By Gil Rudawsky, Rockford Gray Partner
A shout-out to Project C for their insightful “News Ecosystem 2025” graphic — a smart, digestible breakdown of today’s media landscape.
The infographic categorizes platforms by business model, outlines key characteristics, and dives into pros and cons with real-world examples. From traditional for-profit newsrooms to creator-driven journalism and AI-generated content, it’s a snapshot of how fragmented the media world has become.
Rockford Gray Journalism Roots
At Rockford Gray, many of us come from the newsroom—former reporters and editors who had the privilege of working during journalism’s golden years. Back then, newspapers and stations had strong brand recognition, resources, and the public’s trust. Then we watched as that world got upended. Advertising dollars dried up. Legacy newspapers and stations struggled. At the Rocky Mountain News, some of our colleagues left for experimental startups, new media, and mission-driven nonprofits like ProPublica and Civil Beat.
We’ve seen this story play out before. In the early Internet days—think 1997—some journalists jumped ship for Microsoft’s Sidewalk.com, a hyperlocal site ahead of its time. It promised curated entertainment picks in major U.S. cities, but fizzled out before the market was ready. Fast-forward to today, and that same model is thriving under different names.
Clearly, the news industry has expanded beyond traditional for-profit and nonprofit models. Today’s platforms offer more independence from corporate control or the constant churn of fundraising—but they also face new challenges. Trust in media has eroded.
Finances are getting worse. At practically every newspaper, dwindling revenues have reduced page count, eliminated news beats and resulted in the layoffs of thousands of journalists. Content creators compete for clicks rather than complete and thorough coverage. And consumers? They’re left to decide where to get their news and whether it’s worth paying for.
But here’s the good news: if you care about quality journalism and know where to look, there are still many great reporters and trustworthy news organizations doing meaningful work. They may not always be loudest, but they’re out there—and they’re worth supporting.
Understanding the Media Landscape
As part of our suite of services, Rockford Gray offers boot camps that help clients – from governments, corporations to non-profits – understand the changing media by being better equipped to access and analyze the different types of media.
To find out more about our sessions, reach out to Jennifer Miller or Gil Rudawsky.
About the author: Gil Rudawsky specializes in issues and reputation management, and crisis communication. He began his career as a reporter in Aspen, Colo., and journalism took him across the country and then back to his native Denver, Colorado, where he worked for the Rocky Mountain News. His journalistic skills – source development, research, credibility, storytelling, and curiosity – remain the foundation of his work with clients. He has experience working on a range of issues across sectors, including federal investigations, corporate and workplace issues, DEI and public advocacy campaigns. He provides expert-level strategic counsel, including on-the-ground support. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in philosophy.