DALLAS (September 18, 2025) – The International News Media Association (INMA) today issued a global call to action with the release of its Basic Principles for News Media, a framework to protect journalism’s role as a cornerstone of democracy in the face of seismic digital disruption.

Approved by INMA’s Board of Directors on September 17, the Principles respond to the mounting threats posed by generative AI, platform dominance, and organised disinformation, which are stripping value from trusted journalism while eroding public trust.

Click here to download free copy of Basic Principles

“Journalism matters. It is the bedrock of free societies, giving citizens the facts they need to make decisions and holding power to account,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “Yet today, journalism’s work is being taken without consent, credit, or fair compensation. This imbalance is unsustainable for media businesses — and dangerous for democracy itself.”

3 pillars of the Basic Principles

The Basic Principles lay out an urgent road map for action, centered on three pillars:

1. Journalism as a democratic cornerstone

• Recognition of journalism as a public good, protected by law and practice.
• Safeguards for editorial independence and press freedom.
• Investment in media literacy and innovative forms of constructive journalism.
  
  

2. Fair compensation for journalistic intellectual property

• Licensing frameworks requiring explicit consent and fair payment for the use of journalistic content in AI systems.
• Full transparency in AI training data, clear attribution obligations, and enforcement of copyright protections.
• Collective bargaining rights for media companies to negotiate with technology platforms.
  
  

3. Fair competition in the digital marketplace

• Enforceable rules to counteract platform dominance and discriminatory algorithms.
• Fair access to consumer data, app stores, and digital marketplaces.
• Oversight of advertising technology ecosystems to ensure accountability and sustainability.
  
  

Urgency of the moment

INMA warned that unless guardrails are set now, trusted journalism risks being replaced by unverified content that leaves citizens misinformed and democracies vulnerable.

“These Principles are not theory — they are a road map for urgent action,” Wilkinson said. “The choices made today will decide whether trusted journalism survives the decade. With courage and clarity, we can ensure journalism does not just endure, but thrives — and with it, the democratic societies it serves.”

Why INMA, why now

The Basic Principles document was created as part of INMA’s Digital Platform Initiative, whose mission is to educate members and the news industry at large on legislative, regulatory, and informational elements of tech platforms worldwide.

The Principles can be used as a framework for governments, institutions, tech platforms, and regulatory bodies to promote in law, policy, and competition contexts.

About INMA

The International News Media Association (INMA) is the world’s premier community of news media companies committed to growing revenue, audience, and brand in a multi-platform environment. A non-profit association, INMA connects more than 23,000 professionals at 1,000+ organisations across 100+ countries, with expertise in subscriptions, advertising, product & tech, generative AI, newsroom transformation, and publisher–platform relations.

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