News leaders from some of the biggest media companies in the UK and US have reflected on 2025 and revealed how they are feeling ahead of 2026.
Press Gazette asked respondents to share how they are feeling via emojis and explain their choice.
Despite a challenging year just gone, the news publishing bosses chose to stay upbeat for their answers and spoke about what they can control in 2026.
As a result, perhaps surprisingly, AI barely got a mention.
Scroll down or click through to see the full responses from each of our participants:
- Anna Bross, The Atlantic, SVP communications
- Christian Broughton, The Independent, chief executive
- Christina Hawley, Immediate, chief commercial officer
- Danielle Varvaro, Newsweek, chief revenue officer
- David Bartlett, Reach, director of growth
- Dominic Williams, Mail Metro Media, chief revenue officer
- Finola McDonnell, Financial Times, chief communications and marketing officer
- Goli Sheikholeslami, Politico, chief executive
- Hannah Blake, DMG New & Creator Media, managing director
- Jonas Hermans, Harmsworth Media, chief operating officer
- Karen Saltser, Bloomberg Media, chief executive
- Kristin Heitmann, Associated Press, chief revenue officer
- Leah Wyar, People Inc, president of entertainment, beauty and style groups
- Nick Petrie, The i Paper, digital director
- Sherry Phillips, Forbes, chief executive
- Victoria Newton, The Sun, editor-in-chief
Themes from 2025: Subscriptions, video, social publishing
Subscriptions were the biggest theme as news leaders described their 2025: they were highlighted by Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the New Scientist, Reach, The Atlantic and The Sun.
The FT had “another record year for subscriptions and revenues”, leading to a 
emoji choice. The Atlantic’s blockbuster “Signalgate” scoop, after editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a sensitive Trump administration group chat, “contributed to dramatic subscriber growth”. Their emoji choice, of course, was the trio used by national security adviser Michael Waltz in the group chat: 
.
Politico chief executive Goli Sheikholeslami chose a phone emoji (
) partly in reference to major stories like the Signalgate group chat and other journalism “focused on uncovering hidden channels”, as well as her newsbrand starting to reach readers through SMS text messages on Capitol Hill. She said this delivers “urgent reporting directly to lawmakers and staff when timing truly matters and strengthening trust with the audience at the core of our mission”.
Bloomberg Media chief executive Karen Saltser said 2025 was the company’s “Year of the Subscriber” and described how investing in product and content had paid off – leading to a 
.
This year was a turning point (
) for the New Scientist which saw more digital subscribers than print and bundle readers for the first time.
Revenue diversification beyond ad-driven page views was important for Newsweek (
) while the creation of two social publishers at DMG Media was a huge moment (
).
Mail Metro Media chief revenue officer Dominic Williams added: “It was also one of our busiest years I’ve experienced (and I don’t say that lightly) with tough market challenges, which we faced head on.”
The Independent’s chief executive Christian Broughton said “innovation” (
) was the word of the year with the launch of creator video business Independent Studio and AI summary product Bulletin. He said these two projects combined delivered 20% of revenue for the year.
Similarly The Sun’s editor-in-chief Victoria Newton (
) said the year was marked by the “launch of innovative new projects”: video initiative Sun Originals and paid-for memberships at Sun Club.
How news leaders feel about 2026: Tidal wave, rock climbing, battle scars and victories
The 2026 answers were revealing in terms of what news bosses feel they can maximise even if the market continues to be an uncertain place.
Kristin Heitmann, chief revenue officer at the Associated Press, chose a wave (
) to represent both 2025 and 2026: “The disruptive forces reshaping the media ecosystem can often feel like a tidal wave that’s just beginning to crest. Those dynamics over the past year (and well before then) are forcing all publishers, The Associated Press included, to think about who they are and what makes them distinctive. We view this as a massive opportunity – and one we’re ready to take on full steam ahead.
