From story to headline

Who Shapes the Story? Alexander Likhtman on PR, Media and Trust A company has something to announce. A PR team turns it into a story. A journalist decides whether it matters. An editor decides whether it deserves space. By the time the headline reaches us, most of that process has disappeared. In Episode 25 of xChief Podcast, Alexander Likhtman explores the machinery behind business news and media relations. The conversation starts with a distinction that sounds simple but changes the way the whole industry looks: advertising can buy attention, while PR is ultimately trying to create trust. From there, we examine how journalists choose stories, why some companies consistently earn coverage while others depend on paid placements, and how timing can determine whether an announcement becomes part of the news cycle or disappears completely. We also discuss sponsored content, commercial departments, crisis preparation and the gray area between legitimately shaping a narrative and trying to manipulate it. The final part of the episode moves beyond traditional media. As AI systems increasingly use public information to answer questions and make recommendations, companies are beginning to communicate not only with journalists and readers, but indirectly with algorithms as well. An episode about everything that happens before a story becomes “the news.” Episode partner: xChief Central Asia https://go.xchief.kz/6e2319 Timestamps: 00:36 — What PR actually does 01:36 — How a company story becomes news 05:59 — Education, journalism and learning the profession 07:17 — What AI changes in communications 16:12 — Money and incentives inside the media ecosystem 21:28 — The economics of sponsored coverage 24:55 — Why some companies earn media attention 27:25 — Competing for the news cycle 30:12 — Why timing can make or break a story 33:17 — What happens when negative coverage appears 35:02 — Influence, reputation and manipulation 38:46 — When a reputational problem becomes a crisis 41:10 — Preparing before the crisis begins 44:19 — Why stories are harder to copy than products 45:59 — Spotting content created in someone’s interest 47:02 — PR for the age of AI 49:52 — How to question the stories we consume