Trust has become a core pillar of the future news ecosystem, and in a saturated digital environment, credibility increasingly impacts audience loyalty, advertiser confidence and long-term relevance.At the DNPA Conclave 2026, the discussion focused on how trust transcends moral values and becomes a functional infrastructure for media organizations. In an age of abundant content and growing misinformation, credibility now determines discoverability, sustainability, and public confidence.The rise of AI-generated content has exacerbated this shift. As creation becomes easier and faster, verification is becoming a key differentiator for newsrooms. Participants noted that audiences in the post-viral phase of digital media are more skeptical and reward sources that demonstrate rigor, transparency, and accountability.Brands are also re-evaluating where they place their ads, assessing the credibility of the media environment rather than just impression size. At the same time, revenue streams such as subscriptions, donations, and premium partnerships increasingly rely on trust.Speaking at the conclave, Managing Director Amar Ujala reflected on India’s massive digital base and its impact on media experimentation. “In India, with more than 800 million Internet users and more than 600 million smartphone users, the cheapest data in the world is the breeding ground for all experiments.”He described India as a deeply engaged digital society while warning of the paradoxes faced by media organizations.“We’re not just a digital nation. We’re a hyper-digital, active society. But here’s the irony. We’re producing more content than ever. We’re consuming more content than ever, yet the media ecosystem is more fragile than ever.”Regarding artificial intelligence in journalism, he highlighted the limitations of automation compared to live reporting.“AI can summarize, AI can translate, AI can optimize headlines, but I don’t think AI can go into a village with a 45-degree temperature, understand the pain of local villagers, and share it with the country so that his voice can be heard. All of us here have a responsibility to make our voices heard. Propaganda should be reduced and the country should be developed. “The conference’s theme, “Rewriting the Playbook for a Resilient Digital Future,” brings together leaders from media, technology and policy to explore how trust, innovation, artificial intelligence, regulation and sustainable growth will shape journalism over the next decade.
