Uncertain future for 'broken' news industry hobbled by distrust and AI fears

RFI

28 September 2024 at 3:04 am·1-min read

World News Day is shining a spotlight on the embattled media industry as fresh challenges continue to shake its foundations – from dwindling ad revenue and AI disruption, to growing distrust and the rise of disinformation. With traditional news outlets struggling to survive, the future of journalism is unclear.

From disinformation campaigns to soaring scepticism, plummeting trust and economic slumps, the global media landscape has been hit with blow after blow.

World News Day, taking place on Saturday with the support of hundreds of organisations including AFP, aims to raise awareness about the challenges endangering the hard-pressed industry.

In 2022, Unesco warned that "the business model of the news media is broken".

Advertising revenue – the lifeline of news publications – has dried up in recent years, with Internet giants such as Google and Facebook owner Meta soaking up half of that spending, the report said.

Meta, Amazon and Google's parent company Alphabet alone account for 44 percent of global ad spend, while only 25 percent goes to traditional media organisations, according to a study by the World Advertising Research Centre.

Traffic from social to news sites has sharply declined as a result, causing a drop in revenue.

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