• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 6 hours ago

Publishers and editors are not feeling very good about the field they are in. Only 38% are confident about the future of journalism, down from 60% in 2025, according to Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026, a study by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Specifically, they are troubled by politically motivated attacks on journalism and loss of USAID funding. 

They are also worried about loss of traffic from search engines. They expect this volume to decline by 43% over the next three years, “not quite Google Zero,” but bad enough, the study notes.  

Yet 53% are confident in their own prospects, roughly the same as last year.

Publishers are also wrestling with phenomena like artificial intelligence and the emergence of creators. 

They don’t seem to have high hopes for AI. Of those polled, 20% expect a significant source of income from AI, but 49% foresee only a minor contribution, and 20% say they will not be getting income from it. 

But they are thinking about it. To start with, they are exploring how they need to refocus their content in the era of AI: 

• Original investigations/on the ground reporting, +91%
• Contextual analysis (explanation, framing), +82%
• Community building (live journalism/events), +76%
• Human stories, +72% 
• Fact-checking/verification, +63%
• Opinion/commentary, +55% 
• Breaking news (live coverage), +26%

In contrast, service journalism has declined in importance by 42%. Also falling are general news (-38%), evergreen content (-32%) and Q&A type articles (-30%). 

Another worry is the impact of creators on the field. Of the publishing pros surveyed, 24% are very concerned that creators are taking time and attention away and 46% are somewhat so. A lesser number are worried about losing talent. 

But they are reacting by planning these initiatives in response to the creator wave: 

• Getting our journalists to be a bit more like creators—76%
• Partnering with creators for distribution—50% 
• Hiring creators to reach young audiences—50% 
• Creating a joint venture with a creator studio—38% 
• None of the above—28%

The study was written by Nic Newman, senior research associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Reuters surveyed 280 publishing professionals from 51 countries and territories between November 18 and December 20, 2025. Participants, drawn from 51 countries and territories, were invited because they held senior positions (editorial, commercial, or product) in traditional or digital-born publishing companies and were responsible for aspects of digital or wider media strategy.