The Future of Media and Journalism

An AI's Report on what Humans are saying about Navigating Technological Disruption and Business Model Evolution

This is an unvarnished article created by using an AI agent to research and report on the impacts of AI and other technologies on the media. It took just a few minutes to run and used my initial expression of interest to create several searches, which it then summarised, and cited sources. I’ve deliberately not changed a thing - it would form the basis of research for an article. I want to encourage an active conversation about this.

Every technological advance creates winners and losers. The bellmen, knifegrinders, and handloom operators - all gone! As they are replaced so new work appears - just a bit less of it. In January of 2025, News Anchor Jim Acosta left CNN and started up his own Substack channel. Following the journalist rather than the news brand is increasingly becoming a thing.

Here is what my agent produced:

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April 11, 2025

Key Points

1. AI and IP technologies are reshaping media production while creating both opportunities and threats to traditional journalism roles

2. Reader revenue models and independent platforms are challenging traditional media economics as industry confidence declines

3. Successful future media organizations will compete on quality and distinctiveness while employing hybrid business models

Sports Illustrated, G/O Media and the Future of News Media / Rolling Stone

The Future of Media and Journalism: Navigating Technological Disruption and Business Model Evolution

In an era of unprecedented technological change, the media and journalism industries in the UK and Western countries face transformative challenges that will reshape how news is produced, distributed, and consumed. This comprehensive analysis examines the current landscape and emerging trends that will define the future of these vital sectors.

Declining Confidence Amid Multiple Challenges

As we move through 2025, a palpable sense of uncertainty pervades the media industry. According to the Reuters Institute's annual report, confidence among media professionals has dropped significantly, with only 40% expressing optimism about journalism's future—down from 60% just a few years ago. This decline stems from multiple converging pressures:

• Hostile attacks from populist politicians

• Persistent economic headwinds

• Intellectual property battles with AI platforms

• The rise of alternative media sources

• Fundamental shifts in audience behavior

The International News Media Association (INMA) reports that these factors collectively have created a crisis of confidence within the industry, forcing media organizations to reconsider their fundamental business models and operational approaches.

Technological Disruption: AI's Transformative Impact

AI: Reshaping Newsroom Operations

Artificial intelligence represents perhaps the most significant technological force reshaping journalism today. Rather than replacing journalists outright, AI is currently augmenting newsroom capabilities in several key areas:

• Content Creation and Enhancement: AI tools assist with drafting routine stories, generating headlines, and suggesting content improvements

• Data Analysis: Processing large datasets to identify patterns and newsworthy insights

• Personalization: Tailoring content recommendations to individual reader preferences

• Workflow Optimization: Automating routine tasks to free journalists for higher-value work

The Columbia Journalism School's Tow Report, based on interviews with 134 news workers across 35 organizations in the US, UK, and Germany, found that AI adoption is occurring across editorial, commercial, and technological domains, with varying impacts on newsroom structures and journalistic practices.

However, the relationship between journalism and AI remains complex. The Reuters Institute notes that AI coverage often lacks critical perspective, with most stories focusing on "products and capabilities" rather than deeper implications. This suggests the industry itself may not fully understand how AI will transform its own practices.

The Double-Edged Sword of AI

While AI offers significant opportunities for efficiency and innovation, it also presents serious challenges:

1. Job Displacement Concerns: The Reuters Institute warns that "AI is sufficiently mature to enable the replacement of at least some journalism jobs, either directly or because fewer workers are needed." This creates anxiety among journalists about long-term job security.

2. Search Visibility Crisis: Changes to search algorithms, particularly AI-generated answers to news queries, threaten to further reduce publisher visibility and traffic. The Reuters Institute describes this as becoming "a major grievance for a news industry that has already lost social traffic."

3. Content Verification Challenges: As AI makes creating convincing falsehoods easier, newsrooms must invest more resources in verification. The Columbia Journalism Review highlighted how major AI chatbots struggled with accurate reporting during critical news events in 2024, including the assassination attempt on former president Trump.

4. Ethical Dilemmas: Questions around transparency, attribution, and editorial responsibility become more complex in an AI-augmented newsroom.

Despite these challenges, innovative applications are emerging. Mather Economics describes how Canada's Globe and Mail launched "Sophi," an AI-driven solution that helps journalists understand content value beyond simple metrics like clicks, focusing instead on user loyalty and subscription value.

