Today sees the release of the latest research from Newsworks, the marketing body for the UK’s national news publishers. In 2026: Trends, technology and trust, the report highlights the five, key areas that will help shape and influence the news industry in the year ahead – and how advertisers can benefit from the power of trusted journalism.
The report explores constant innovators, using richer cross-platform storytelling which targets younger, mobile-first, digital -savvy audiences. The result? More high-quality, in-house produced content opportunities available to advertisers.
Trend number two is the ubiquitous artificial intelligence, and looks at current burning issues including privacy, increased efficiency and the ongoing copyright challenges through ‘Make it Fair’. This campaign, launched by news brands in 2025, continues to seek guarantees that creative industries will receive fair reward from AI firms.
Three sees news jumping on the Traitors bandwagon with don’t be a traitor, referring to blanket keyword adblocking. Advertisers are finding their efforts hampered, especially during key sporting moments, when ad blocking removes exposure from vital, effective ad inventory. A new approach to brand safety involving nuance and trusted news environments will reap rewards in 20206.
The penultimate trend embraces Newsworks’ annual State of the Nation 2026 report on consumer insights. Three-quarters of consumers believe journalism helps them make sense of the volume of news available online and a similar number (76%) are inspired by news brands to take actions that reflect their personal values. A massive 90% believe investigative journalism is important in a digital world, while advertising’s contribution to funding journalism is recognised.
Finally, the overall sentiment is that trust in journalism remains high. Brits believe in its transparency, balance and professional standards but for it to be maintained, investment is crucial. Advertisers know that gold-standard news brands are a brand-safe, trusted environment to reach consumers but action is needed if they’re to stay that way.
