World News Day rallies media to stay vital

Mon Sep 28 2026 02:21:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

World News Day organizers urge media to stick together or society risks losing trusted journalism amid falling trust and AI‑driven news.

More than 1,000 global news outlets are backing World News Day, a campaign that stresses the critical need for trustworthy journalism. The latest Reuters Institute report shows trust in news has plummeted worldwide as people increasingly rely on social media and AI chatbots, which are seen as less reliable. Branko Brkic, co‑organiser and founder of South Africa’s Daily Maverick, warns that rival media must collaborate or they risk becoming ‘roadkill’ and calls for a new equilibrium built on fact‑based reporting. He urges media to openly discuss the role of truth with audiences, noting that society will struggle without reliable journalism.

World News Day rallies media to stay vital

Over a thousand global news outlets—including the New York Times, Reuters and Kyiv Independent—joined forces for World News Day, a campaign that stresses the importance of trustworthy journalism in an era of “existential threat”.

The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report marks a historic low in global trust, as people increasingly turn to social media and AI chatbots for info, which are less reliable.

Branko Brkic, co‑organiser and founder of South Africa’s Daily Maverick, warned that rivals must collaborate or they risk becoming “roadkill” and that the only way out is a new equilibrium built on truth and facts.

He called for media to openly discuss the role of factual reporting with audiences and stressed that a society without reliable journalism will struggle to function.