As AI adoption sweeps across federal, state, and local agencies, understanding how media shapes perception has become critical for technology vendors. REQ PR, a leading marketing and public sector communications firm, is stepping into that gap with its latest whitepaper, The Media Landscape for Public Sector AI.

The report provides a first-of-its-kind look at how journalists covering government AI initiatives frame stories—from battlefield decision-making and cybersecurity to citizen services and process automation. The insights are aimed at executives and tech leaders seeking to engage public sector audiences effectively and influence procurement decisions.

Mapping the AI Narrative

“This whitepaper is both a mirror and a map,” said Katie Hanusik, EVP, public sector and PR practice lead at REQ PR. “It shows how the public sector AI story is being told today, and how vendors can shape tomorrow’s headlines. From infrastructure to ethics, journalists are influencing not just perception, but adoption.”

Key themes highlighted in the report include:

• Modernization & ModelOps: Agencies are moving from experimentation to scaling AI responsibly.

• Cybersecurity & AI Threats: Coverage emphasizes AI as both a defensive tool and a new attack vector, including synthetic media and adversarial simulations.

• Ethical & Regulatory Pressures: Media scrutiny is increasing around accountability and provability of AI systems amid divergent state and federal guidance.

• Citizen Services & Generative AI: Successes and failures in public-facing AI tools drive attention to validation and usability.

• Defense & National Security: Tactical applications like autonomous drones and predictive logistics are under intense media focus.

Why Vendors Should Care

The whitepaper offers actionable strategies for technology providers, including how to lead with credibility, align messaging with current media priorities, and position themselves as trusted voices amid a crowded AI conversation.

Hanusik added, “Companies need to understand and leverage every available tool to market to this lucrative and complex customer segment. You can’t just take your corporate PR and marketing strategy and apply it to public sector targets.”

With AI poised to transform government operations—from improving citizen services to strengthening national security—REQ’s report gives vendors a blueprint to rise above the noise, influence public perception, and drive adoption in a highly regulated market.

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