The fight for independence

As we enter 2026, journalism stands at one of the more precarious crossroads in modern history. The past year witnessed historic media consolidation and unprecedented legislative and executive hostility in the U.S., making the simple act of reporting the news a liability. Add this to the long line of woe brought about by years of economic pressure and technological change, and we find a widening gap between institutions committed to robust editorial independence and those buckling under commercial or political pressure.

In 2026, these pressures will accelerate an already alarming trend: the number of truly independent American journalism institutions will continue to decline. The question is less whether the media will survive, or whether the public will trust us, but whether the industry can continue to claim true independence versus settling for programming in the shape of news. But these pressures also create an opportunity: to differentiate those who prioritize independence and collaborate to strengthen our collective resilience.

Consolidation and retaliation

Paramount’s hostile $108 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN among other news properties, marks the latest salvo in a consolidation wave that has left 40 percent of all local TV news stations under the control of three conglomerates. Paramount CEO David Ellison has already stated that should his bid win, he would combine CNN and CBS News. These deals have an outsize influence on the quality and range of the American discourse — as major broadcasters acquire stations, coverage of local events and multiple political perspectives declines significantly.

When commerce doesn’t shape the story, the public could increasingly ask whether politics do. We’ve witnessed unprecedented attacks on press freedom in the U.S. At NPR, we were targeted by an executive order in May 2025 directing the elimination of federal funding for NPR and PBS, alleging that neither entity presents balanced coverage. By July, Congress had slashed $1.1 billion in public broadcasting funding, with outsized impact on hundreds of local, community-owned television and radio stations across the country — the first rescission of federal support since the Public Broadcasting Act was passed in 1967.

Attacks on free expression in the U.S. are part of a broader international erosion of the free press. Freedom of expression indicators deteriorated in 44 countries in 2024, including the United States, with government censorship as a preferred weapon. As one international survey found, 54 percent of journalists worldwide report their governments seek too much control over journalism — rising to 70 percent in electoral democracies. Unlike censorship of old, these tactics work because they don’t require overt authoritarianism; they simply seek to make independent journalism economically and legally untenable.

The epistemic crisis

Technological disruption has added to the pressure. 30 years after the start of the open web, publishers had coalesced around a fragile tech truce of content-for-traffic. This has collapsed, driven by Google’s AI Overviews, causing publisher referrals to plummet. Into this vacuum flooded AI slop — by August 2025, leading GenAI chatbots were repeating false claims on news topics 35 percent of the time.

Simultaneously, audiences are drifting away from institutions entirely. With 38 percent of young adults now relying on social media influencers for news — 77 percent of whom have no affiliation with editorial organizations — the line between verified fact and viral opinion is dissolving.

A widening gap in 2026

These trends will intensify in 2026. We should expect more consolidation, continued attacks on independent journalism, the rise of hybrid news models that blur boundaries, and economic fragility as ownership concentration and advertiser pressure continue to squeeze newsrooms worldwide.

Americans will see the difference in their communities as the number of independent news organizations will continue to shrink, whether it’s local corruption going uncovered because TV stations run centralized content from thousands of miles away, or breaking “news” coming from influencers seeking viral moments rather than reporters on the ground. But those that remain — those that prove themselves editorially independent, that serve the public interest above shareholder returns, that choose accuracy over speed and context over clicks — will be more essential than ever.

An opportunity for collaborative independence

For independent media leaders, 2026 demands courage and collaboration. We must articulate why independent journalism matters, especially when under attack. We must innovate our business models while holding fast to editorial standards. We must reach younger audiences without sacrificing the rigor that makes our journalism trustworthy. Most importantly, we must resist the false binary suggesting journalism must choose between elite credibility and popular relevance.

At this moment of crisis and opportunity, public media has a leading role to play. Not because we’re perfect, but because we remain what we’ve always been: truly independent, genuinely accountable to the public rather than shareholders, and committed to accurate, high-integrity reporting. The question isn’t whether we’ll face attacks on our independence in 2026. The question is whether we’ll demonstrate that independence is worth defending. The resilience of the press in 2026 depends on whether we can solidify our shared value.