Working with the media: How the Australian news media landscape is evolving

‍When you look at some of the headlines, and the growing influence of both social media and AI, it’s easy to perceive the Australian news media sector as under threat. The reality is, Australians want more news than they did a year ago and they are getting it from more sources than ever. Through conversations our team is having with journalists, we understand the demands journalists are under, and that newsrooms are being reshaped to adjust.

The demand for trusted Australian news is growing but attention is splintering

The University of Canberra's recent Digital News Report: Australia 2026 demonstrates this clearly, showing strong and growing news engagement. Heavy news consumption has risen to 56%, with the sharpest growth among 18 to 24 year olds, up 13 points to 49%. Under 35s now report higher interest in current affairs than older Australians for the first time.

But that appetite is spreading across more sources and channels. Television remains the most used news source, but social media has closed to within a single point at 56%. Consumption of online news video is rising, and for the first time, social media has overtaken direct visits to news websites as the main pathway to online news (32% to 31%). Almost half of Australians are getting news from creators and influencers and already, around one in ten use AI tools for news. The report reinforces that the audience for news isn’t disappearing, it’s just dispersing across more channels.

Importantly, the report found trust remains concentrated in professional journalism. Australians trust the news brands they consume (54%) more than twice as much as news on social media (21%) or news from an AI chatbot (19%). That is a considered trust, earned over time by professional media outlets and journalists, and it is one reason coverage in a credible outlet remains so valuable, even when people are going to social media and AI for their news.

The ‘supply’ side is under increasing pressure

Journalism, like many industries, is in an "extreme state of disruption because of AI", as Nine publishing managing director Tory Maguire recently put it, adding that neither the internet nor social media had disrupted the business as much.

This disruption is the latest chapter in a much longer story. Australian newsrooms have absorbed successive rounds of cuts, over decades. Local media outlets have closed or consolidated. As the MEAA has pointed out, newsrooms cannot keep absorbing this without consequences. The result is a smaller media sector, carrying the same vital responsibility for informing the public.

The pace of change is rapid and leading to some concerning developments, including some outlets choosing to “cross the AI Rubicon, and using robots to source and script the news”, as Media Watch reported late last year. Meanwhile, News Corp now describes itself as an "input company" for AI, licensing its content to the platforms, and Nine has a comparable deal with Microsoft.

The reality is more people are discovering information through AI tools, and credible published journalism is now the raw material for what those systems say about an organisation, a leader, a sector or an issue.

Multi-platform journalism

Nine's recently announced Future News program is one of the clearest expressions of where these combined pressures are heading, a consolidated, digital first model built around journalists who work across multiple formats. A reporter who once filed a print or online story now files that story, plus a piece to camera and a vertical cut for social. In announcing the program, Nine said cost was not driving the decision, but that the work itself is changing, and newsrooms have to adapt.

Vertical video is central to this shift and increasingly determines whether a story is viable. The Digital News Report found nearly two thirds of 18 to 24 year olds have never read a printed newspaper, for example. Media outlets are following their audiences, and stories that cannot be told visually are harder to justify. This is something we hear from journalists more regularly. What video is available? How will this work on social? What’s the 30 second story?

What that means for organisations seeking media coverage

Newsrooms are under pressure. The most effective approach is to add genuine value and make it easier for journalists to do their job, quickly. That means bringing a ‘fully baked cake’. Don’t waste journalists’ time. Bring something new, interesting or relevant, whether that is data, opinion, a lived experience or a new insight. Provide a spokesperson who is flexible and prepared. Third party voices, including customers, community members or independent experts who add another perspective and a frontline/human face to the story are highly valued. A package of supporting photography and video is increasingly becoming a must.

Timing matters too. Unless your piece is genuinely breaking news, give journalists time to consider a story and pitch it to their editors. Consider how you can enable them to report first or early and think about what new or unique perspective you can bring their audience.

The final step is one often skipped. Share your coverage. The organisations that get the most from media coverage carry it across their own channels too, into stakeholder briefings, investor and community updates, and customer conversations, increasing reach and impact.

So what?

Demand for trustworthy, quality news is high and growing, and more important and valuable than ever in determining the public perceptions of organisations, leaders, sectors and issues. What has changed is the demands on journalists to deliver quality news, the format, the pace and the resources available to produce it. Organisations that recognise these changes, work collaboratively and flexibly with the media, and make it easier to develop a compelling story quickly and at short notice, are more likely to succeed.