"The report shows that 2022 will be a year of careful consolidation for a news industry that has been both disrupted and galvanised by the drawn-out COVID-19 crisis. Both journalists and audiences have, to some degree, been 'burnt out' by the relentless intensity of the news agenda, alongside increasingly polarised debates about politics, identity, and culture. This could be the year when journalism takes a breath, focuses on the basics, and comes back stronger. In many parts of the world, audiences for news media have been falling throughout 2021 - not an ideal situation at a time when accurate and reliable information has been so critical to people's health and security. A key challenge for the news media this year is to re-engage those who have turned away from news - as well as to build deeper relationships with more regular news consumers." (Executive summary, page 5)