ST2110: Transforming Broadcast Infrastructure

While AI dominates headlines, the broadcast industry is undergoing its own technological revolution through the adoption of IP-based workflows, particularly through the SMPTE ST 2110 standard. This technical standard enables the transport of uncompressed video, audio, and metadata over IP networks, fundamentally changing how broadcast content is produced and distributed.

According to TVBEurope, 2025 represents a turning point for ST2110 adoption as:

• Network switch costs continue to decline

• The pool of IT-trained video engineers grows

• More tools emerge to bridge current pipeline gaps

• Hybrid SDI/ST2110 approaches provide transition paths

The benefits driving this transition include:

• Operational Flexibility: IP infrastructure allows for more agile production setups

• Cost Efficiency: Reduced equipment needs and better resource utilization

• Remote Production Capabilities: Enabling distributed workflows across geographic locations

• Scalability: Easier expansion as needs grow

NewscastStudio reports that "IP increasingly makes economic sense for operations of all sizes" and is "helping accelerate the move toward remote and cloud-based production." This shift was demonstrated during the Paris Olympics, where the synthesis between ST2110 and JPEG XS protocols enabled efficient remote production workflows.

The environmental and economic benefits are substantial. Remote production "dramatically reduces the need to transport equipment and personnel around the globe," allowing broadcasters to "slash the cost and carbon footprint and massively boost the utilization of expensive production technology."

European broadcasters have been particularly proactive in adopting ST2110. TVBEurope highlights BBC Wales as "one of the first full-facility implementations of the standard globally" at its Cardiff headquarters. However, implementation challenges remain, particularly around troubleshooting interconnected IP streams and ensuring sufficient redundancy to maintain broadcast stability.

Employment Implications: Evolving Skills and Changing Workforce

Job Market Outlook

The transformation of media technologies is reshaping employment prospects across the industry. According to Research.com, journalism employment is expected to decline by 3% from 2023 to 2033, though approximately 4,500 job openings will still emerge annually, primarily due to retirements and career changes. The median annual salary for journalists was $57,500 in 2023.

However, these figures mask significant shifts in the types of roles and skills in demand:

The Digital Skills Gap

A critical challenge facing the industry is what the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) describes as a "perilous digital skills gap." Their global survey—the first of its kind—revealed that "journalists and newsrooms lack the technology skills to meet the challenges they face" in an era of misinformation, digital security threats, and intense competition for audience attention.

This skills gap is particularly acute in several areas:

• Data journalism and visualization

• AI implementation and oversight

• Digital security practices

• Audience analytics and engagement

• Multimedia production

Emerging Roles and Hybrid Skillsets

As traditional positions decline, new roles are emerging at the intersection of journalism, technology, and audience engagement:

1. AI Specialists: IBM notes that "major newsrooms across the country have been designing new roles and initiatives around how to develop and use AI tools and processes while maintaining ethics and editorial standards."

2. Hybrid IT/Video Engineers: TVBEurope predicts that as ST2110 adoption grows, "we may just see a new class of engineers who understand both video and IT."

3. Audience Development Specialists: Focused on building direct relationships with readers/viewers and optimizing engagement across platforms.

4. Product Managers: Overseeing the development of digital news products and features.

5. Independent Content Creators: Journalism.co.uk observes that "traditional newsrooms are shrinking, and more journalists are going solo on platforms like Substack, YouTube, and TikTok."

The rise of independent journalism creates both opportunities and challenges for professionals. While it offers creative freedom and potential financial rewards for those who succeed, it also shifts risk onto individual journalists who must build and maintain their own audience and business infrastructure.

Financial Stability: Business Models in Transition

Traditional Media Under Pressure

The financial foundation of traditional media continues to erode, driven by fundamental shifts in how content is discovered, consumed, and monetized. The Reuters Institute describes this as "the end of the mass referral model," noting that publishers face "expected further disruptions from AI" that force them to "radically rethink business models."

Key challenges include:

• Declining Search and Social Traffic: Changes to search algorithms and social platform strategies have reduced referral traffic to news sites.

• Advertising Revenue Shifts: Digital ad spending increasingly flows to platforms rather than publishers.