“So, I’m feeling optimistic about 2026 and beyond because we’re leaning into what we do best: producing accurate and reliable firsthand journalism from nearly every corner of the world.”
Leah Wyar, president of entertainment, beauty and style groups at People Inc, noted: “2026 is about thriving in the media’s current ‘upside down’. We are making bold moves and taking a totally unsentimental approach, as we redefine how our brands show up…
“Legacy isn’t what we preserve. It’s what we pass forward, and we’re energised by our role in shaping the future of media.” She used two emojis for 2026: 
.
Forbes chief executive Sherry Phillips summed up both 2025 and 2026 with a rock climbing emoji (
) due to the risks the publisher is taking to try and combat a drop in Google traffic. “Just like a rock climber takes risks, so do we, and thankfully we’ve been training for this climb for 108 years.”
Financial Times chief communications and marketing officer Finola McDonnell said: “2026 will bring lots of fresh challenges. Clearly the disruption in our industry is set to continue, with the challenges and opportunities of AI and the battle to protect our IP remaining high on the agenda. But we have plenty of battle scars and victories under our belt, so I’m confident we can continue to grow despite the constant change (hence the 
emoji).”
Sheikholeslami of Politico said 2026 would be “less about reacting and more about anticipating what’s coming next (
), strengthening the ties between our US and European newsrooms, and explaining how power actually works”.
The Independent’s Broughton said trust (
) will be more important than ever in 2026. “Amid our commitment to innovation, some things will never change.”
Several others also spoke about their hopes for investment and innovation implemented in 2025 starting to pay off next year.
Reach director of growth David Bartlett was optimistic about “gathering pace” (
) with a newly-commenced subscriptions rollout while Immediate’s chief commercial officer Christina Hawley said 2026 will “see the realisation of really important work to supercharge our subscriptions growth” (
).
Several publishers (including The Sun, New Scientist and The i Paper) noted they will be putting focus on improving their digital user experiences in 2026.
Newsweek chief revenue officer Danielle Varvaro is optimistic about 2026 as advertising revenue is “tracking substantially higher in Q1 compared to the same period last year” (
).
Anna Bross, The Atlantic
SVP, communications
“The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg broke the story that came to be known as Signalgate on 24 March 2025, after he was inadvertently added to a war planning group chat on Signal about military strikes in Yemen.
“Two days later, after White House officials downplayed the messages and said repeatedly that they did not contain classified information, The Atlantic published the messages that Goldberg had received from the top-most national security officials of the United States.
“This became one of the most influential global news stories of the year, revealing major national security issues. Just recently, a Pentagon inspector general’s report concluded that the information defence secretary Pete Hegseth shared in the chat risked endangering troops, and put the mission and national security at risk.
“Goldberg’s stories came in the midst of a major editorial hiring expansion that has extended all year, spanning the intersection of national defence, technology, and global conflict, as well as an intense focus on science, public health, the economy, and more. We’ve in total added more than 50 journalists across the newsroom in 2025.
“The Signal story also contributed to dramatic subscriber growth that we’ve seen for a number of years. By the end of March, The Atlantic had already reached more net new subscribers in 2025 than we had in the entirety of 2024, which was itself a landmark year for subscription growth.”
Christian Broughton, The Independent
Chief executive
2025 –
“For Independent Media, 2025 was all about – innovation. In April, we launched Bulletin, news for seriously busy people, as a sandbox for our proprietary AI tools. It has attracted 8 million users a month, and led to wide adoption of the tools across The Independent. We end the year with a team of editors in the UK and US producing high-quality journalism in new ways, helping us to continue to drive growth in a time of technological disruption in our industry.
“In April, we also launched Independent Studio, building our business in the creator economy, developing valuable IP based on talent-led media formats such as social video, podcasts and newsletters. Together these two projects delivered 20% of our revenue for the full year.”
2026 –
“For 2026, I choose – for trust. Amid our commitment to innovation, some things will never change. Back in 1986, The Independent was founded as a platform for truth and trust, to stand apart from dogma and distortion, and allegiances to political parties. Our mission is to report the truth and start intelligent debates, but always give our readers the freedom to make up their own minds.
