Last year, job cuts across radio, TV, newspapers, and digital media rose 18% compared to 2024, and journalists are feeling the strain. Per new data, resource constraints have nearly caught up with misinformation as the defining pressure on those working in news.
Cision’s 2026 State of the Media report surveyed 1,899 journalists across 19 global markets in January and February, polling through its Media Database and PR Newswire for Journalists network across the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and multiple Asia-Pacific countries.
Combating misinformation topped the list of professional challenges at 50%, but resource constraints like shrinking budgets, staff cuts, and increased workload ranked second at 49%, nearly doubling the 29% who flagged the same issue in 2025. Meanwhile, many are turning to AI to keep up with the heightened pace. The share of journalists who told Cision they don’t use AI tools at all dropped from 33% in 2025 to 21% in 2026. Most common applications are brainstorming story angles, interview questions, and headlines at 48%, research and fact-checking at 43%, and transcription or summarization at 41%.
Other top challenges included adapting to evolving audience behavior at 42% and competition from nontraditional media and creators at 28%.
On social platforms, LinkedIn leads for professional use at 62%, followed by Instagram at 54% and Facebook at 53%. X registered at 37%. When asked to name the single most valuable platform, 33% of journalists across North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific named LinkedIn.