• Content Abundance: With content "of every type and format becoming more abundant than ever," standing out becomes increasingly difficult.

• Trust Issues: Declining trust in news media affects willingness to pay.

The Rise of Reader Revenue

In response to these pressures, there is "a continued shift towards reader-funded models and away from advertising predicated on scale." This manifests in several approaches:

1. Digital Subscriptions: Major news organizations are focusing on converting casual readers to paying subscribers.

2. Membership Models: Offering enhanced experiences and community benefits beyond basic access.

3. Micropayments: Pay-per-article or time-based access models for occasional readers.

4. Bundled Offerings: Combining news with other services or content types to increase perceived value.

Journalism.co.uk reports that AI will play a crucial role in this transition by enabling highly personalized subscription experiences: "AI's power lies in its ability to analyse user data — such as reading habits, time spent on content, and preferred formats — to deliver highly personalised experiences." This could include tailored newsletters, content recommendations, or even dynamic pricing based on individual preferences.

The Substack Effect: Independent Journalism Economics

Platforms like Substack have created viable alternatives to traditional newsroom employment for some journalists. According to INMA, "The top 10 publishers on Substack collectively had hundreds of thousands paid subscriptions and earned more than US$40 million a year. In the Politics and News categories, more than 30 publications make at least US$1 million a year."

This success has led to what Substack writer Chris Cillizza describes as "a moment in which solo journalists (or small groups of journalists) can create a successful (and profitable) business around their work even as mainstream media companies continue to desperately grasp for a working business model."

However, these platforms present their own challenges:

• Winner-Takes-Most Economics: Success is heavily concentrated among top creators.

• Audience Building Challenges: Without institutional support, building a subscriber base requires significant marketing effort.

• Sustainability Questions: Long-term viability remains uncertain for many independent journalists.

• Limited Resources: Solo practitioners lack the institutional support for complex investigations or legal protection.

The Influence Economy: Social Media and Content Creators

Beyond traditional journalism and newsletter platforms, a new ecosystem of news influencers has emerged on social media platforms. Nieman Lab reports that "a new class of influencers, podcasters, and YouTubers have risen in power in shaping the public's understanding of the news despite doing very little direct reporting."

Research by Pew suggests these creators are now "the dominant force in how news is consumed on social media, to the near-complete exclusion of institutional voices on some platforms like TikTok." This represents a fundamental shift in how news reaches audiences and raises important questions about journalistic standards, accountability, and business sustainability.

Additional Factors Shaping the Industry

The Local News Crisis

While technological disruption affects all media sectors, local journalism faces particularly acute challenges. The Public Interest News Foundation describes a bleak landscape where "over four million people now inhabit 'news deserts' - communities fundamentally disconnected from local reporting."

This represents "not merely an industrial decline, but a potential structural threat to democratic engagement." The Foundation calls for £150 million over the next decade to revive UK news deserts and make local communities more resilient to misinformation.

The UK Parliament emphasizes the democratic importance of local journalism: "Accurate, trustworthy reporting on local councils, courts and other public bodies enables people to hold those in power to account for decisions that affect their everyday lives." Beyond accountability, local news "can increase turnout at elections, create economic value by encouraging people to buy local, and foster a sense of cohesion and pride of place."

Current approaches to addressing the local news crisis include:

• Public Funding Models: Direct or indirect government support

• Philanthropic Initiatives: Foundation-funded journalism projects

• Community Ownership: Cooperative and nonprofit models

• Digital Transformation: Helping local outlets develop sustainable digital strategies

The Media Reform Coalition notes that "news provision has always relied on funding through subsidy," with the UK press currently receiving "a subsidy of over £500 million a year as a result of VAT exemption." However, these existing subsidies have not prevented the decline of local journalism, suggesting new approaches are needed.

Changing Audience Behaviors

Ofcom's Media Nations UK 2024 report documents accelerating changes in how UK audiences consume media:

• Broadcast TV's declining reach: Weekly reach fell from 79% in 2022 to 75% in 2023, marking a second consecutive year of record decline.

• Youth disengagement: For the first time, less than half (48%) of 16-24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week.

• Overall viewing increase: Despite broadcast declines, total viewing of TV and video increased by 2% to 4 hours 31 minutes per person per day, driven by online platforms.

