Artificial intelligence has become the leading concern for Australian journalists, overtaking disinformation as the biggest perceived threat to public interest journalism, according to the Medianet 2026 Australian Media Landscape Report.
The annual report found that 68 per cent of surveyed journalists identified changes in how people consume information through AI-powered search and AI-generated summaries as the most significant threat to public interest journalism in 2025.
The issue surpassed disinformation and fake news, which had topped the survey for the previous five years. Other frequently identified concerns included declining trust in media organisations (66 per cent), the spread of disinformation (64 per cent), lack of newsroom resources and staff (60 per cent), and newsroom closures (53 per cent).
More than half of respondents (52 per cent) also regarded generative AI and large language models as a threat to public interest journalism.
AI adoption grows despite concerns
While many journalists expressed concern about AI’s impact, the technology has become increasingly integrated into newsroom workflows.
The report found that 54 per cent of journalists used generative AI tools in their work during 2025, a reversal from the previous year’s survey, when most respondents reported not using the technology.
Among AI users, ChatGPT was the most commonly used platform, followed by Gemini, Copilot and Claude. Journalists reported primarily using AI for summarising documents, transcription, background research and proofreading, while fewer said they relied on it for generating story ideas or multimedia content.
At the same time, 93 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about AI’s potential impact on the integrity or quality of journalism, up from 88 per cent in 2024. Nearly three-quarters of AI users also expressed concern about how the technology could affect their own work and their organisations’ online traffic.
Changing industry landscape
The report also highlighted broader changes across the media sector. Nearly half of respondents said they were already publishing, considering publishing, or planning to launch independent newsletters, podcasts or other platforms, citing creative freedom and stronger audience relationships as key motivations. However, opinions remained divided on the growing influence of news creators outside traditional media, with 41 per cent viewing news influencers as a threat to journalism, 32 per cent remaining neutral and 26 per cent seeing them as an opportunity.
Despite ongoing challenges, journalists expressed mixed views about the industry’s future. The report found that 53 per cent held some level of optimism about the state of Australian media, while 47 per cent said they were not optimistic.
Medianet said respondents’ written comments reflected both concern over issues such as AI, industry consolidation and job security, and optimism about the growth of independent and community-focused journalism as the media landscape continues to evolve.