Japanese Newspaper Firms Vow Accurate Reporting as Industry Confronts Rise of Social Media, AI

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, October 16, 2025

Newspaper companies pledged on Wednesday to deliver accurate reporting and fair commentary and to fulfill their journalistic responsibilities, adopting a resolution to that effect at an annual convention in Tokyo. The pledge comes amid upheaval in the media environment caused by the rise of social media and generative artificial intelligence.

“Social media is said to have a growing effect on national and local elections,” said Shiro Nakamura, chair of the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association, in his address at the 78th National Newspaper Convention, which was sponsored by the association. “The adverse effects of spreading unverified and abusive information are becoming apparent.”

Nakamura, who also chairs The Asahi Shimbun Co., added that the association issued a statement declaring that it is the duty of news groups to help maintain and develop democracy through fact-based reporting. The association includes both newspaper companies and news agencies.

When it came to generative AI, he stressed that “free-riding” on news content, produced at great effort and cost, is absolutely unacceptable, and that this content is being used without permission or fair compensation.

The speech was followed by a symposium on the role of newspapers in the social media age, where speakers noted how newspapers and journalists faced unjust attacks during the Hyogo gubernatorial election in November last year. “We have entered an era where past rules of thumb are no longer of obvious relevance,” one speaker said.

Proposals were also presented on how to improve trust in newspapers amid the prevalence of social media. One idea was to explain what content newspapers do not or cannot release, as well as how they check facts.

University students had the chance to meet with the recipients of an award from the association to learn more about newspapers.

The convention was the main event of Newspaper Week, which this year runs from Wednesday to Tuesday.