• Platform diversification: Growth came from video-sharing platforms like YouTube and broadcasters' own services like iPlayer and ITVX.

These shifts create both challenges and opportunities. While traditional linear viewing continues to decline, overall engagement with video content is growing, suggesting potential new distribution and monetization models.

Regulatory Environment

Ofcom's Three-Year Plan 2025-2028 identifies several key trends that will shape the regulatory landscape:

1. Shifting consumer trust: "Technology is enabling synthetic media and scams, affecting trust in news and public institutions."

2. Audience fragmentation: "Increased choice of services that appeal to specific groups is fragmentating audiences across platforms & devices."

3. Digital transformation: Businesses across the sector are seeking to benefit from digital technologies.

4. New business models: "New business models, and the increasing role of global players operating across the value chain, are challenging existing players."

5. AI proliferation: "The continued growth and impact of AI is transforming our industries with potential for new business models, efficiencies, value chains and risks."

6. Network resilience: Networks face increasing threats from "extreme weather to state-backed cyber attacks."

These regulatory considerations will significantly influence how media organizations navigate technological change, particularly around AI implementation, content moderation, and platform competition.

Infrastructure Transition

The shift from traditional broadcast distribution to internet-based delivery continues to accelerate. Ofcom's Future of TV Distribution report emphasizes that "the way TV reaches audiences will need to adapt to their changing needs and futureproof universal access."

This transition requires careful planning, similar to previous technological shifts: "Underpinning this innovation has been careful planning to give people the support they need to take up a new technology." The report cites the Digital Switchover as an example of a successful transition that required "a massive industry, Government, and regulatory effort" over a seven-year period.

As distribution increasingly moves online, questions around universal access, network capacity, and the future of spectrum allocation become increasingly important for the broadcast sector.

Emerging Vision for the Future

While the industry faces significant uncertainty, several consensus views are emerging about how media and journalism will evolve:

1. Quality and Distinctiveness as Competitive Advantage

In an era of content abundance and AI-generated material, the Reuters Institute predicts that "only publishers that stand out from the crowd in terms of quality, relevance, or connection are likely to succeed." This suggests a future where media organizations compete less on volume or reach and more on distinctive value and audience relationships.

2. Hybrid Business Models

Rather than a single dominant approach, successful media organizations will likely employ multiple revenue streams tailored to their specific audience and content type. These may include:

• Core subscription/membership offerings

• Premium tiers for specialized content

• Event and experience revenue

• Licensing and syndication

• Targeted advertising for specific segments

• Foundation or public funding for public interest journalism

3. Technological Augmentation, Not Replacement

Despite fears of wholesale replacement by AI, the emerging consensus suggests technology will primarily augment human journalism rather than replace it entirely. Bloomberg notes that while journalists are "by nature a pretty paranoid lot" who worry about various threats including AI, the reality is likely to be more nuanced than simple displacement.

The most successful organizations will be those that effectively integrate technology to enhance human capabilities while maintaining editorial judgment and ethical standards.

4. Audience-Centered Approaches

As distribution channels proliferate and audience behavior fragments, successful media organizations will increasingly organize around audience needs rather than traditional product categories or distribution methods. This means:

• Delivering content in formats and on platforms where audiences already spend time

• Building direct relationships rather than relying on intermediaries

• Using data to understand and respond to audience preferences

• Creating products that solve specific problems for defined audience segments

5. Continued Unbundling and Rebundling

Nieman Lab describes the current moment as "news faces its final unbundling," where traditional news packages continue to fragment into specialized offerings. However, this unbundling will likely be followed by new forms of rebundling—subscription packages, content alliances, and platform aggregation that create new value propositions for audiences.

6. Public Interest Journalism as a Public Good

There is growing recognition that certain forms of journalism—particularly local news, investigative reporting, and specialized beat coverage—may require non-market support mechanisms. The UK Parliament's emphasis on local journalism's democratic importance and the Public Interest News Foundation's call for significant funding reflect this emerging consensus.

This suggests a future where commercial media coexists with various forms of publicly supported journalism, similar to the mixed ecosystem that has long characterized the UK media landscape with the BBC alongside commercial operators.

