Legacy media, ego and the slow fade of South Africa’s news giants

Financial strain, ageing audiences and editorial gatekeeping are reshaping our media – and raising hard questions about who will tell our stories in the age of AI.

Article link: https://open.substack.com/pub/johanosteyn/p/legacy-media-ego-and-the-slow-fade?r=73gqa&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Audio summary: https://youtu.be/dAQ1wn-dFXI

I write about various issues of interest to me that I want to bring to the reader’s attention. While my main work is in Artificial Intelligence and technology, I also cover areas around politics, education, and the future of our children.

Look at how young South Africans consume information today and you quickly see the problem: they live on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp, not on the homepages of News24 or Business Day. Traditional outlets are not “dead”, but they are clearly under pressure. Print has collapsed, digital subscriptions grow slowly, and advertising revenue leaks to global platforms. To make matters worse, many big newsrooms still appear to be run with a 20th-century mindset.

Executives and editors cling to their gatekeeping power, defend their brands on talk shows and social media, and sometimes seem more interested in winning public arguments than winning new readers. In this environment, questions about the future of publishing – and the role of AI in that future – are becoming impossible to ignore.

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

For decades, South African legacy publications shaped the national conversation. If you wanted to understand politics, business or corruption, you went to a handful of established titles. They had the reporters, the printing presses and the distribution networks. Today, the economics have flipped. The cost of publishing online has fallen dramatically, while the cost of maintaining large newsrooms, offices and print infrastructure remains high. At the same time, social media and global platforms have inserted themselves between publishers and their audiences, capturing advertising spend and attention.

This has produced a strange paradox. On paper, brands like News24 still reach millions of people each month. Yet these audiences are fragmented, fickle and often not paying. Younger readers in particular are comfortable hearing about politics from independent YouTubers, podcasters or Substack writers, many of whom operate from a spare bedroom rather than a newsroom. The authority of the editor-in-chief, once unquestioned, now competes with the authority of the algorithm and the influencer.

INSIGHT AND ANALYSIS

In my view, leadership culture inside legacy media is a big part of the problem. Too many editors and senior journalists appear locked into old hierarchies and egos. They talk down to critics, respond defensively to Press Council rulings, and treat YouTube commentators and independent writers as irritants rather than as a sign that something has shifted in the information ecosystem. The more they insist that their view of the world is the only responsible one, the easier it becomes for younger audiences to walk away and find voices that at least speak directly to them.

This is not to say that all independent publishers are better, or that editorial standards do not matter. We have seen how online spaces can amplify conspiracy theories and misinformation. Good editors, rigorous fact-checking and strong ethical codes remain crucial. But when established outlets behave as if they alone are custodians of truth, and when they dismiss criticism rather than engaging with it, they undermine their own case. Trust is earned, not inherited.

AI adds a new layer to this picture. On the one hand, large language models and generative tools make it easier than ever for individuals to publish newsletters, blogs, videos and commentary without a traditional newsroom behind them. They can summarise complex reports, help with scripting and even generate basic visuals. On the other hand, AI also threatens to commoditise low-level reporting, rewrite press releases automatically and flood the internet with synthetic content. Legacy publishers who simply use AI to churn out more of the same will join that noise, not rise above it.

IMPLICATIONS

So what is the future of publishing in this environment? I suspect it will be hybrid. Established brands will survive if they accept that their role is shifting: from gatekeepers to anchors in a wider, more chaotic conversation. That means less lecturing and more listening. It means editors who are willing to move out from behind the brand and engage honestly with criticism, including about bias and blind spots. It also means investing in distinctive, high-quality journalism that AI and hobbyist creators cannot easily replicate: deep investigations, nuanced analysis, local reporting and explanatory work.

For independent publishers, the opportunity is enormous, but so is the responsibility. The ability to bypass traditional gatekeepers and publish online does not absolve them from the need for accuracy, fairness and transparency. In fact, as AI tools make content creation cheap, the real currency will be credibility. Those who combine authenticity with discipline will build durable communities; those who chase outrage and clicks will burn out.

AI, in this sense, is not the enemy of journalism but a stress test. It will expose who is adding real value and who is simply producing interchangeable content. Newsrooms that use AI to free journalists from rote work so they can focus on original reporting will have an edge. So will independents who use AI as a research assistant, not a replacement for thought.

CLOSING TAKEAWAY

The slow erosion of South Africa’s traditional news outlets is not just about technology or advertising; it is also about leadership and humility. Younger audiences are voting with their thumbs, choosing voices that feel relevant, responsive and human. If editors respond by retreating into ego and defensiveness, they accelerate their own decline. The alternative is more difficult but more hopeful: a media ecosystem where legacy brands, independents and AI tools coexist, each pushing the others to be better. For the sake of our democracy and for the future of our children, we should care less about protecting old empires and more about ensuring that trustworthy, diverse journalism can thrive in whatever form the next decade demands.

Author Bio: Johan Steyn is a prominent AI thought leader, speaker, and author with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence’s impact on business and society. He is passionate about ethical AI development and its role in shaping a better future. Find out more about Johan’s work at https://www.aiforbusiness.net