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The Local News Playbook: Creating Value for a Sustainable Future
Deep Insights

London; Miami: FT Strategies; Knight Foundation (2026), 105 pp.

"Drawing on global interviews with newsroom leaders, a cross-market survey of exemplary organisations, and FT Strategies’ work with more than 1,000 media businesses worldwide, the playbook identifies the core drivers that distinguish financially sustainable, community-rooted local news. It reframe ... more

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The Protocol Gap: Brazil

Sérgio Spagnuolo, Ester Borges, Bruno Fiaschetti, Paula Miraglia

Journalism Relay Project; Momentum; International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) (2026), 12 pp.

"An overwhelming majority of news websites in Brazil have either no AI-scraping policy at all or a very permissive approach. As of November 2025, only 7.2% of Brazilian news websites disallow at least one AI crawler through the use of a robots.txt file, even though most news sites (75%) have a robot ... more

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Principled caution: How AI is used in public-interest media in Asia

James Gomez

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2026), 52 pp.

"In conclusion, this research has provided a systematic understanding of AI adoption within public-interest media across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. By identifying concrete areas for strategic intervention, this research seeks to strengthen ... journalistic quality and prepare the sector for an AI-integrated future. The findings reveal that the AI adoption is currently taking place within public-interest media, but it is one of “principled caution” where adoption is careful, selective and highly varied. This evolution unfolds within a structurally precarious media environment where AI regulation is often absent or actively restrictive. While adoption remains cautious to protect journalistic credibility from risks such as hallucinations and biases, newsrooms are increasingly embracing AI as a powerful toolset to alleviate severe capacity and resource constraints. Currently, organizations primarily utilize AI for assistive, routine tasks such as translation, transcription, summarization, and early-stage content ideation and the final language editing stage rather than for broader organizational transformation. The research highlights deep capacity deficits in the governance framework, institutional training, and leadership. These gaps often prevent individual AI literacy from translating into consistent, organization-wide policy formulation and enforcement. This challenge is further exacerbated by the funding instability and resource constraints that characterize the region’s independent media, restricting the long-term investment necessary for ethical and responsible AI adoption. Despite these legal, political, technical, capacity, and operational constraints, localized and innovative AI workflows are emerging. While AI has not yet generated entirely new, revenue-generating business models, strategic investments in customized AI infrastructures, such as in-house dashboards and media monitoring systems, present a critical pathway toward long-term operational resilience. To support this trajectory, the report recommends coordinated action among media organizations, governments, technology companies, donors and media development funders to invest in long-term AI capacity, governance frameworks, and secure technological infrastructure." (Conclusion, page 39) more

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From Crisis to Renewal: Addressing AI’s Impact on Our Information Ecosystem

Lena-Maria Böswald, Roa Powell, Tyreese Calnan

Berlin: Interface – Tech Analysis and Policy Ideas for Europe (2026), 18 pp.

"As AI summaries summarise information directly within search results, they can significantly reduce traffic to news publishers. Evidence suggests users are less likely to click through to original sources when AIOs are present on Google, threatening the financial viability of journalism. These impa ... cts from AI summaries and AIOs in particular are unlikely to be evenly distributed and will play out in different ways across the news sector across Europe, with smaller and ad-funded outlets particularly vulnerable, raising concerns about declining media plurality. At the same time, AI-generated summaries often fail to provide accurate and diverse information. Research shows that AI tools disproportionately rely on a narrow set of sources, marginalising smaller publishers. In addition, persistent issues with accuracy – including misleading or incorrect outputs – risk distorting public understanding and weakening trust in information systems. Current regulatory frameworks in both the EU and UK are struggling to address these challenges effectively. While multiple legal instruments are relevant and already in place – including competition law, platform regulation, copyright, and AI governance – none are fully equipped to respond quickly and comprehensively to the harms of monopolisation and the lack of remuneration for media outlets posed by AI summaries. We argue that competition policy offers the most effective and immediate route to intervention, with digital regulation serving as a secondary lever. The UK’s approach, based on flexible, case-specific competition rules, enables faster action through tailored conduct requirements for dominant firms like Google. In contrast, the EU’s framework is broader but slower, relying more heavily on traditional, time-intensive antitrust investigations and ongoing debates around copyright and remuneration for publishers. Both systems offer complementary strengths, and policymakers should learn from each other’s approaches. We therefore recommend a “competition-first” policy package to ensure fairer outcomes. Key measures include enforcing fair ranking and attribution practices, preventing unauthorised use of publisher content, and potentially requiring platforms to compensate news organisations. However, competition policy alone is not the key. We therefore propose additional long-term interventions, including greater transparency through “nutrition labels” for AI-generated content and increased public or democratic funding for journalism. These measures aim to strengthen the resilience and independence of the news sector, ensuring that trustworthy information remains accessible in an information ecosystem shaped by AI. more

