Blog
Print’s last stand? How AI could outpace newspapers sooner than you think
21 August 2025
By Jason Weekes, Commercial Director
- Will the world’s oldest news medium be overtaken by one that didn’t even exist five years ago?
- Is an algorithm trained to know what you want before you do killing evidence-based journalism?
- How can PR react - are your communications strategies ready for the changing world?
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) has released its Digital News Report 2025, a fascinating look at the state of news consumption around the world. Drawing on the perspectives of 100,000 survey respondents from 48 markets, the report offers essential reading for anyone interested in the future of media.
The changing media mix: a crisis of connection
This year's report arrives amid profound global instability - political and economic uncertainty, shifting alliances, and ongoing conflicts. The report observes that one might expect this environment to fuel a demand for evidence-based journalism, with traditional media thriving. But the reality is starkly different. Across most countries, traditional news media are struggling to connect with the public. Engagement is down, trust is low, and digital subscriptions are stagnating. In the UK a mere 10% of people have paid for online news in the last year. Globally, there's a continued fall in engagement with traditional media sources, while social media, video, and news aggregators are on the rise. This accelerating shift towards platforms is further diminishing the influence of 'institutional journalism'.
A notable trend is the evolving use of platforms like X (formerly Twitter). While there have been reports of an overall decline in active users, the RISJ data shows that usage of X for news is stable or even increasing in many markets, with a significant jump in the United States. This is particularly pronounced among right-leaning audiences, especially young men, who have flocked to the network since Elon Musk's takeover.
In the USA, a significant milestone has been reached: the proportion of people who use social media and video networks as a news source has surpassed television for the first time. Meanwhile, print media is languishing at just 14%. The question that leaps out is a provocative one: with AI news currently at 7% weekly usage globally, could AI news overtake print as a news source next year?
The rise of AI and the battle for attention
The report highlights a new challenge for publishers as tech giants integrate AI summaries and other news features diverting traffic away from their websites and apps. AI chatbots and interfaces are emerging as a source of news as search engines and other platforms incorporate real-time information. While the numbers are still relatively small - 7% of people use AI for news each week - this figure jumps to 15% among under-25s. The potential for rapid growth is undeniable.
The insights show that the UK's news landscape has been dramatically reshaped over the past 12 years, becoming online-led and mobile-first. News audiences for TV have fallen from 79% to 48% since 2013, and for print, from 59% to an all-time low of just 12%. In this fragmented environment, print consumption is only slightly ahead of news podcasts (7%) and AI chatbots (3%). In the UK, 20% of people now say social media is their main source of news. Although this is markedly lower than the USA's 34%, it’s a trend that will only continue. At the same time, the consumption of broadcast media is also in decline.
The lingering issue of trust
Trust continues to be a major concern for the news industry. Overall, global trust in news has remained stable at 40% for the third consecutive year. However, this masks significant national differences and ongoing challenges, primarily from online influencers and politicians who are seen as the biggest sources of false or misleading information. A global sample found that over half (58%) of respondents are concerned about their ability to distinguish true from false news online.
In the UK, overall trust is stable but remains more than 15 percentage points lower than before the Brexit referendum in 2016. Public broadcasters, along with the FT, are the most trusted news brands with tabloids, predictably, trailing. The BBC is considered the most trustworthy (at 60%); by contrast, a similar proportion (62%) say they don’t trust The Sun. In the UK we remain a sceptical bunch. Overall, 35% of us trust most news most of the time, ranking 32nd among the 48 markets surveyed and reflecting a significant decline in trust over time.
The elephant in the room: news avoidance
Low trust and low engagement are closely linked to news avoidance, a growing phenomenon in today's high-choice, often upsetting news environment. Across all markets, four in ten people (40%) say they sometimes or often avoid the news, up from 29% in 2017 and matching the highest figure ever recorded. The UK is above the average, with 46% of respondents admitting to sometimes or often avoiding the news.
So what does this mean?
The Digital News Report 2025 presents a clear and urgent picture of an industry in flux. Traditional media are losing their grip on audiences, especially the young, who are increasingly turning to social and video platforms for their news. Trust in institutional journalism is fragile, and the rise of influencers and politicians as sources of misinformation is a major challenge. The emergence of AI as a news source, though nascent, is a significant trend, especially among younger demographics. While it’s uncertain if AI news will overtake print next year, the gap is closing rapidly. This report is a powerful reminder that in the battle for public attention, news organisations must innovate and rebuild trust, or risk being left behind by a fragmented, mobile-first, and increasingly AI-driven media landscape.
It also acts as a reminder that an independent press is fundamental to any healthy democracy. The ability to express ideas, report facts, and expose corruption and abuse of power is why a free press is so vital. It's no accident that the countries with the most robust democracies are also those with the most free and independent media. Independent journalism strengthens democracy by giving people a trustworthy source for factual information and a variety of perspectives. This process empowers individuals to digest facts, navigate their complexities, and ultimately form their own conclusions. If trust withers and unregulated bots become the go-to news source, that paints a bleak picture for the future of journalism – and for those who rely on it.
For more information, get in touch.