“In 2026, as we approach our 40th anniversary – and our tenth anniversary as a purely digital publisher – this mission has never been more prized by audiences. And the innovations of 2025 will galvanise us: our new AI project is all about sifting truth from distortion, and the human connection in talent-led media helps us to earn the trust of audiences in new ways.”
Christina Hawley, Immediate
Chief commercial officer
2025 –
“Immediate’s been flexing its creativity to help us outperform the market, despite a challenging commercial climate.
“Commercially, we’re constantly looking at new ways we can bring value to our clients. In 2025, we launched IMClear, our now award-winning sustainable media solution, giving brands transparent, measurable ESG impact across every campaign. It combines low-carbon inventory, independent verification, and AI-driven analysis to ensure accountability and performance.
“This approach is attracting brands who really care about the impact they are having, alongside the delivery of high-impact results at over 1.5x the benchmark for standard campaigns.”
2026 –
“The emoji for next year will be as we see the realisation of really important work to supercharge our subscriptions growth.
“Subscriptions have been integral to Immediate’s success since it was formed. This year we’ve put place in a new platform and upskilled our teams to completely modernise our subscription capabilities. Taking our subs fulfilment in-house we have unified our print and digital offers, providing our customers with a more flexible and convenient way to manage their account.
“More importantly, we now have far greater visibility on customer behaviour allowing us to now truly personalise our marketing efforts and our product offerings. In a world of zero click AI overviews this direct relationship with our audience is crucial.
“Over the last few years we’ve grown our digital subs file from a standing start to almost 800,000, and 1.2 million overall. Next year, we hope to see those numbers rise even further as we take advantage of the potential this new platform offers.”
Danielle Varvaro, Newsweek
Chief revenue officer
2025 –
“Newsweek made significant strides in diversifying our revenue beyond ad-driven site traffic, with a particular focus on events.
“In 2025, Newsweek successfully executed six major events spanning autos, women’s issues, health, travel, climate, AI, and more. Our rankings business also remained a strong profit centre, with Newsweek publishing 67 rankings in 2025, up from 54 the year prior.
“Newsweek plans to publish 81 rankings in 2026. We also saw gains in both licensing, subscriptions, and revenue growth from our June acquisition of Adprime.”
2026 –
“We are entering 2026 with strong momentum, as advertising revenue is tracking substantially higher in Q1 compared to the same period last year.”
David Bartlett, Reach
Director of growth
2025 – 
“This year’s not been easy by any stretch, but I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in the roll-out of our digital subscriptions offering and I like to think that this will be Reach’s defining moment of 2025.
“With so many people and disciplines involved, it’s been painstaking work building this up from a tech, marketing, and editorial perspective, but also incredibly rewarding to see everything take shape and to see that readers like what we’re doing.”
2026 –
“Having launched the Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo very quickly in 2025, I expect next year the roll-out will keep gathering pace as we launch across the portfolio (next stop, Cardiff for WalesOnline, followed by Glasgow, with the Daily Record).”
Dominic Williams, Mail Metro Media
Chief revenue officer
2025 –
“The last year was full of exciting developments at DMG Media, one being the launch of our two new social publishers – hence why I’ve chosen the exploding head emoji!
“It was also one of our busiest years I’ve experienced (and I don’t say that lightly) with tough market challenges, which we faced head-on.
“I’m in shock and awe at what our team achieved, creating innovative new multi-platform solutions, connecting with new audiences, and collaborating like never before with our valued advertising partners.”
2026 –
“Next year will undoubtedly bring a fresh set of challenges – which we will embrace! It’s why we love media. Our team at Mail Metro Media is the best in the business and I’m already excited for the successes we’ll deliver for our clients and agencies.