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Platform journalism on YouTube: A democratic functions approach to analysing journalism on digital platforms

Christopher James Hall

Australian Journalism Review, volume 47, issue 1 (2025), pp. 97-115

"Independent youtubers who create content on political, social and economic issues attract very large audiences and are increasingly the object of study for journalism scholars. This article contributes to the literature by conducting a detailed analysis of the Australian YouTube channel friendlyjor ... more

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From Crisis to Renewal: Addressing AI’s Impact on Our Information Ecosystem

Lena Maria Böswald, Roa Powell, Tyreese Calnan

Berlin: Interface – Tech Analysis and Policy Ideas for Europe (2025), 18 pp.

"AI-driven search-summary features, with Google's AI Overviews (AIOs) being the most promiment example, are rapidly transforming how people access news, with profound implications for our information ecosystem. While AI holds potential to improve access to information, its current deployment risks u ... ndermining the sustainability, diversity, and reliability of news. As AI summaries summarise information directly within search results, they can significantly reduce traffic to news publishers. Evidence suggests users are less likely to click through to original sources when AIOs are present on Google, threatening the financial viability of journalism. These impacts from AI summaries and AIOs in particular are unlikely to be evenly distributed and will play out in different ways across the news sector across Europe, with smaller and ad-funded outlets particularly vulnerable, raising concerns about declining media plurality. At the same time, AI-generated summaries often fail to provide accurate and diverse information. Research shows that AI tools disproportionately rely on a narrow set of sources, marginalising smaller publishers. In addition, persistent issues with accuracy – including misleading or incorrect outputs – risk distorting public understanding and weakening trust in information systems. Current regulatory frameworks in both the EU and UK are struggling to address these challenges effectively. While multiple legal instruments are relevant and already in place – including competition law, platform regulation, copyright, and AI governance – none are fully equipped to respond quickly and comprehensively to the harms of monopolisation and the lack of remuneration for media outlets posed by AI summaries. We argue that competition policy offers the most effective and immediate route to intervention, with digital regulation serving as a secondary lever. The UK’s approach, based on flexible, case-specific competition rules, enables faster action through tailored conduct requirements for dominant firms like Google. In contrast, the EU’s framework is broader but slower, relying more heavily on traditional, time-intensive antitrust investigations and ongoing debates around copyright and remuneration for publishers. Both systems offer complementary strengths, and policymakers should learn from each other’s approaches. We therefore recommend a “competition-first” policy package to ensure fairer outcomes. Key measures include enforcing fair ranking and attribution practices, preventing unauthorised use of publisher content, and potentially requiring platforms to compensate news organisations. However, competition policy alone is not the key. We therefore propose additional long-term interventions, including greater transparency through “nutrition labels” for AI-generated content and increased public or democratic funding for journalism. These measures aim to strengthen the resilience and independence of the news sector, ensuring that trustworthy information remains accessible in an information ecosystem shaped by AI." (Executive summary) more

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SpinozAI: Augmenting Journalism with Innovation and Ethics

Paris: Reporters Without Borders (2025), 15 pp.

"The Spinoza project aims to develop an open-source AI tool that ensures the integrity, traceability, and ownership of its data. It is co-designed with journalists and publishers and its first prototype focuses on climate change issues. The initial concept was launched by Reporters Without Borders ( ... more

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Impacto de programas de apoyo de grandes plataformas digitales a medios de comunicación en América Latina: Los casos Google News Initiative y Meta for Media

Santiago Marino, Agustín Espada

Montevideo: Observacom (2025), 43 pp.

"1. Los apoyos, herramientas y recursos económicos analizados no son ni cercanamente suficientes para reducir los daños que su capacidad de control genera en los medios ni en la actividad periodística. 2. El impacto cuantitativo es relativamente menor; esto sucede tanto en lo económico como en ... more

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Generative AI in African News Media: Opportunities and Challenges

Trust Matsilele, Lungile A. Tshuma

Routledge (2025), xix, 190 pp.

"Featuring diverse case studies from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Eswatini, the collection explores how African newsrooms are adopting generative AI. Contributors analyse the use of AI presenters, audience perceptions of AI-generated content, gamification strategies in newsroo ... more

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Where publishers are seeing AI’s real value – so far

Frankfurt am Main: WAN-IFRA (2025), ?? pp.

