Politicians, business leaders and celebrities are increasingly bypassing traditional outlets altogether, opting instead to speak directly to sympathetic podcasters, YouTubers or social media personalities, a Reuters survey says.
The global news industry is heading into 2026 under mounting pressure from two powerful and converging forces: the rapid advance of generative artificial intelligence and the growing influence of personality-driven creators who are reshaping how audiences consume information, a Reuters survey says.
The survey, drawn from a strategic sample of 280 digital leaders from 51 countries and territories, says the pace of technological change is accelerating just as public trust in traditional journalism remains fragile.
Generative AI tools are increasingly able to summarise, repackage and distribute news at scale, threatening publishers’ control over how audiences access information. At the same time, individual influencers and creators are drawing audiences away from institutional media, particularly among younger users who favour convenience, familiarity and perceived authenticity.
Industry leaders warn that these trends are squeezing publishers from both sides. Search engines are evolving into AI-powered “answer engines,” where users receive responses directly within chat interfaces rather than clicking through to news websites. That shift has raised fears of a sharp fall in referral traffic, undermining advertising and subscription-based business models that depend on direct audience relationships, according to the survey.
Meanwhile, politicians, business leaders and celebrities are increasingly bypassing traditional outlets altogether, opting instead to speak directly to sympathetic podcasters, YouTubers or social media personalities. Media analysts say this approach, popularised during Donald Trump’s return to political prominence, has been replicated globally and is often accompanied by legal pressure on publishers and efforts to discredit independent journalism as untrustworthy.
Despite the broader anxiety about journalism’s role, many publishers remain cautiously optimistic about their own prospects. While confidence in the future of journalism as a public institution has fallen sharply compared with four years ago, about half of senior editors and executives surveyed globally say they are confident about the outlook for their businesses.
Subscription-focused publishers with strong brand loyalty and direct traffic see a clearer path to sustainability than outlets reliant on advertising or print. Those latter models are under strain as social media referrals continue to decline and AI-driven search threatens to reduce visibility further.
Publishers now expect search traffic to fall by more than 40% over the next three years, according to industry data. Referral traffic from Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, has already dropped steeply in recent years, forcing news organisations to rethink distribution strategies.
In response, editors say they plan to prioritise original investigations, on-the-ground reporting, explanatory journalism and human-centred stories — areas seen as harder for AI systems to replicate convincingly. Routine news updates, evergreen content and service journalism are likely to be scaled back as they become increasingly commoditised by automated tools.
Video and audio are emerging as central pillars of future strategy. Publishers are investing heavily in video formats, including platform-specific “watch” feeds, as well as podcasts and other audio products. Text output, while still important, is expected to play a smaller role as audiences gravitate toward more visual and personality-driven formats.
Off-platform distribution is also being reshaped. YouTube has become the top priority for publishers seeking reach, followed closely by TikTok and Instagram. At the same time, news organisations are experimenting with ways to distribute content through AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, even as the commercial implications remain uncertain, the Reuters survey said.
Inside newsrooms, AI adoption is accelerating. Most publishers now view back-end automation as essential, integrating AI tools into content management systems and workflows. Newsgathering, coding and product development are also being transformed, though executives say the technology has so far delivered efficiency gains rather than large-scale job cuts.
While some publishers have modestly reduced staff as a result of AI efficiencies, most report no significant impact on employment, and a minority have added new roles tied to data, product or AI oversight.
Publishers are also grappling with the rise of news influencers. Many fear that creators are siphoning both audience attention and top editorial talent, offering journalists greater autonomy and potentially higher earnings. In response, news organisations are encouraging reporters to develop stronger personal brands, partner with creators for distribution, and, in some cases, hire influencers or establish in-house creator studios.
Looking ahead, executives expect heightened scrutiny of big technology companies as concerns grow about the societal impact of AI, misinformation and low-quality automated content. Governments may face increasing pressure to regulate platforms more aggressively, particularly to protect younger audiences.
At the same time, the creator economy is expected to continue expanding rapidly, with top creators building media empires that rival traditional news organisations in reach and revenue — intensifying competition for attention in an already crowded information landscape.