Conclusion: A Period of Creative Destruction

The media and journalism industries in the UK and Western countries are experiencing what economist Joseph Schumpeter called "creative destruction"—a process where new technologies, business models, and audience behaviors fundamentally reshape the landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges.

The Reuters Institute's finding of declining confidence among media leaders reflects the real anxiety this transition creates. However, history suggests that periods of disruption eventually lead to new equilibriums where valuable functions find sustainable forms, even if the specific organizations and business models change dramatically.

Several key questions will determine how this transition unfolds:

1. Will reader revenue models scale beyond elite publications to support broad-based journalism?

2. Can AI tools be effectively integrated into newsrooms while maintaining quality and trust?

3. How will regulatory frameworks evolve to address platform power, content moderation, and media concentration?

4. What new forms of public or philanthropic support might emerge for public interest journalism?

5. Will new skills and training pathways develop to address the digital skills gap?

The answers to these questions will shape not just the business of media but the fundamental information environment that underpins democratic societies. While technological change creates significant challenges, it also offers the potential for more engaging, relevant, and accessible journalism—if the industry can successfully navigate this period of transformation.

Sources

Reuters Institute

Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025

An annual report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism examining trends and predictions for the news media industry

News organisations are braced for multiple challenges in 2025 that will likely include further attacks from hostile politicians, continued economic headwinds, and battles to protect intellectual property in the face of rapacious AI-driven platforms. Changes to search, in particular, will become a major grievance for a news industry that has already lost social traffic and fears a further decline in visibility as AI interfaces start to generate 'story like' answers to news queries.

With the combination of the end of the mass referral model and expected further disruptions from AI, publishers are being forced to radically rethink business models. With content of every type and format becoming more abundant than ever, only publishers that stand out from the crowd in terms of quality, relevance, or connection are likely to succeed. All of this points towards a continued shift towards reader-funded models and away from advertising predicated on scale.

Reuters Institute

AI and the Future of News 2025: what we learnt about how its impact on coverage, newsrooms and society

A summary of a conference discussing the impact of AI on journalism and media

Our speakers were critical of the AI coverage they have seen so far, pointing out that it's often incomplete, focusing too much on hype, and not delving deeper into the issues related to this topic. Jazmín Acuña, co-founder and editorial director of Paraguayan newspaper El Surtidor, said stories about AI in Latin America tend to lack a critical angle. 'Most stories focus on products and capabilities. And when the stories are not part of the tech section, they are usually about how the government or private firms are adopting AI,' she said.

Currently, AI aids news workers rather than replaces them, but there are no guarantees this will remain the case. AI is sufficiently mature to enable the replacement of at least some journalism jobs, either directly or because fewer workers are needed.

Journalism.co.uk

Seven opportunities for your newsroom in 2025

Analysis of the Reuters Institute's annual report on journalism trends and predictions

Confidence is low in the news industry as it marches into 2025, according to the Reuters Institute's annual report, Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025, published today (9 January 2025). This is based on a survey of 326 digital leaders from 51 countries and territories. New leaders lament the many challenges in the year ahead; technology that will make falsehoods more convincing, politicians that are cracking down on the press, talent that is harder to secure, revenue that is drying up, reporting that is harder to surface against louder creators without the same values.

INMA

Reuters Institute shares its predictions for 2025

A summary of the Reuters Institute's annual report on journalism trends and predictions

One of the most significant findings in the report is the dramatic loss of confidence in journalism, which Newman said 'has dropped significantly from 60% a couple of years ago to 40% now.' This decline is driven by multiple factors, he said, including attacks on journalism from populist politicians, the rise of alternative media, funding challenges, and fears of AI disruption. Together, these factors have affected the optimism toward journalism's future.

TVBEurope

Looking forward: how the IP journey will continue throughout 2025

Key figures from across the industry share their insights into the continuing expansion of IP migration in media and entertainment

SMPTE ST 2110 video emerged into the limelight, with the cost of network switches dropping and the pool of available IT video engineers growing steadily. More broadcast and production teams felt confident tapping into the IP protocol to transport uncompressed video over IP across select parts of the production chain. Experimentation primarily took place in sandbox environments, with many facilities opting for a hybrid SDI/SMPTE ST 2110 approach. A significant development, this spike in adoption speaks volumes about the growing industry demand for improved operational and cost efficiency when transporting video across facilities.

