“Meet the Media” Series: A Conversation with Paul Gillin, Enterprise Editor, SiliconANGLE

If it doesn’t serve the reader, it doesn’t run. That’s how veteran technology journalist Paul Gillin, Enterprise Editor at SiliconANGLE, defines his criteria for choosing what to report. Across four decades, from paper mail and press tours to Slack threads and AI-assisted workflows, his rule hasn’t changed: help the reader succeed.  

Top Takeaways 

1. Digital changed everything. Newsrooms shifted from paper and phones to fast-paced, digital-first operations with same-day publishing.  
2. The reader is the boss. Every decision starts and ends with audience value.  
3. AI helps, but humans verify. Tools like ChatGPT and Whisper speed drafts, but facts still require human verification. 
4. Earn attention. Keep pitches short, specific and relevant; substance beats style.  
5. Credibility is the currency. In an age of misinformation, accuracy and transparency matter most.

Paul’s Path into Journalism 

Paul started at Computerworld in the early 1980s, when “cut and paste” was literal. Reporting meant hours on the phone and confirming every thread manually. “The difference between then and now is night and day,” Paul told us. Press tours became Slack threads; deadlines shrank from days to minutes. AI now helps him record, transcribe, and outline faster but never replaces human editing. 

“AI gets me a workable draft faster. But I don’t trust it with facts. That’s my job.” 

The Art of the pitch 

Paul sees up to 100 pitches daily. You get seconds.  

What works: 

• Clear signals: “exclusive,” “embargo,” or a major company name 
• A sharp point of view that challenges norms 
• Specifics: the news, the audience, the impact 

What doesn’t 

• Wordplay without substance 
• Hype or inflated claims 
• Long emails that bury the lede 

Example: 

Weak: “Reimagining the future of data.” 

Better: “Embargoed: ACME adds vector search to open-source DB – benchmarks beat XYZ on recall.” 

Building Trust with Reporters 

Trust grows through honesty and reliability. Reporters remember PR pros who tell the truth, especially when it’s hard.  

“A company once admitted a mistake before I found it. That kind of candor sticks.” 

Be direct, flag limitations early, and respect when interviews are for background purposes. 

Avoid: 

1. The triple pitch. One pitch, one follow-up. “After that you are harassing.” 
2. Asking “When will it run?” after a background chat.  
3. Overwriting. Lead with the news in one line, then add two proof points.  

How Paul uses AI  

Paul treats AI as an accelerator, not an authority. It helps with transcripts, summaries and ideation but never final facts.  

“AI can help me write faster. It cannot take responsibility for getting it right.” 

Advice for PR Pros 

• Know the publication’s audience and lead with relevant to the reader: who benefits and how
• State the news up front; add proof points (data, customer, human voice) 
• Offer real people, not polished quotes. 
• Validate “first” or “best” claims with third-party data 
• Include timing, embargo, and assets 
• Use quotes that sound human: “The job that took six hours now takes six minutes.” 

Paul Gillin’s rule still holds true: tools evolve; truth doesn’t. Serve the reader, write what’s real, and make every line earn its place. AI can assist, but clarity, judgment, and brevity are still human work.