“It’s going to be a HUGE year for sport too, with the biggest World Cup we’ve ever seen. Plus, we’ll be bringing back Padelfest – the industry padel tournament we launched this year, to raise more vital funds for British Heart Foundation.”
Finola McDonnell, Financial Times
Chief communications and marketing officer
2025 –
“2025 was a landmark year for the FT. Commercial veteran Jon Slade was appointed group CEO, the first change at the helm for 19 years. We bid farewell to John Ridding, who was CEO through the digital transformation and international expansion of the FT.
“We also marked ten years of ownership by Japanese media group Nikkei. So, on the corporate side of the organisation, it was a unique year that brought both reflection and celebration.
“We’re also lucky to have a robust business model – when you combine gold standard journalism with excellent marketing and tech capabilities, you get good results. In our case, that meant another record year for subscriptions and revenues.
“We’re lucky to have a very engaged audience who value the specialist content we produce and, with the backdrop of Trump in the White House and a relentless global news cycle, we’ve performed very strongly in a tough period for the news industry overall.”
2026 –
“2026 will bring lots of fresh challenges. Clearly the disruption in our industry is set to continue, with the challenges and opportunities of AI and the battle to protect our IP remaining high on the agenda. But we have plenty of battle scars and victories under our belt, so I’m confident we can continue to grow despite the constant change (hence the winning emoji).
“Ultimately, if a quality publication like the FT can’t win readers and customers, then I’m not sure who can. I’m also excited about work we have in train to attract new audiences, hone our brand positioning and harness AI capabilities internally – all in support of the best newsroom in the business (with apologies to others on this page)!”
Goli Sheikholeslami, Politico
Chief executive
2025 –
“If I had to sum up 2025 in an emoji, it would be a phone. This was a year when power and accountability played out through private messages, group chats and texts rather than formal statements or speeches.
“Some of Politico’s most consequential journalism this year focused on uncovering hidden channels. We revealed racist and extremist rhetoric in private text messages, triggering internal investigations, leadership changes and, in one case, the withdrawal of a senior nominee from Senate confirmation.
“That same thinking guided how we reached our readers. In 2025, we launched Politico SMS on Capitol Hill, delivering urgent reporting directly to lawmakers and staff when timing truly matters and strengthening trust with the audience at the core of our mission.
“As social media platforms become less reliable and refer less traffic to publishers, doubling down on our core proposition has become increasingly important. In 2025, we expanded our video output, capped this month by an interview with President Donald Trump, while evolving Playbook into a cross-platform product and delivering a suite of new products for Politico Pro subscribers.
“Through an intense news cycle, our focus stayed the same: cutting through the noise, explaining how power operates and what’s next, not just what’s happened.”
[Read more: How Politico is using text messages to boost engagement on Capitol Hill]
2026 –
“For 2026, the emoji that fits best is a telescope.
“I’m looking ahead with focus and confidence. Alliances, economies, and democratic norms are being reshaped on both sides of the Atlantic, and the stakes are only rising.
“We’re already preparing for the US midterm elections – a defining moment not just for Washington, but for Europe and the transatlantic relationship – with the perspective and depth our audience expects from us.
“At the same time, we’re extending that long view in Europe, including our expansion to Spain, as we continue to invest where power is forming and decisions are being shaped.
“The year ahead is less about reacting and more about anticipating what’s coming next, strengthening the ties between our US and European newsrooms, and explaining how power actually works.”
Hannah Blake, DMG New & Creator Media
Managing director
2025 –
“This year we launched our Creator and New Media social publishers to the world. We’ve made some brilliant new hires, produced a number of viral shows that have really resonated with audiences and onboarded our first clients.
“The feedback from our audience and clients has been overwhelmingly positive and I’m excited to build on this more in 2026.”
2026 – 
“2026 is all about continuing to build on the success we’ve seen in our launch year. We are already seeing great signs of success having recently hit 20 million followers on our main Daily Mail channel and partnered with some amazing brands including Nationwide, Alzheimer’s Society and British Airways.
