Reuters Institute: trust, AI answers, 40% drop

The Reuters Institute’s annual forecast for 2026 landed with two linked warnings for publishers: artificial intelligence is changing how people find news, and newsrooms say they need more distinctive journalism in response. The report, published on January 12 and written by senior research associate Nic Newman, was based on a survey of 280 executives, editors and digital leaders across 51 countries and territories. It said search engines are becoming “AI-driven answer engines,” raising fears that referral traffic could fall as users get summaries inside chat interfaces rather than clicking through to publishers. The same report said publishers expect to answer that pressure by investing more heavily in journalism that is harder to copy or summarize. Reuters Institute said respondents favored more original investigations and on-the-ground reporting, with a +91 percentage-point gap between those saying they would do more of that work and those saying they would do less. Contextual analysis and explanation scored +82, and human stories scored +72. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) ### Where did the numbers come from? The Reuters Institute said the findings came from an industry survey conducted for its “Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026” report. The institute thanked 280 news executives from 51 countries and territories, including 64 editors-in-chief, 64 CEOs or managing directors, and 51 heads of digital or innovation. The report said the sample was strategic rather than a representative poll of the whole industry. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) Nic Newman, the report’s author, said in a Reuters Institute podcast published January 20 that the survey is intended to capture where senior media leaders are placing “big bets” and what they are worried about in the year ahead. In that podcast transcript, Newman referred to 218 industry leaders from 51 countries, while the published report itself lists 280 respondents. The report is the more detailed source document. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) ### What is the report actually saying about AI answers? The Reuters Institute said AI is reshaping discovery as search products move from links to direct responses. In the executive summary, Newman wrote that search engines are turning into “AI-driven answer engines,” with content surfaced in chat windows and with publishers fearing that referral traffic could dry up. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) The report does not present a measured, observed three-year traffic decline in the material reviewed here. It describes a forecast and an industry concern about the effect of AI answers on search traffic and business models, rather than a completed outcome. That distinction matters because the report itself says predictions about specifics should be read with caution. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) ### Why are newsrooms talking so much about trust? The Reuters Institute framed the 2026 outlook around pressure on institutional news brands from both technology platforms and creator-led news. Newman wrote that traditional media can feel “less relevant, less interesting, and less authentic” to some audiences, especially younger ones, while politicians, business figures and celebrities increasingly bypass publishers and speak directly to podcasters or YouTubers. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) The institute has also published separate work on trust in news and public attitudes to AI in journalism. Its 2024 and 2025 research found low trust in news in many markets and broad public caution about AI use in journalism, especially when humans are not clearly in control. Those findings help explain why executives in the 2026 forecast are emphasizing distinctive reporting and a more human presentation of news. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) ### What are publishers saying they will do next? The Reuters Institute said publishers are looking “beyond the article,” with plans to invest more in video, more flexible content formats, and AI tools for newsgathering, packaging and distribution. At the same time, the report said they are trying to build businesses around journalism that is more original and less interchangeable. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) The next public reference points are already posted by the institute. The full January 12 report remains online with methodology and rankings, and the January 20 “Future of Journalism” podcast includes Newman discussing search traffic, AI deals, creators and business-model changes with Reuters Institute director Mitali Mukherjee. (reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk)