News Media

➡️ NEWS MEDIA - Journalism Under Threat

The news industry is experiencing a severe, structural crisis driven by a massive decline in revenue, the shift to digital consumption, and plunging public trust. Independent journalism is being stifled by censorship, political influence, surveillance, conglomeration, and violent threats and harassment of journalists.

Journalism is now considered one of the most dangerous professions.

In the U.S., trust in the mass media has fallen to a record low of 28% in 2024. Globally, just 40% of people trust most news. A significant portion of people now actively avoid the news (46% in the UK).

The internet has revolutionised news consumption, with 70% of people now consuming their news online. Newspapers are in long-term decline. There has never been so much news available, but it is fragmented, can be overwhelming, and the use of artificial intelligence is further eroding trust.

Ongoing significant global events, such as the War on Gaza and the Ukraine War, mean there is more news to report than ever. Yet interest is declining, and with it so does people's interest in politics and global affairs. News outlets play a crucial role in shaping public discourse and informing citizens.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ News Media

Explore our comprehensive guides on -

• Real News - News with Journalistic Integrity & Verifiable Content

• Press Freedom & Threats to Journalists

• Organisations Supporting Journalism

• Censored & Under-reported Stories

• Media Literacy

• Corporate Media Giants

• News by Topic - Human Rights, Peace, Social Justice, Climate

• News by Country

• Alternative Media

• Social Media as a Platform for News

• Our Excellent Twitter/X Lists

• Top Journalists, Investigative Reporters & Whistleblowers

• Fake News & Filter Bubbles

For German speakers, be sure to check out our sister site Bessere Welt Info and the essential Medien guide with over 3,000 links.

The News Industry & Press Freedom

The internet enables large-scale dissemination of information, which can be used to educate and inform whole populations about current events. Likewise, it can also be used to sway opinion, manipulate, control the narrative, spread propaganda, and even alter voters' choices.

It is essential for democracy, justice, the environment, and our fundamental rights that critical journalism does not die out and that information lobbying and censorship do not gain the upper hand. We must fight against mass media, television, and social media, which are used as superficial appeasements to distract citizens from critical issues.

Reporting the news comes at a price, as attacks on press freedom and independent media are intensifying. In an unprecedented year, at least 124 journalists and media workers were killed in 2024. The most dangerous region for media workers was Gaza.

Press freedom organisations work hard to uphold the industry's integrity, combat censorship, and protect journalists who face threats and violence simply for exposing the truth.

Press freedom is a human right which must be upheld. The state of journalism in more than three-quarters of the world is classified as problematic or worse. In 2024, the biggest election year in history, political authorities put journalists under enormous pressure. The year was marked by forced closures of media agencies, violence against journalists, absence of regulation, detainment, deepfakes, social media and online information control, surveillance, restrictions, propaganda campaigns, and state-owned media takeovers.

The growing popularity of alternative news subscriptions keeps journalism quality high, allows readers to avoid propaganda, and enables them to enjoy unlimited access to critical analysis. Discover how NGO journalism and the collaboration between the media and NGOs help to enhance reporting standards. Promoting knowledge sharing, removing on-the-ground barriers, and ensuring crucial foreign news stories reach Western audiences are essential.

Social Media as a Platform for News

More people are now turning to social media for a quick fix of their daily news digest. With such a minefield of information, we have sorted the wheat from the chaff for you. Follow our carefully selected Twitter lists on important topics such as climate, refugees, human rights, peace, social justice, anti-nuclear weapons, women's rights, the LGBTQI+ community, and more.

With almost 50% of U.S. adults now getting their news from social media, the importance of media literacy has never been greater. Social media is now a major source of disinformation, fake news, and bias. Other issues include censorship and surveillance, algorithms which amplify bias, lack of data privacy, addiction, and mental health implications.

Our social media guide provides a wealth of information on these issues, as well as critical comments on major platforms, including Facebook, Twitter (X), Mastodon, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. You will also find excellent resources on social media for NGOs and non-profits, how to use it for campaigning and advocacy, blogging, monitoring and metrics, and free online courses.

Top Journalists & Investigative Reporters

Journalists and investigative reporters are essential in ensuring citizens remain well-informed. They act as watchdogs, exposing wrongdoings, corruption, rights violations, and abuses, and they hold the mass media, powerful governments, politicians, and corporations accountable.

By bringing light to these kinds of issues, journalists create transparency and uphold democracy. To celebrate the brave correspondents, broadcasters, frontline investigators, and columnists who are not afraid to reveal the truth, Better World Info presents our top selection of investigative journalists and whistleblowers.

Learn about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his 12-year legal battle, the murdered Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, and the co-founder and host of independent news outlet Democracy Now! Amy Goodman. Find further reading on anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, and outspoken mass media critic Noam Chomsky, and social media transparency and accountability advocate Frances Haugen.

'He who controls the media controls the minds of the public.' It is therefore of highest importance that the public has unadulterated access to the truth, and the whole truth." - Noam Chomsky

Better World Info advocates for press and internet freedom, freedom of speech, and the safety of all those who seek to expose the truth. It is our duty to support journalists by subscribing, donating to local and non-profit news sources, sharing quality reporting amongst friends, advocating for the real news industry, and paying for the news that we consume.

Better World Info is an open platform – We invite experts, NGOs, campaigners, and activists to contribute their knowledge and top resources! We are a constantly expanding, work-in-progress, committed to spreading reliable, critical, and investigative resources to help create an informed, knowledgeable, and curious world.

Author: Rachael Mellor 09.03.23 (Updated 02.02.26) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

For further reading on News Media see below ⬇️