"Based on a Q2 2025 survey of more than 100 media leaders and 10 detailed case studies, the report explores how publishers are applying AI to workflows, products and audience engagement – and where its value is proving hardest to measure. Our findings show that AI’s impact is strongest behind th ... e scenes. While only 9 percent of publishers can point to direct revenue gains, 75 percent report efficiency improvements, 64 percent better content production, 55 percent faster publishing times, and 44 percent improved resource allocation. In other words, AI is already changing how news is produced and delivered, even if the financial payoffs are still emerging. “Revenue generation gets all the attention, but it’s often the wrong metric for AI in media. Cost reduction, quality improvements, speed gains, and better resource allocation deliver value faster and more measurably,” noted Ezra Eeman, Director of Strategy & Innovation at NPO, and Strategic Advisor for WAN-IFRA’s AI Initiatives. Here is a summary of the case studies in the report: The Hindu, India, Hard ROI: AI-driven recommendations for content, push notifications, and newsletters boosted CTRs, session durations, ad impressions and subscriptions. Schibsted, Norway, Hard ROI: A machine learning model for real-time personalisation lifted front-page subscription sales by 75 percent, while scaling across multiple newsrooms. United Daily News, Taiwan, Hard ROI: AI optimisation of ads, curation, and recommendations, drove 200 percent growth in ad performance, subscription conversions, and engagement. Financial Times, UK, Soft ROI: FT’s Storyfinding team applies AI to surface patterns in large datasets, streamlining investigative workflows and supporting scalable newsroom tools. NTM, Sweden, Hard and Soft ROI: Toppnyheter, an AI-powered audio news service, delivers real-time summaries while extending editorial oversight and audience reach. La Nación, Argentina, Soft ROI: A custom AI pipeline analysed President Javier Milei’s speeches, structuring 739,961 words to track rhetorical patterns. Legit.ng, Nigeria, Hard and Soft ROI: AI halved translation times, expanded Hausa-language coverage, boosted output, and improved fact-checking and distribution. “For us, AI is not about replacing journalists – it’s about giving them more time to do real journalism,” noted Rahaman Abiola, Editor-in-Chief. Gannett, USA, Hard and Soft ROI: Gannett, the parent company of USA Today, is transforming its 200-plus publications into an AI-ready organisation by embedding the technology across workflows, training and tools. “The real risk isn’t AI replacing you. It’s someone using AI replacing you,” remarked Jessica Davis, Vice President of News Automation and AI Product at Gannett. AsiaOne, Singapore, Hard ROI: An AI classification model improved ad targeting, boosted revenue by 20 percent, cut sales staff by 40 percent, and freed resources for higher-level strategy, while also providing shared insights across editorial, analytics and business teams. South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, Hard ROI: AI summarisation, editing, translation, and investigative tools save 300+ hours monthly while enhancing accuracy and reach." (https://wan-ifra.org) more

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Analysis of monetization tools for media, bloggers and media personalities in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine: Overview of the financial landscape for digital content creators

Arthur Papyan, Anna Barseghyan, Oleg Khomenok

Fojo Media Institute (2025), 49 pp.

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Digital Journalism

Bruce Mutsvairo, Kristin Skare Orgeret (eds.)

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2025), xxi, 444 pp.

"This book responds to mounting calls to broaden the theorization of digital journalism, addressing critical questions about an emerging yet rapidly expanding area of study, and presenting multiple entry points and approaches that help us understand digital journalism better. Seeking to establish it ... more

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Global Project Oasis: A study of the impact, innovation, threats, and sustainability of digital native media in more than 65 countries

Janine Warner, A. Martin del Campo, Natalie Vanhoozer, Naimid Cirelli, David LaFontaine, James Breiner

SembraMedia; Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD); European Journalism Centre; International Media Support (IMS); AJOR (2024), 98 pp.

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El hormiguero II: Estudio de los medios nativos digitales en Latinoamérica y primera aproximación a los nativos digitales latinos en Estados Unidos
Deep Insights

Germán Rey et al.

Cartagena: Fundación Gabo; Google News Initiative (2024), 149 pp.

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AI Adopition in Bangladeshi Newsrooms 2024

Maliha Tabassum

Dhaka: Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI); Asia Foundation (2024), 40 pp.

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Handbook of Digital Journalism: Perspectives from South Asia

Surbhi Dahiya, Kulveen Trehan (eds.)

Singapore: Springer (2024), lxv, 589 pp.

