Confidence is low in the news industry as it marches into 2025, according to the Reuters Institute's annual report, Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025, published today (9 January 2025). This is based on a survey of 326 digital leaders from 51 countries and territories.

In a week where Meta abandoned its responsibilities on fact-checking, Louise Pettersson, editor-in-chief at Sjællandske Medier, seems to have already been right on the money: "They want to profit from our unique content but refuse to acknowledge us for it, either through traffic or payment. Meta, in particular, is deeply problematic."

Matthias Streitz, head of editorial Innovation at Der Spiegel, was also not far off: "While some platforms have stopped caring about factually correct information altogether (X), others stay put, and new interesting opportunities (some AI platforms) arise."

New leaders lament the many challenges in the year ahead; technology that will make falsehoods more convincing, politicians that are cracking down on the press, talent that is harder to secure, revenue that is drying up, reporting that is harder to surface against louder creators without the same values.

But Streitz and report authors Nic Newman and Federica Cherubini also see silver linings: " Times of change also throw up new opportunities. A big part of the task for news leaders in the year ahead will be to redefine the role and value of journalistic institutions in an age of polarisation, misinformation, and super-abundant content in a way that resonates with both staff and audiences."

So what are the positives and opportunities for your newsroom amid the chaos?

Three quarters (74 per cent) of news leaders are bracing themselves for a drop in........

© journalism.co.uk