A recent study by Muck Rack of the sources most often cited by AI shows that the overwhelming majority still come from non-paid sources, while journalism (27%) and other earned media “remain the foundation of AI citations.”
“The number of press release citations decreased since our December 2025 report (6%), but it is still near the levels seen in our July 2025 report (1.2%),” says the May 2026 What Is AI Reading? report. “This is mostly due to ChatGPT citing press releases less often.”
“Which Types Of Media Does AI Cite?” (Photo Source: Muck Rack)
More than eight in every 10 citations (nearly 84%) came from earned media, which includes journalism, academic research, government sites, and encyclopedic sites.
“While we expect to see some minor variation within this range, journalism consistently accounts for between 20–30% of AI citations across all our previous studies,” says the report, which found that nearly half of queries deemed “industry trend” resulted in journalism being cited (46%, likely due to those trend-questions being newer) and that media/entertainment was the leading sector citing journalism (36%).
“When consumers ask what is happening in an industry, AI reaches for news coverage,” the report says, “When they ask how to do something, AI leans on reference content and brand-owned material instead.”
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FAST FAQ
How do I structure my article or landing page so AI is more likely to cite it?
Use clear question-and-answer formatting with H2/H3 headings phrased as natural questions. Lead each section with a direct, one-sentence answer before elaborating. Implement FAQPage and Article JSON-LD schema. Keep paragraphs short (2–3 sentences), avoid writing that buries the lede, and include specific statistics with source attributions. Ensure your page loads fast and is fully crawlable by search bots.
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