Opinion: Journalistic resilience despite new era challenges

By Sydney Wiser

In recent years, journalism has often been regarded as an ailing industry. As large news organizations downsize and smaller outlets shutter their doors, it is not hard to see why. 

The field of journalism is facing various challenges. In 2025, for the first time in the Reporter’s Without Border (RSF) Press Freedom Index, it was found that “the conditions for press for practising journalism are “difficult” or “very serious” in over half of the world’s countries and satisfactory in fewer than one in four.” In total, 112 countries experienced declines in their free press scores. 

RSF measures press freedom through five indicators – political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety. RSF largely attributed this record low to its economic indicator, which rests at its lowest rating in RSF’s history.  

Technology has also posed new challenges to the field of journalism. The United Nations has raised alarms as AI becomes increasingly prominent through the emergence of deepfakes, AI-based algorithms, and surveillance tools that authoritarian governments can use to track journalists. Several reports including a 2025 study from the Nieman Lab demonstrate that social media allows for the rapid dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, and vitriol against journalists that weakens their economic stability and credibility. 

Existing economic and technological challenges can also make it more difficult for news organizations to remain upright when facing attacks from political leaders. 

While these developments pose serious threats to the field of journalism and must be addressed, the remarkable resiliency of journalists around the world cannot be underscored. In the face of new challenges, journalists are doing what they have always done – adapt. 

This adaptation is demonstrated most effectively through the diversification of news media. The journalism industry is expanding beyond the traditional reporting methods of print, radio, and television and incorporating new  communication media types such as podcasts, short form videos, and digital articles. While traditional forms of journalism are still present, the shift signifies journalists’  ability to meet the modern moment and find new ways to disseminate information to the largest audience possible.

The case study of Hungary provides a demonstration of this adaptability. In response to economic challenges and intense political pressure from now-former Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, Hungarian journalists utilized collective action and digital platforms to provide independent, fact based news. In 2020, 70 employees of the news organizationIndex quit after an Orbán-affiliate bought controlling stake in the organization. The employees created a crowdfunded news site called Telex which still operates independently today. Similarly, after the large independent radio station was forced off of the air in 2021, it continued to operate online, bringing in guests that were often critical of the Orbán government. 

Throughout the Orbán era, independent press persisted despite political and economic barriers by switching to online models and social media platforms like YouTube to avoid censorship. With the election of Peter Magyar, it seems that journalists in Hungary might again have greater press freedom. 

In the United States, new forms of journalism are gaining traction as large media organizations face greater economic pressures, increased public distrust, and attacks by President Donald Trump. Noteworthy attacks include restricting the Associated Press from the White House press pool, filing lawsuits against the BBC, ABC, and CBS, and targeted investigations by the Federal Communications Commission. 

A 2025 Guardian article found that independent journalists not affiliated with mainstream media outlets have amassed larger followings and are able to cover crucial stories that do not get coverage from major news organizations. These independent journalists often share their information through newsletters or blogs. 

The emergence of these independent, online journalists has been a trend across the world as large news organizations face greater challenges. Liz Kelly Nelson, the creator of a creator journalism-based initiative called Project C, highlighted creator journalists such as Bisan Owda who shares Instagram reels from Gaza and Marisa Kabas who covers the Trump administration’s drastic alterations of the federal government. 

The 2025 “State of Creator Journalism” report by MuckRack also profiled over 500 of these self-publishing journalists from across the world. These journalists run Substack pages, utilize social media, make podcasts, and use a variety of other platforms to create media independent of the pressures traditional organizations face. It is important to note, however, that not all “news” based content on social media platforms should be considered reliable. 

For the newspaper industry, adapting to technological changes is nothing new. Al Jazeera reported on how the emergence of radio and television as news forms posed challenges when first introduced as well. In the present day, Al Jazeera reported on how newspapers like The Guardian Post maintained relevance in Cameroon by being active on social media and maintaining a digital website in order to engage with younger generations. 

This is a trend across the board as a 2026 Reuters Institute Report, which sampled 280 digital leaders from 51 countries, found that news publishers will largely be focusing on sharing information in multiple formats including videos. These publishers are prioritizing YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to engage and attract new audiences. 

While the relationship between the field of journalism and social media is complicated, social media has proven to be a valuable tool for journalists looking for new ways to reach audiences. 

New threats to the journalism field does not mean passivity. Journalists have to be innovative by nature. No good story has come through complacency. It is important to remember, however, that journalism relies on its audience. As journalists and news publishers work around political, technological, and economic obstacles to share quality news with the public, they need the support and engagement of their readers.