In a year defined by major global events and agenda-setting stories, people value professionally produced, regulated journalism more than ever – up 20% year-on-year – as people seek reliable and factual information to make sense of the world around them.
From the start of the Israeli-US conflict with Iran, readership across UK national news brands rose by 10% (from 22 February to 1 March), while minutes spent increased by 17%, peaking at 187 million minutes on 1 March, according to Ipsos iris1.
One leading UK news publisher reported a 6.6 million uplift in page views week-on-week across the same period, with their rolling live news coverage attracting millions of page views on a daily basis, as readers sought regular updates, expert analysis and trusted reporting.
This is on top of an already highly engaged news audience, with 23 million people reading national news brands every day, according to the latest PAMCo data.
Yet despite strong engagement with trusted journalism, advertisers continue to pull back from news environments. Extensive keyword blocklists are a major factor.
Recent research from The News Alliance found that 47% of agencies and 42% of advertisers say they will not relax their brand safety settings, despite all the evidence which proves that advertising next to news has no negative impact.
One publisher shared a current live blocklist with Newsworks that is the longest they have ever seen, containing more than 34,000 words across 22 languages.
Blocklists do not only see advertisers shy away from hard news, but also lifestyle, cultural and entertainment content.
Next month, news brands will cover the defining cultural moment of the year – the biggest-ever World Cup. According to Newsworks research, 77% of consumers planning to follow the tournament are news readers.
But with common words such as “injured,” “strike,” “shoot,” “attack” and “hit” appearing on blocklists, advertising will automatically be excluded from reaching news brand’s vast and highly engaged World Cup audiences.
The result is an unintended penalty for trusted journalism and the commercial sustainability of the free press, at a time when global press freedom is at its lowest ebb in a generation.
Adam Foley, CEO of independent media agency Bountiful Cow, said: “With so much misinformation and disinformation readily available, particularly around the world’s conflicts, not to mention internet blackouts in some countries and media censorship in others, we need regulated, professional journalism more than ever. It’s not a nicety, it’s a necessity. This is exactly the time, we as the advertising industry, need to back journalism.”
Jo Allan, Newsworks CEO, said: “Readers are relying on trusted journalism more than ever. News is where audiences are, where engagement is highest, and where attention drives results. Yet outdated, blunt blocklisting technology is standing in the way. It’s time for advertisers to put trust back in professional editors and support quality journalism by backing news – not blocking it.”
Common keywords featuring on blocklists:
Crash
War
Nuclear
Accident
Injured
Heroin
Hit
Explosion
Strike
Attack
Shoot / Shot / Shooting
Fire
Blast
Adult
Strip
Joint
Escort
Stock
1Source: Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement, February 2026 – March 2026, 15+ using Newsworks defined group of news brands.
