Jim Egan will be the lead author of the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report from 2026

British news media executive Jim Egan has been selected as the next lead author of the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report. He will support the current author, Nic Newman, through this year's process before taking the lead role in autumn 2025. 

As part of his new role, Egan will manage the project, working with our Director of Research Richard Fletcher, a dedicated team of researchers at the Institute, and our country partners across the world. He will also present the report and its findings at global conferences, media interviews and private meetings with news executives. 

The Digital News Report provides independent, rigorous analysis that addresses issues important for journalists. It does so in an accessible and timely way while working to the standards of contemporary social science. The report is a collaborative project involving an Oxford-based team of academic researchers, country partners across the world, and a diverse group of funders who support the work.

Egan has 20 years of experience as a senior leader and adviser in the international journalism sector. The majority of his career to date has been at BBC News. He was Chief Executive Officer of BBC Global News between 2012 and 2020 before leaving to become Chief Investment Officer of Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a mission-led debt and equity fund which provides financing for independent media outlets in countries where press freedom is under threat. 

Most recently Egan has been a member of the executive leadership team at FT Strategies, the media consulting arm of the Financial Times. Earlier in his career Jim was Strategy Director at UK media regulator Ofcom and also served as a UK government adviser.

Jim has degrees from the University of Oxford and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

In response to the announcement, Jim Egan said:

“Since its first edition in 2012 the Digital News Report has grown in scope and profile to become the most respected annual account of the changing news landscape worldwide. As those changes accelerate and their consequences become more profound, I am really delighted to be joining the Institute’s team to take the report forward in future years. Nic Newman’s vision and his dedication to the report have resulted in something of enormous value for anyone with an interest in international journalism. I am very pleased Nic will still be at the Institute to offer ongoing input and guidance.” 

Our Director of Research, Richard Fletcher, said: “I’m very pleased that Jim will be the next lead author of the Digital News Report. Nic has done a great job at the helm for the last 10 years, and Jim has the ideal background and skillset to build on this work and take the report forward.”

Our Acting Director, