The cost of producing information is high, yet many media organizations struggle to make money from their content. The rise of artificial intelligence and the way audiences are spreading out across different platforms have made it challenging for information producers to find a stable financial model. This issue isn’t just about money—it also has political implications, as it affects how well democracy functions through informed public debate. A study by PMP Strategy, conducted for the Arcom and the French Ministry of Culture in January 2026, highlights three major changes in how people use media. First, trust in traditional media and social networks is declining, with between 52% and 69% of French people trusting traditional media and only 29% trusting social networks, even though many still use them for news. Second, fake news and sensational content spread faster on social networks than accurate, verified information, partly because of the algorithms that prioritize engaging content. Third, media consumption is becoming more fragmented, making it harder to build a loyal audience that can support a stable revenue model. Producing quality information is expensive. In France, the cost of producing information reached 2.9 billion euros in 2024, with television and the press accounting for nearly three-quarters of that. For newspaper publishers, producing content costs about 45% of their revenue, while for audiovisual media, the cost ranges between 15% and 25%. This high cost, combined with low profitability, makes the media sector financially vulnerable. The availability of free information—often of varying quality but easily accessible—competes directly with the paid content offered by newspapers. Additionally, audiovisual content created by internet users and hosted on platforms is taking away viewers from traditional television channels. Advertising revenue is also shifting, with more money going to search engines, social networks, and AI platforms. Traditional media’s share of ad revenue dropped from 46% in 2019 to 33% in 2024. Media organizations are also dealing with the rapid development of generative AI. Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, president of the New York Times, criticized AI companies for "scrupulous theft of intellectual property" during the World Media Congress in June 2026. This is not a new issue—negotiations with companies like Google and Facebook in the past were necessary to secure rights to use media content. An agreement between Google and the Alliance of General Information Press (APIG), aligned with European copyright laws, was signed in 2019 and has since been renewed. There is a noticeable shift in how people search for information, with more queries going to AI platforms. These platforms often use data from media articles without funding or compensating the original sources. In the United States, web traffic to news sites from Google searches dropped by 38% between November 2024 and November 2025. Meanwhile, 24.4% of ChatGPT user queries involve searching for current events, products, or recipes. Some major publishers, like Le Figaro and Le Monde, are collaborating with AI platforms such as Perplexity, while others are exploring ways to limit AI's use of their content. Expanding the range of services related to quality information can involve publishing articles in multiple languages and offering them in various formats, such as text or audio, to reach a broader audience, including younger users who prefer short-form content like videos or podcasts. Monetizing information requires both a large audience willing to pay for content and strong brand recognition that signifies quality. However, it is unclear if these factors will be enough to fund journalism, which is considered a public good essential to democratic life. In Europe, this challenge involves balancing private media with public funding to ensure both remain independent and capable of delivering accurate, impartial, and diverse information. In France, financial support for newspapers includes subsidies for dissemination, pluralism, and modernization, as well as preferential postal rates. Additional fiscal mechanisms, such as a reduced VAT rate of 2.1%, special allowances for journalists, and tax exemptions, contribute to this support. In 2025, 438 million euros were allocated to the written press, and over 3.8 billion euros supported public audiovisual services. The media landscape includes both private and public institutions, with some private ones receiving public funding. To adapt, media organizations must offer a variety of services and work to grow and retain their audiences. All of this must be done while maintaining the quality of information, truthfulness, and the principles of impartiality, honesty, and pluralism, as outlined in France’s 1986 media law, last updated in 2016.