Reflecting on this summer’s news stories had us thinking: what has happened to silly season? Coined in the 19th century ‘silly season’ was used to describe a time when law courts and Parliament weren’t in session and news was scarce – leading to low-quality, inaccurate, and often just plain silly news. 

The trend continued, becoming a modern-day phenomenon. With parliament in recess, children enjoying the school summer holidays, and journalists utilising the quieter work period to take annual leave, frivolous news stories such as seagull shenanigans and crisp packet deception gained a moment in the summer months spotlight – until recently. 

With digital platforms putting news at our fingertips, is ‘silly season’ quickly becoming a thing of the past or – at the very least – a much-diluted trend? 

Summer 2025 media landscape 

This summer, we’ve seen a mixture of silly and serious. For example, Sky News published a video of animals eating watermelons for National Watermelon Day (!) whilst The Guardian reported on growing seagull populations causing more ‘gull muggings’ at a UK beach.  

At the same time, we have also continued to see serious business and money news stories – many of which are relevant to our clients – such as AI affecting the environment and regulatory announcements covering everything from motor finance compensation to workplace savings reforms.  

During a recent industry talk, the news editor of This Morning told us she believes that silly season still somewhat exists. They know that people are open to lighter news but must be considerate of whether stories during the summer are age appropriate, given that children are on school holidays and spending more time at home.  

Yet from many of the conversations we’ve had with print journalist contacts in recent months, it’s been as busy as ever for them – and stories still need to meet a certain standard to make the cut. 

Understanding this shift 

One of the reasons behind a decrease in silly season stories is the unrelenting news cycle and a move away from print news – with set space to fill – to digital, with journalists needing to deliver quality content, constantly.  

Today, the majority of adults in the UK access news through online sources, surpassing television and print. Social media is also a significant component of online news consumption, with more than half of UK adults (52%) using it as a news source.  

The 24/7 news cycle is putting journalists under immense pressure to churn out copy, and fast. As a result of the drive to keep up with breaking news across the globe, create engaging content with ‘clickable’ headlines, and ensure that articles are factually accurate, summer months are no longer the quiet months for journalists.  

Coupled with a rise in the scepticism of news by audiences, it is even harder for low-quality, ‘silly’ content to make it to the main stage as readers are also far more likely to fact check and scrutinise articles.  

However, there is still a gap that needs to be filled with business news quieter than usual, government in recess and many readers having more time to actually consume the news.  

This means the summer allows journalists to publish strong headlines that have yet to see the light of day in the competitive news agenda elsewhere in the year. Although we’re not yet seeing the end of seagull shenanigans completely (and what a sad day that would be!), journalists are looking for well-researched, interesting news stories that in hectic parliamentary cycles they just wouldn’t have time to write about.  

The opportunity for brands and comms teams 

This shift presents clear opportunities for PR and communications agencies to pitch engaging angles and gain headlines for their clients. 

With many journalists taking holidays over this period, and less hard-hitting national news circulating regularly, journalists may find themselves reaching out for well-researched articles where the majority of the background work is done for them.  

This provides a great chance for comms teams to plan high-quality, data-driven news with strong case studies, ready to pitch for when they’re most needed by journalists. 

Arguably, the summer may be a better time for certain clients to secure coverage than when competition is higher and news becomes more saturated by topics such as government news.  

Whether it’s unpublished statistics or insights, or an exclusive interview with an impressive spokesperson, the summer months bring an opportunity to pitch these fresh angles – and with any luck, the quieter period will work in favour of comms teams.