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Heads up if you pitch Reach titles
Some of the journalists on your Reach plc list may no longer be the right people to contact. Since mid-September 2026, we've spotted a number of names that appear to have left their roles, including contacts who were reading and engaging with press emails only weeks ago.
Where we've confirmed a new role, we've listed it below in Where they are now. For the rest, we don't know where they've gone or why, and we won't speculate. What we can do is show you which names are worth double-checking before your next send, so your pitches land with someone who's still there.
Journalists no longer in their Reach roles
Grouped by the outlet each journalist was listed under in our database.
WalesOnline
Daily Express
Daily Express
Daily Express
Daily ExpressDaily Express US
Daily Star
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily MirrorLiverpool Echo
The Chronicle
Reach plc (group)
Reach plcThis list will be updated as more bounces come through. If a name you rely on isn't here yet, that doesn't mean it's safe. It may simply not have bounced for us so far.
Where they are now
Where we can confirm a move, we'll note it here.
Evening Standard
Confirmed as leaving Reach, new role not yet announced:
The Daily MirrorThe Daily MirrorWhy this matters for your media list
Most PR teams find out a contact has moved the hard way. A pitch goes out, the bounce lands in someone's inbox, and nobody does anything about it. Next month the same address gets the same treatment.
That costs you more than one wasted email. Repeated hard bounces hurt your sender reputation, and mail providers notice. Send enough mail to dead addresses and your pitches to live ones start landing in spam. On top of that, the story you meant for the Express or the Mirror never reached anyone, and you may not realise until the coverage fails to show up.
Regional and national desks at large groups see a fair bit of movement at the best of times. A list that was accurate in the spring can be patchy by the autumn.
What to do when a Reach address bounces
A few habits will save you time and keep your list in decent shape.
Stop sending to it straight away. One hard bounce is enough. Pull the address from your active lists and any scheduled sends. Don't wait for a second bounce to confirm it.
Don't guess the new address. Yes, firstname.lastname at a rival group looks like a decent bet. So does a personal Gmail. Resist it. Nine times out of ten you just collect another bounce, and the tenth time you've landed in an inbox the journalist never handed you, which rarely goes down well.
Bylines first, pitch second. Stick their name into a search and look at the dates on their latest pieces. Last byline still on a Reach site, nothing since? Leave it a few weeks. Plenty of reporters have a gap between jobs.
Look at their public social profiles. Many journalists update their bio on X or LinkedIn when they move. Some say outright that they're open to pitches at a new title. Use what they've chosen to share publicly, and leave it there.
Work out who has the patch now. Your old WalesOnline contact may be gone, but the stories on their patch still get written. Whose name is on them this month? Failing that, ring the desk and ask. Desk staff are usually happy to point you at the right person if you're quick about it.
Write it down. Tag the contact as moved and add the bounce date. Months later, when their byline pops up at a new title, you'll know exactly what you pitched them before and what landed, rather than starting cold.
How PressReacher handles this
PressReacher covers 2M+ journalists across 50+ countries, and bounce data is one of the ways we keep profiles current. An address that was live and then hard-bounces now gets its profile flagged "Left position - awaiting new role". That's handy if three people on your team share one list and only one of them saw the bounce.
As the name suggests, the flag sits there until the journalist turns up in a new role.
Want to run your own list through it? Book a free demo and we'll show you.