In 2025, it's reasonable to assume that technology developers will release more tools that bridge current SMPTE ST 2110 pipeline gaps. As they do, SMPTE ST 2110 adoption will grow among broadcasters and production facilities. Out of this development, we may just see a new class of engineers who understand both video and IT. And as the industry's collective knowledge base expands, more training and educational resources will likely become available, making SMTPE ST 2110 more accessible.

NewscastStudio

Ten trends defining broadcast and media in 2025

Live sports stream to millions of concurrent viewers. AI systems generate highlight reels moments after the action happens. Production teams collaborate across continents using cloud-based tools.

The transition to IP-based workflows continues to change how content is produced and delivered. IP increasingly makes economic sense for operations of all sizes and is helping accelerate the move toward remote and cloud-based production thanks to SMPTE ST 2110 and the native IP protocols used for contribution to cloud. One example is the synthesis between 2110 and JPEG XS — basically native IP speaking to native IP via VSF TR-07 and TR-08 — which was proven at the Paris Games.

Remote production enabled by IP infrastructure is dramatically reducing the need to transport equipment and personnel around the globe for major sporting events. Broadcasters are moving from shipping multiple aircraft loads of equipment to employing streamlined fly-packs with remote workflows. Remote production of live content is transformative. Sending only minimal crews to an event and streaming all sources back to a central production base slashes the cost and carbon footprint and massively boosts the utilisation of expensive production technology.

TVBEurope

European broadcasters lead the way in redundancy-driven SMPTE ST 2110 adoption

Chris Wright, vice president of business development EMEA, TASCAM, examines why European success in adopting redundancy-driven SMPTE ST 2110 is providing a roadmap for content revolution

The broadcast world has been undergoing a transformation as workflows migrate toward IP-based environments, and at the heart of this change is the SMPTE ST 2110 standard. SMPTE ST 2110 revolutionises how audio, video, and metadata are transported over IP networks, introducing flexibility, scalability, and interoperability to an industry steeped in tradition. However, while this standard unlocks new possibilities, it also surfaces a critical non-negotiable requirement—redundancy.

One of Europe's most notable early adopters, BBC Wales, deployed the SMPTE ST 2110 standard when building its new Cardiff headquarters—marking one of the first full-facility implementations of the standard globally. This decision underscored the region's forward-thinking approach to technology. Yet, even with meticulous planning, challenges can arise, such as troubleshooting systems with interconnected IP streams. These early lessons highlighted the critical role of redundancy in maintaining broadcast stability.

Bloomberg

How Journalism Will Adapt in the Age of AI

The news business is facing its next enormous challenge. Here are eight reasons to be both optimistic and paranoid.

We journalists are by nature a pretty paranoid lot. Permanently worried that somebody somewhere — governments, lawyers, our colleagues, the IT department — is about to do something terrible to us, or our copy. So far the 21st century has only fed that paranoia. Back in 2006, one of my first covers as editor of The Economist was entitled 'Who Killed the Newspaper?' At the time the internet was wrecking the cozy business model of most big city papers that relied on their monopoly of classified advertising.

Columbia Journalism School

Tow Report: "Artificial Intelligence in the News" and How AI Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena

Despite growing interest, the effects of AI on the news industry and our information environment — the public arena — remain poorly understood.

Drawing on 134 interviews with news workers at 35 news organizations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany — including outlets such as The Guardian, Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Washington Post, The Sun, and the Financial Times — and 36 international experts from industry, academia, technology, and policy, this report examines the use of AI across editorial, commercial, and technological domains with an eye to the structural implications of AI in news organizations for the public arena.

Mather Economics

AI in the Newsroom: Transforming Journalism for the Digital Age

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and journalism has sparked both excitement and curiosity within the media industry.

Around 2015, The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest national newspaper, launched a data science team named 'Sophi' to develop AI-driven solutions aimed at solving newsroom challenges. The initiative began with a simple goal: to help journalists and editors better understand the value of the content they were producing. Initially, the focus was on digital publishing, where the emphasis was largely on clicks and page views. However, the Sophi team recognized that while clicks measured engagement, they did not necessarily reflect the value of the content in terms of user loyalty, subscriptions or return on investment.

IBM

How is AI being used in journalism?

