Hacks mock roughly half of the press releases that flood their inboxes.

They might not have time to reply to your email, but they have time for that.

The releases that get the roughest treatment tend to be ones where the self-interest is so naked as to be shameful.

Stuff like:

Insurance company says you need more insurance.

Dog food company says you’re feeding your dog incorrectly.

Flood product maker says boost your flood defences before winter.

These are often backed up by a survey of the eight-out-of-10-cats-prefer Whiskas type.

These things are mockable. And the idea that our job is to sift through press releases until we find the right one is annoying.

The thing is, sometimes those press releases totally work.

Last week a company called TonerGiant put out a release with the following shock news: People who work from home sometimes watch TV on the job. In fact, more than 80% do. I know!

This survey even made it to The Observer column of clever-clogs TV dude David Mitchell, who mused on TonerGiant’s motivation. Did it want people to go back to the office because they print more things when there?

Before Mitchell made fun, this survey got taken very seriously indeed.

The Daily Mail gave it a big number. Those lazy Gen Z workers were the worst offenders, moaned the Mail.

Readers were invited to email the reporter with further shocking confessions of what else they do at home during work hours. (I take the bins out and I like a snooze.)

The Times got even more excited. “Bosses, look away now”, its shocked article began.

The Telegraph also had a crack.

So, a result all round for TonerGiant and its champagne-cork popping, red-hot PR team.

Why did this silly survey story hit home when most get mockery?

Because the point appealed directly to the prejudices of editors, not one of whom has ever liked the idea of WFH.

They want their journalists where they can see them, chained to a desk, preferably miserable and afraid for their jobs.

I exaggerate, but not by much.

For flaks, all this is ammunition.

We’ll stop sending you silly press releases when you stop running them, they can say.

Hacks better turn the TV off and check their Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V buttons are in working order.

A correction: Yesterday I noted that England’s football team has qualified for three quarter-finals in the last four tournaments. Which is true. But we have also now qualified for three semi-finals out of four. This enhances the point I was making, but brings my use of statistics into question and has left people who read TB for the football very cross.