World News Day chief warns society will struggle without trusted journalism

World News Day, an initiative launched in 2018 to promote the idea that trusted journalism matters, continues to grow even as public attitudes toward news media grow more strained. A recent Reuters Institute report describes widespread anxiety, disengagement and cynicism toward news, though it also notes continued openness among audiences to new sources and formats, alongside a lasting belief in what quality journalism can offer.

A shifting media landscape

According to that report, social media and video platforms overtook news organisations' own websites and apps as the leading source of online news last year, despite being trusted less than traditional outlets. A separate report from UK media regulator Ofcom, published earlier this month, found that audiences now draw on an increasingly wide range of sources, with YouTube usage growing rapidly and 20% of people now using AI tools to access news. Yet this expanding choice has brought greater uncertainty about which sources to trust, and Ofcom found that established news providers are still regarded as more trustworthy, accurate and impartial than online platforms.

Call for collaboration

Branko Brkic, founder of South Africa's Daily Maverick and head of World News Day, acknowledges that the media landscape has fundamentally shifted and that there is no returning to how things were. He argues that news organisations must find a new equilibrium by joining forces, warning that isolated outlets acting alone risk being pushed out entirely. While admitting the mainstream media has made mistakes, Brkic stresses the vital role professional, reliable journalists play in society, saying outlets need to make clear to audiences that choosing truth and trust serves their own interests. He insists that society cannot function without facts and truth, even though the definition of truth itself is often contested — as illustrated by US President Donald Trump's ongoing clashes with what he calls the "fake news media". Brkic concludes that today's information-based society relies on journalism as its infrastructure, and would struggle significantly without it.