“Expect to see more viral original shows in your feed, some exciting new content creators added to our roster and some award-winning client campaigns.”
Jonas Hermans, Harmsworth Media (New Scientist)
Chief operating officer
2025 –
“2025 is the year where for the first time we have more digital paying subscribers as print and bundle readers, which is a monumental shift for a magazine brand with such a strong heritage and loyal readership as New Scientist.
“It also represents a year where the change in terms of media consumption continues to accelerate, and we continue to change to stay relevant for our audiences.”
2026 –
“We have exciting plans in 2026 to develop our digital experience not just for existing subscribers but for a whole new generation of younger digital audiences.
“The rocket symbolises our ambition and growth plans but also happens to represent our internal name for this project – Apollo.”
Karen Saltser, Bloomberg Media
Chief executive
2025 –
2025 was Bloomberg Media’s Year of the Subscriber. We invested heavily in product and content to improve the customer experience, adding more than 100,000 new subscribers. Subscriber revenue grew significantly and our audience was more active and engaged than ever before – which benefits our advertising partners as well.
We’ve strengthened that engagement through upgrades like our redesigned search engine; interactive features such as Live Q&A with our journalists, new launches including The Mishal Husain Show; the unveiling of our weekly news quiz, Pointed, and our daily word puzzle, Alphadots; and more.
At every step, our north star remained clear, putting subscribers at the centre of everything we built this year.
2026 – 
The one thing we know is that change will continue to be the one constant for us in the media industry!
At Bloomberg Media, we feel confident that we can meet changing business models, changing technology, changing consumer habits through that continued laser focus on our consumer, their needs and their preferences.
Given all of that, one area that I’m particularly excited about is the range and global reach of our video offering, which will continue to be a material differentiator given our plans for 2026. With audiences increasingly gravitating to video, we’ll continue to keep our audiences and our advertising clients fully connected to that shift, whether it be via live TV, series or short form vertical.
In 2025, our average monthly viewership surpassed 60 million, increasing 16% year over year and we expect continued double digit growth as we experiment with new formats and distribute across more platforms.
Kristin Heitmann, Associated Press
Chief revenue officer
2025 and 2026 –
“The disruptive forces reshaping the media ecosystem can often feel like a tidal wave that’s just beginning to crest. Those dynamics over the past year (and well before then) are forcing all publishers, The Associated Press included, to think about who they are and what makes them distinctive. We view this as a massive opportunity – and one we’re ready to take on full steam ahead.
“So, I’m feeling optimistic about 2026 and beyond because we’re leaning into what we do best: producing accurate and reliable firsthand journalism from nearly every corner of the world.
“We believe the value of that eyewitness reporting in today’s AI information age is more important – and frankly more valuable – than ever before, and we’re investing here so we can thrive in this new era, all while remaining true to our core values as an independent, nonpartisan breaking news organisation.”
Leah Wyar, People Inc
President of entertainment, beauty and style groups
2025 – 
“2025 was a defining year for our brand with the launch of the People app, bringing our trusted storytelling, breaking news, and pop culture leadership directly to users.
“The app also unlocked new ways to engage our users, from interactive games like People Puzzler and People Pieces to our first episodic reality series, The Fourth Wall, offering a peek inside the People newsroom. More than a product launch, the People app is a key growth engine and a cornerstone of our next chapter.”
[Read more: Dotdash Meredith makes major investment in ‘Tiktok-like’ People app]
2026 –
“2026 is about thriving in the media’s current ‘upside down’. We are making bold moves and taking a totally unsentimental approach, as we redefine how our brands show up. The People app drives this strategy, with our third game launching in January and a roadmap of new features for the entire year.
“Legacy isn’t what we preserve. It’s what we pass forward, and we’re energised by our role in shaping the future of media.”
Nick Petrie, The i Paper
Digital director
2025 – 
“In 2025 our journalism and product experience was recognised time and time again.
