Journalism as a public good
Key trends
- Audiences and revenue continue to move online, placing news media’s traditional business models in grave danger.
- In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, trustworthy, independent media proved itself to be a lifesaving public good. But it is under systemic economic threat and needs support.
Like other public goods, journalism plays a critical role in promoting a healthy civic space.
It provides citizens with trusted and fact-based information while at the same time acting as an independent watchdog and agenda-setter.
But for journalism to function as a public good, it needs to operate under conditions that enable independent, high-quality, and trustworthy news and analysis.
In the increasingly crowded attention economy, the traditional business models underpinning media sustainability are in crisis.
Globally, newspaper sales continue to decline, and news outlets struggle to get the “clicks” that determine advertising revenue.
Many find themselves further squeezed out by the proliferation of new voices in the online space and the algorithms of digital intermediaries.
The digital ecosystem has unleashed a flood of competing content and turned large internet companies into the new gatekeepers.
Social media users nearly doubled from 2.3 billion in 2016 to 4.2 billion in 2021. This has allowed for greater access to content and more voices—but not necessarily that with the distinctive value-add of journalistic content.
almost doubled from 2016 to 2021, going from 2.3m to 4.2m globally
of total global advertising spending goes to two companies: Google and Meta
dropped by half in the last five years, and by two-thirds in the last ten years
of 1,400 journalists surveyed feel less secure about their jobs as a result of pandemic cutbacks
At the same time, advertising revenues have shifted rapidly toward internet companies and away from news outlets.
Two companies, Google and Meta, now receive approximately half of all global digital advertising spending.
In the last five years, global newspaper advertising revenue dropped by half. Over the past ten years, that loss is a staggering two-thirds.
This has resulted in “news deserts”, as audiences worldwide search for trustworthy local news sources. When communities lose their local news sources, civic engagement suffers.
New policies and measures are urgently needed to ensure that journalism can continue to function as a public good. These include:
- public financing for trustworthy news outlets,
- enhanced support for genuine public service media, and
- redoubling donor aid and philanthropic investments in news production.
Journalists and their allies continue to experiment with innovative ideas, techniques, and operational models to sustain independent news.
No single blueprint or solution will suffice in every context.
Governments, civil society, and the private sector must act quickly to bolster trustworthy journalism and create a better environment for media viability. At the same time, they must respect standards of editorial independence and freedom of expression. Without this, it will not be possible to ensure—let alone expand—the supply of free, independent, and pluralistic journalism as a public good.
Learn more
Read the full report for more details and key figures on the challenges facing independent media worldwide, and innovative solutions working to save it.