have their work email publicly available so that anyone with a tip — a big scoop, a small detail, a file of documents — can reach out. It is a useful strategy: Although my inbox isn’t full of juicy secrets, there have been many instances where (sometimes anonymous) individuals have contacted me to disclose helpful tidbits of information that eventually appeared in a published article. Of course, there are disadvantages when your contact information is easily discoverable. Some less friendly people have emailed me to declare that I’m an embarrassment to the human species because my opinion articles don’t quite match their political views; those letters can be harsh but are easily ignored. Yet there’s one type of email that really frustrates me: those from PR firms bombarding me with ridiculous suggestions and advertisements that have absolutely no appeal to me.

I have a few theories about the methodologies of these PR firms. In some cases, it is pretty clear that a writer becomes associated with a keyword and then is added to a mailing list for press releases associated with that keyword. “Oxford’s Most Desired Gemstone for Engagement Rings Revealed,” reads one email I received from the firm Journo Research, presumably because I am based in Oxford and have mentioned Oxford in a handful of articles. A message from Press Research Network states in the subject line that “Oxford Is Among The UK Cities Most Concerned About Viruses: 2025 Study,” and the key findings of the study are listed in the email body. For whatever reason, it apparently concerns me that “OXFORD RANKS LEAST BOTHERED ON CELEBRATING THE EUROS,” because I received three emails about a study that showed Oxford was the least excited of ten cities for 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.