“The i Paper was awarded News Website of the year at The Press Awards and National Website of the Year at the Future of Media Awards. Callum Mason won WTW’s Defined Benefit Pensions Journalist of the Year at the Business Journalism Awards, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown won Commentator of the Year and Ian Birrell Columnist of the Year at The Media Freedom Awards and Steve Robson won the News Media Association Making a Difference Award for his Second Post Office IT scandal story.
“These awards re-affirm the impact of The i Paper’s high-quality journalism and our commitment to serving our readers.”
2026 – 
“At The i Paper we’re implementing several exciting initiatives designed to grow our audience and accelerate our subscription growth.
“Our product, design, editorial, engineering and marketing teams have been heads down and in 2026 readers will start to see the breadth and depth of the investment we’ve been making.
“The look and feel of our product will better reflect the quality of our journalism, new features will provide a richer experience for our subscribers and our journalism will be better targeted to serve our readers’ needs.”
Sherry Phillips, Forbes
Chief executive
2025 and 2026 –
“2025 has been a year of exploration and innovation for Forbes. Against a rapidly shifting industry backdrop, our focus has been on learning and navigating the evolving terrain to find the best paths to progress.
“Just like a rock climber takes risks, so do we, and thankfully we’ve been training for this climb for 108 years. Our brand stands for something that people trust, and we’re exploring new ways to best engage with them.
“This year, for example, we continued to enhance our global communities like 30 Under 30, Most Influential CMOs, 50 Over 50, AI 50, Top Creators, and ForbesBLK and launched new tentpole events in Cannes, San Francisco and Paris, adding to our 95 events globally.
“We also built more personalised experiences through our website and newsletters, so readers can access the quality Forbes journalism most relevant and valuable to them, whether this be on cyber security, career advice or the latest breaking news and investigations. And we launched a new Forbes Club in Madrid this year – a model which will expand further in the new year.
“Forbes has driven success because of our ability to embrace new ideas, make bold decisions and remain nimble in changing times for more than a century. I like to say that we are a brand with heritage, not a heritage brand. Going into 2026 and beyond, we are committed to continuing that legacy of innovation and evolution.”
[Read more: How Forbes CEO Sherry Phillips is responding to Google challenge]
Victoria Newton, The Sun
Editor-in-chief
2025 –
“This year has been marked by the launch of innovative new projects as The Sun continues to invest in entertaining, agenda-setting journalism.
“Sun Originals is a new video initiative which generates premium lifestyle, sports and entertainment content. Meanwhile Sun Club offers additional paid-for content and exclusive offers to members, allowing them to get even more from The Sun.
“Both have proved a quickfire success, attracting impressive levels of sign-ups, engagement and sponsorship – all built upon The Sun’s much-loved style of storytelling.
“Under the Sun Originals banner, we have showcased some of the newsroom’s finest talent. In Sport, readers and viewers are able to enjoy the likes of Tactics Exposed and No Gloves Lost, both of which have attracted significant sponsorship deals.
“Showing the breadth of the Sun expertise, defence editor Jerome Starkey has won plaudits for ‘The Frontline’ show, while Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson’s ‘Royal Exclusive’ is one of our most popular shows.
“This premium content – which also includes showbiz, parenting, entertainment and politics – saw video views soar to over eight billion views this year so far.
“We are now operating 149 channels across nine platforms, giving audiences what they want, where they want it. This extends to massive video reach off platform on YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat where we now reach over 50 million people.
“Sun Club’s unique model of premium journalistic content and promotions fosters a sense of community, meaning members can even spend days out and holidays together. Members can also chat using our relaunched comment function, and take part in live video Q&As.”
[Read more: How The Sun became biggest UK newspaper on Youtube with 6 million subscribers]
2026 –
“In the new year as well as continuing our growth of Club and video, we will be focused on The Sun’s app – which will relaunch with a raft of exciting new features that offer a better user experience.”
[Read more: The Sun launches £1.99 paywall for premium online content]
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