The Information Paradox: Shrinking Newsrooms and the Battle for Trust

We are witnessing one of the most serious and profound crises of identity and sustainability in the modern history of media.

On one hand, technological progress is accelerating at an extraordinary pace. Hardly a day goes by without a discussion about artificial intelligence and its possibilities. At the same time, we know that the same technology can become a powerful tool for creating and spreading disinformation.

While technology continues to advance, newsrooms are shrinking, sophisticated disinformation is becoming more widespread, and public trust is under increasing pressure. Add a lack of transparency to this equation, and one important question emerges: What is the role of public relations today, particularly for professionals whose responsibility is to build and protect reputation through transparent communication and strong relationships with the media?

I would argue that public relations and journalism are no longer competing simply for readers’ attention, views or likes. Today, they are fighting for credibility and, ultimately, for truth itself.

Newsrooms Are Shrinking While the Demand for Content Keeps Growing

Looking at global trends and publicly available data, it is clear that traditional media have been facing financial pressure and structural challenges for years. Budgets are being reduced, newsroom teams are becoming smaller, and artificial intelligence is increasingly being considered as a way to optimize costs and reduce dependence on human resources.

Paradoxically, the demand for content and clicks has never been greater.

One consequence is what I would call “armchair journalism.” In the past, Croatia, for example, had specialized journalists who spent years covering healthcare, the automotive industry, finance, manufacturing and many other sectors. Today, a single journalist may be expected to cover several completely different industries, monitor social media and produce multiple high-quality stories every day.

Under these conditions, investigative journalism becomes increasingly difficult to sustain, while fact-checking can become a luxury that many newsrooms simply do not have enough time or resources to afford.

There are fewer opportunities to send journalists into the field, let alone give them several days or weeks to investigate the background of a story. Greater reliance on information that arrives already prepared and packaged inevitably creates more room for manipulation.

At the same time, it is becoming increasingly common for media outlets to offer some form of native content. Some go even further, offering organizations an entire production process that includes journalists, photographers, editing, writing and publication. This makes a clear distinction between editorial and commercial content more important than ever.

The situation becomes even more sensitive when media financing intersects with political interests, sponsored events or other forms of cooperation that may raise questions about editorial independence.

And once again, we arrive at the same question: What should the role of public relations be?

A Perfect Storm for Disinformation

Disinformation is no longer limited to poorly translated fake stories published on suspicious websites. Today, it can take the form of hyperrealistic videos, cloned voices, manipulated images and networks of bots capable of creating the appearance of a crisis within minutes and seriously damaging the reputation of an individual, organization or brand.

Will PR departments of the future need to include “ethical hackers,” cybersecurity specialists or dedicated IT professionals?

That may sound excessive today, but I believe these profiles will become increasingly important within communication teams.

Has the regulation of artificial intelligence failed to keep pace, something I have written about several times before? Are policymakers sufficiently informed and educated to understand the speed of technological change? Time will tell.

What is already clear, however, is that newsrooms operating under intense pressure can become particularly vulnerable to disinformation.

Journalists are expected to deliver exclusivity, speed and content that attracts attention. When false information looks professional, comes with convincing visuals and offers a sensational headline, the risk of it passing through editorial filters increases.

The result is a further erosion of public trust.

The Trust Paradox and the New Role of PR

Yet within this chaos lies an interesting paradox: the more disinformation we encounter, the greater the need for verified, accurate and credible sources.

This is also changing the role of public relations professionals.

PR can no longer be about polishing reality or flooding journalists with irrelevant press releases. In an era of smaller newsrooms, limited resources and declining trust, PR professionals need to become reliable partners to the media.

That does not mean calling a journalist simply because we know them and trying to place a commercial story with little relevance to their audience. A story must first have substance. It must offer genuine value to the public.

Communication should be built around accuracy, transparency and verifiability. Every significant claim should be supported by evidence, credible research, statistics, relevant sources and available experts who allow journalists to independently verify the information they receive.

The battle for trust will not be won by technology alone. It will be won by returning to the fundamental ethical principles of communication.

While the public searches for truth and media organizations simultaneously search for sustainable business models and profitability, we need to ask ourselves a fundamental question: What makes a news story credible today?

I believe that brands and organizations that understand that accuracy matters more than speed, transparency more than spin, and trust more than short-term reach will have the greatest chance of remaining credible in an increasingly noisy digital environment.

Media Literacy Must Become a Priority

Alongside all of this, we need to invest much more seriously in media literacy.

This is particularly important for younger generations, for whom traditional news is often no longer the primary source of information. Instead, they increasingly encounter news and current affairs through short-form content on platforms such as TikTok.

If we do not teach young people how to distinguish a credible source from manipulation, understand who is behind a piece of information and recognize the techniques used to influence their opinions, technology will continue to develop faster than their ability to critically assess what they see and hear.

The future of credible information is therefore not solely a media issue. It is a shared responsibility of journalists, public relations professionals, educational institutions, technology companies, regulators and everyone who participates in public communication.

In a world where almost anyone can create content that looks convincing, information itself is no longer the greatest value.

Trust is.