Political aversion to the media, a complicated relationship with Social Networks, and distrust of influencers and AI: how journalism will evolve in 2025.
The latest annual report from the Reuters Institute (RISJ), “Journalism, trends and tech predictions,” by Nic Newman and Federica Cherubini, conducted between November 20 and December 20, 2024, among 326 media professionals from 51 countries and territories, reveals that in 2025 the news industry will face several challenges. These include political aversion to the media, a complicated relationship with social networks and new technologies, and distrust toward influencers and artificial intelligence. These factors will reshape how news are created, shared, and consumed by online audiences.
The goal is to redefine the role and value of journalistic institutions in an era of political and media polarization, misinformation, and content oversaturation. This involves emphasizing the distinctive and trustworthy aspects of journalism, personalizing content and formats to make them more engaging and relevant to audiences, and simultaneously cutting costs while diversifying contents to foster reader loyalty across various demographics.
New terminology to add to your dictionary.
One notable phenomenon highlighted in the Reuters Institute report is the introduction of four new terms into everyday language:
- AI Slop (or simply Slop)
Low-quality media—including writing and images—obtained using generative artificial intelligence technologies. The term is widely used in headlines warning about the dangers of “slop” compared to the value of professional journalism. - Agentic
“Intelligent agents” created with generative AI that can operate as autonomous entities, replacing humans in certain decision-making and management processes, ranging from client invoicing and appointment scheduling to choosing gifts for relatives and spell-checking texts. - Brain Rot
The deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state as a result of excessive consumption of overused or low-effort online content. - Influencer
An individual capable of influencing consumer behavior, lifestyle choices, or political preferences by creating engaging content on social media. The term is often featured in news coverage with a derogatory tone by journalists.
Concerns over Artificial Intelligence
The Reuters Institute report emphasizes that since the AI boom began two years ago, publishers have been increasingly concerned that automated news services (such as Search GPT, Perplexity, TikTok’s For You, X’s Grok Stories, and Boring News), which use AI to generate real-time summaries of content in personalized interfaces, could reduce direct traffic to news sites. Instead, these AI-driven platforms may divert audiences to summaries that exploit the ‘stolen’ work of professional journalists, without acknowledging copyright or intellectual property rights over editorial content. If people can access the best news summaries for free, why would they go on publishers’ websites?
While this shift has yet to fully happen, media professionals are already strategizing ways to use AI to highlight distinctive and trustworthy journalism while fostering human connections with their readers, something that no automated news service can truly replicate.
The potential of AI in publishing
Publishers are increasingly exploring AI’s potential to automate various tasks, allowing them to personalize content and formats in a unique way while enhancing accessibility. AI-driven functionalities include converting text articles into audio (and vice versa), translating articles into multiple languages, summarizing content, and correcting spelling errors. Although these capabilities are expected to become more integrated into existing web browsers, publishers remain optimistic about leveraging AI to enhance the quality of their websites, to create more personalized news experiences, and build stronger audience loyalty. The aim is to keep pace with evolving consumer needs while staying true to fundamental journalistic values.
New content strategies to hinder “news avoidance” tendency
The Reuters Institute research shows that audiences, particularly younger ones, are increasingly drawn to entertainment-focused content on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. As a result, publishers are investing more in these platforms, along with BlueSky, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp, developing a growing number of audio and video products.
At the same time, in order to compete with other platforms, news producers are investing in non-news products, including games, educational content, and cooking apps. The goal is to attract users who are not naturally drawn to traditional news: the phenomenon is known as “news avoidance.” The challenge lies in using AI-driven technical capabilities to enhance editorial creativity and credibility, thereby re-engaging audiences and drawing future generations toward reliable news sources while protecting them from misinformation and unreliable content.
The relationship with influencers
In 2025, publishers will also need to determine how to engage with influencers: people, sometimes even former journalists, who command attention across a wide range of news-related topics and significantly impact media, society, and politics. Over the coming year, many professionals may adopt an open approach toward influencers, recognizing their ability to employ creative storytelling techniques that captivate audiences and foster new online communities.
The Reuters Institute predicts that we may even see increased collaboration between traditional media and influencers, similar to the strategy employed by PressOne since 2022. This partnership would allow both sides to enhance their credibility and relevance while promoting news consumption among younger audiences. In some cases, media outlets may directly hire influencers to manage their social media channels on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat (this strategy that has proven effective for Le Monde).
Television also faces challenges
As viewers migrate to streaming services, traditional television news is facing global downsizing. Major public broadcasters (including CNN in the U.S. and SSR in Switzerland) are getting ready for hundreds of layoffs and cuts to key news programs, following the example set by the BBC in 2024. This decline stems from a lack of funding for independent journalism and increased political pressure from right-wing parties.
The ban on TikTok
One of the major restrictions on media access in 2025 could be the banning of TikTok. Already prohibited in several countries, including India, due to concerns over Chinese government influence and its potential impact on young users, the platform may also face a ban in the United States, unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, complies with a court ruling requiring it to sell the app to a foreign company. Elsewhere, including in Europe, stricter social media regulations are expected, particularly aimed at restricting access for younger users (under 16), as is already happening in Australia.