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Predictions for 2026

Creator journalism | AI trends | Leadership and management | Audience focus | Revenue and monetisation

Journalists choose independence over churnalism — Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing

Daniel Jae Webb

Journalists choose independence over churnalism

"2026 will be defined by trust, transparency and the rise of independent, personality-driven video content creators with newsroom experience and the very best journalism skills"

Hunker down to survive the influencer-led news apocalypse — Credit: London Centric / Jennifer Forward-Hayter

Jim Waterson

Hunker down to survive the influencer-led news apocalypse

"Next year will expose the gaping void between what the British journalism industry produces and what mass audiences are actually consuming"

Creators are the new editors

Erika Marzano

Creators are the new editors

"The winning formula won't be 'creators doing journalism' or 'newsrooms copying creators' - it will be a new hybrid role"

Jonathan Paterson

Journalists' personal brand is worth more than employer-owned platform

"Watch for job ads featuring 'head of creator relations' roles"

Creator journalism | AI trends | Leadership and management | Audience focus | Revenue and monetisation

AI-generated podcasts cause a punk rebellion — Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing

Dan McLaughlin

AI-generated podcasts cause a punk rebellion

"Whilst celebrities chat amongst themselves in expensive studios, normies will find unique locations out and about in the real world"

AI will own the demand for news content — Credit: Mark Hakansson / Marten Publishing

Joshi Herrmann

AI will own the demand for news content

"Just like Facebook became the front door for news around ten years ago, I think next year is when the shift will happen to AI services."

Platform power will be put to the test

Kassy Cho

Platform power will be put to the test

"Smaller, youth-led newsrooms will become increasingly important because they already know how to operate inside platform constraints"

Creator journalism | AI trends | Leadership and management | Audience focus | Revenue and monetisation

2026 will be the year newsrooms finally confront their ‘fear factor’

François Nel

2026 will be the year newsrooms finally confront their ‘fear factor’

Research shows fear is reshaping innovation, independence and crisis reporting. Next year, journalism’s biggest challenge may be managing the emotions driving its decisions, writes François Nel

'Flash teams' will fuel newsroom innovation

Khalil A. Cassimally

'Flash teams' will fuel newsroom innovation

"They form around a challenge and disband once the problem is solved"

Some very radical collaborations are on the table

Rozina Breen

Some very radical collaborations are on the table

"What’s the point of journalism if it doesn’t reach the communities it’s meant to serve?"

Time will be your greatest asset

Corinne Podger

Time will be your greatest asset

"We can’t outrun disruption. But we can choose to spend our time intentionally"

Niketa Patel

Humanity will take centre stage

"Stories, visuals, events, products and services will be powered and crafted by humans for humans"

Watch out for more of the Trump effect

Fiona O'Brien

Watch out for more of the Trump effect

"It’s time for everyone - politicians, certainly, but also every one of us – to wake up to the threat to reliable information"

Creator journalism | AI trends | Leadership and management | Audience focus | Revenue and monetisation

"Overserve the fans" will be a winning strategy

Kevin Young

"Overserve the fans" will be a winning strategy

"When Taylor Swift appraised her Eras tour, she could also have been describing The Economist’s audience-building strategy for 2025"

Newsrooms' success will depend on decisive action

Sofia Delgado

Newsrooms' success will depend on decisive action

'In a race without direction, publishers will waste money copying someone else’s playbook and ignore the signals their own audiences are sending'

Creator journalism | AI trends | Leadership and management | Audience focus | Revenue and monetisation