"Handbook of Digital Journalism: Perspectives from South Asia is a descriptive, exploratory book on digital journalism practices and policies followed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. It brings in-depth perspectives on content, communication, and community between communication th ... more

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Behind the Screen: How Successful Multi-Platform Journalist Jacque Manabat Uses TikTok to Reach a New Audience

Jacque Manabat, Vanessa Buchmann

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), September 24 (2024)

"[...] TikTok is much more than just a social network. Increasingly, it serves as a search engine, connecting its users with trends, music, and news—the latter in a significant way. Various studies indicate that TikTok has now become the primary news source for Gen Z, with this trend on the rise. ... more

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Télévisions et médias sociaux au Congo: Positionnement informationnel et espace public (1990-2018), tome 1

Jonas Charles Ndeke

Bertrand Cabedoche (préface)

Paris: L'Harmattan (2024), 268 pp.

"Quel est l’impact du contexte socio-historique sur la production de l’information au Congo ? Quel est le positionnement informationnel des chaînes Télé-Congo et DRTV ? Qu’est-ce qui justifie cette médiation nationale ? Quels sont les types d’espaces publics en œuvre en contexte congola ... more

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Inteligência Artificial e Jornalismo Móvel: Contextos, Tendências, Práticas e Perspectivas

João Canavilhas, Catarina Rodrigues, Fábio Giacomelli (orgs.)

Covilhã: Universidade da Beira Interior (2024), 270 pp.

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Understanding Homeless Media: A Study on Social Media Based Informal Local News in Five Indonesian Cities

Geger Riyanto et al.

Remotivi; Internews (2024), 107 pp.

"Homeless media refers to news outlets that initially distributed information solely through social media, with the majority of them now based on Instagram. Nowadays, as our findings suggest, homeless media outlets have emerged as an important source of local news, referred to for their quick update ... and locally relevant content. Using content analysis of their news, interviews with homeless media founders and personnel, and discussions with media audiences, this study attempts to understand their emergence and dynamics, how they are positioned among other actors in the contemporary Indonesian media landscape, and their prospects and issues. [...] The following are the main findings of this study: • Homeless media outlets are mostly run informally, with only a few employees. Only one from nine we interviewed is registered as a media entity, and that was only after years of operation. There are two homeless media outlets that are only managed by one person. Others are mostly managed by two to five people. They may hire more on occasion if they need to create higher-quality content, such as endorsements. • Four homeless media outlets we interviewed began as something entirely different, such as hobby, community, or paid Instagram promotion pages. They changed course after noticing increased engagement by providing local news, as well as citizens voluntarily sending them newsworthy incidents to be published. • As the majority of homeless media outlets are not legally registered as a media entity, this raises concerns about governance among government officials and journalists. However, our homeless media interlocutors stated that they have implemented an internal code of conduct, particularly in terms of filtering misinformation. • The informality of homeless media outlets provides them with advantageous flexibility, allowing them to respond to audience submissions or circulating internet content while making quick decisions about what content to publish. • The most engaging content on homeless media is related to crime, followed by city facts, eccentric citizen behavior, city romantization, commotion among citizens, and accidents; however, they most frequently post about shopping/service recommendations, government policies, crime, culinary recommendations, and city facts. • Homeless media outlets provide impressively specific and local news to their audiences immediately after it occurs, thanks to audience submissions and the circulating local social media content. They function as an effective local information hub. • Nonetheless, because homeless media outlets rely on social media as a publishing platform and distribution channel, losing their accounts, whether due to a social media ban or hacking, can pose a significant risk to their operations. Our interlocutors have no plans to mitigate the risk. This happened to another account managed by @merapi_uncover personnel, and they were unable to do anything about it. • Many of our audience interlocutors admit to being first exposed to local news through homeless media, and they actively use homeless media outlets to learn about recent events in their community, such as incidents they witnessed or traffic jams. • Homeless media’s most engaging content—city facts and romantization—evokes a sense of connection between the audience and their city. • Although not all, homeless media outlets may become participatory spaces, with citizens using them to draw attention to incidents or public issues, or to respond to other posts. [...]" (Executive summary, pages 3-5) more

The Local News Playbook: Creating Value for a Sustainable Future Deep Insights

El hormiguero II: Estudio de los medios nativos digitales en Latinoamérica y primera aproximación a los nativos digitales latinos en Estados Unidos Deep Insights

The Local News Playbook: Creating Value for a Sustainable Future
Deep Insights

El hormiguero II: Estudio de los medios nativos digitales en Latinoamérica y primera aproximación a los nativos digitales latinos en Estados Unidos
Deep Insights