Explore how artificial intelligence is transforming journalism, from newsgathering to audience engagement.

There's no doubt that some executives in the news media industry have viewed artificial intelligence (AI) with anxiety. But a newsroom in the future without any AI tools is highly unlikely. According to Nieman Lab, major newsrooms across the country have been designing new roles and initiatives around how to develop and use AI tools and processes while maintaining ethics and editorial standards.

Substack

So What

Journalism isn't dead just yet 💀

We are now in a moment in which solo journalists (or small groups of journalists) can create a successful (and profitable) business around their work even as mainstream media companies continue to desperately grasp for a working business model.

INMA

Platforms like Substack offer journalists a tricky alternative to traditional newsrooms

Some journalism stars are leaving traditional news companies for platforms like Substack, but the actual numbers around the creator economy may be surprising.

The top 10 publishers on Substack collectively had hundreds of thousands paid subscriptions and earned more than US$40 million a year. In the Politics and News categories, more than 30 publications make at least US$1 million a year.

Nieman Lab

News faces its final unbundling

Predictions for Journalism, 2025

A new class of influencers, podcasters, and YouTubers have risen in power in shaping the public's understanding of the news despite doing very little direct reporting. Research by Pew now suggests they are the dominant force in how news is consumed on social media, to the near-complete exclusion of institutional voices on some platforms like TikTok.

Journalism.co.uk

Predictions for journalism 2025: social media, influencers and content creators

Traditional media will struggle to keep up with creators on TikTok or Substack. Your biggest competitors will be new media startups, journalists going solo and online personalities

Traditional newsrooms are shrinking, and more journalists are going solo on platforms like Substack, YouTube, and TikTok. Why? Because they are finding their beats do not align with the priorities of big publishers, they are tired of working within the constraints of legacy media — or they have been laid off in the latest round of cuts (expect more of those too).

International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)

First-ever Global Survey of News Tech Reveals Perilous Digital Skills Gap

A survey examining digital technology skills and adoption in global newsrooms

In an era of fake news, digital security threats and competition for audience attention, journalists and newsrooms lack the technology skills to meet the challenges they face, revealed the first-ever global survey on the adoption of new technologies in news media. The results showed which regions are the leaders and laggards in digital technology adoption. While the disruptions in today's newsrooms have been widely examined, the study focused on a missing link: how journalists worldwide are using technology.

Research.com

How To Become A Journalist for 2025

A comprehensive guide to becoming a journalist, including career outlook, skills, and job market trends

With traditional newsrooms shrinking and digital media transforming the industry, aspiring journalists may wonder if this field offers stability and growth. While employment for journalists is expected to decline by 3% from 2023 to 2033, an estimated 4,500 job openings will still be available each year, primarily due to retirements and career shifts. The median annual salary for journalists was $57,500 in 2023, making it a profession that, while competitive, can provide a stable income for those with strong skills and adaptability.

Columbia Journalism Review (CJR)

AI companies have a news problem. Journalists have the skills they need to fix it.

An article exploring the challenges AI companies face in handling news and the potential role of journalists in addressing these issues

Throughout the recent chaos in American politics, AI chatbots have struggled to stay abreast of the latest news. Reporting showed that, hours after the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, ChatGPT said the shooting was rumor and misinformation. The same reporting also found that popular chatbots struggled to provide accurate answers in the aftermath of J.D. Vance's VP nomination, as well as President Joe Biden's COVID diagnosis.

Journalism.co.uk

New report calls for £15 million a year to transform the future of local journalism

A report by the Public Interest News Foundation highlights the critical state of local journalism in the UK and proposes a strategic funding approach to revive local news ecosystems.

The Public Interest News Foundation says £150m is needed over the next decade to revive UK news deserts and make local communities more resilient towards misinformation and collapsing business models. The current state of local news is bleak. Over four million people now inhabit "news deserts" - communities fundamentally disconnected from local reporting. This is not merely an industrial decline, but a potential structural threat to democratic engagement.

UK Parliament

Sustainability of local journalism

A House of Commons Committee report examining the challenges facing local journalism in the UK and recommending potential solutions.

