The news agency's new US campaign uses water as a metaphor for how information becomes unclear the further it travels from its source. A film directed by BAFTA-nominated Ivan Bird deliberately employs generative AI to demonstrate how the technology can create convincing but false imagery
Reuters launched a new brand campaign in the United States responding to growing concerns about misinformation. Called "Pure News, Straight from the Source", it uses water as a visual metaphor to show how information can become muddied the further it gets from its origin. The campaign highlights Reuters' network of 2,600 journalists reporting from 200 locations worldwide, positioning the agency as a direct source of trusted news. According to the 2025 Reuters Institute Digital News Report, nearly three quarters of US respondents worry about whether news they see online is real or fake.
The centrepiece is a film that dramatises an alternate reality where everyone drinks cloudy water, representing the misinformation many people now consume. Directed by BAFTA-nominated Ivan Bird, who worked on the iconic Guinness "Surfer" advert, the film deliberately uses generative AI to transform clear water into cloudy water, demonstrating how the same technology can create convincing but false imagery. The film then switches to actual Reuters footage to drive home the contrast.
Reuters maintains strict editorial guidelines that prohibit using generative AI to create photos and videos for news coverage, ensuring what audiences see from its journalists is real and accurate.