Local journalism is vital to democratic society. Accurate, trustworthy reporting on local councils, courts and other public bodies enables people to hold those in power to account for decisions that affect their everyday lives. Local news publishers can also help people to feel connected and get involved with their communities. Through this, local journalism can increase turnout at elections, create economic value by encouraging people to buy local, and foster a sense of cohesion and pride of place.

Journalism.co.uk

Predictions for journalism 2025: revenue, subscriptions and registrations

Experts share insights on how newsrooms might fund journalism in 2025, focusing on audience engagement, AI personalization, and new revenue strategies.

In 2025, artificial intelligence will redefine how newsrooms personalise subscription models, reshaping audience engagement and retention. AI's power lies in its ability to analyse user data — such as reading habits, time spent on content, and preferred formats — to deliver highly personalised experiences. Subscribers could receive newsletters tailored to their interests, content recommendations aligned with their engagement patterns, or even dynamic pricing options based on their preferences.

Media Reform Coalition

Investigative and local journalism

An analysis of the challenges facing investigative and local journalism, highlighting funding issues and proposing potential solutions.

Investigative and local journalism have faced the sharp end of resource cuts across the sector for some time. While there is no lack of demand for news in the UK, there is an increasing unwillingness to fund more expensive or less commercially attractive forms of news in a highly unstable climate. News provision has always relied on funding through subsidy. The press currently receives a subsidy of over £500 million a year as a result of VAT exemption.

Ofcom

Ofcom's Three-Year Plan 2025-2028

Ofcom's strategic plan outlining priorities and trends in communications industries for 2025-2028

The communications industries are defined by innovation, disruption and change. To harness the benefits for the UK, we must understand the technological, commercial and consumer forces that will shape these sectors over the coming years. We have identified six trends across consumer, commercial and technology: Consumer: Shifting consumer trust – Technology is enabling synthetic media and scams, affecting trust in news and public institutions. Audience choice and fragmentation – Increased choice of services that appeal to specific groups is fragmentating audiences across platforms & devices. Commercial: Businesses are seeking to benefit from digital transformation. Economic growth – Boosting overall economic growth and tackling digital exclusion are priorities for the UK and for Ofcom. New business models – New business models, and the increasing role of global players operating across the value chain, are challenging existing players and change our sectors. Technology: Technology is improving choice, price and innovation, but also presents new questions. AI proliferation – The continued growth and impact of AI is transforming our industries with potential for new business models, efficiencies, value chains and risks. Network resilience – From extreme weather to state-backed cyber attacks, our networks are braced for security and resilience shocks.

Ofcom

Future of TV Distribution: Early Market Report

A comprehensive review of TV distribution market changes and potential future scenarios

The way TV reaches audiences will need to adapt to their changing needs and futureproof universal access. TV has an important place in most of our day-to-day lives – for entertainment, to learn about the world and, for many, as a source of company. Free-to-view TV services are available universally, with over 99% of UK households able to get Freeview, Freesat, or both. While TV has had a place in our homes for over 80 years, the way we watch and choose content has always evolved. Innovation has allowed our TV ecosystem to reach different generations and develop an ever-expanding choice of programming. Underpinning this innovation has been careful planning to give people the support they need to take up a new technology. For example, the launch of Freeview took the number of channels on terrestrial TV from five to dozens. But this required a massive industry, Government, and regulatory effort to design and deliver the Digital Switchover over a seven-year period.

Ofcom

Media Nations UK 2024

Annual research report on media consumption trends and viewing habits in the United Kingdom

The decline in broadcast TV's reach accelerated in 2023, although for every age group the amount of viewing declined at a slower rate than in the previous year. Broadcast TV's weekly reach fell from 79% in 2022 to 75% in 2023, marking a second consecutive year of record decline. For the first time, less than half (48%) of 16-24-year-olds tuned into broadcast TV in an average week. While the long-term decline in viewing of broadcast TV also continued, down 6% year on year, it was slower than the 12% fall the previous year. All age groups contributed to this trend – for example, children's viewing fell by 6% in 2023 compared to a 20% fall in 2022, while 65-74s' viewing fell by 5% in 2023 and 21% in 2022. Overall viewing of TV and video increased in 2023, driven by online platforms, including video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, and broadcasters' own services such as iPlayer and ITVX. The average amount of time spent watching TV and video content at home in 2023 was 4 hours 31 minutes per person per day, up by 2% since 2022.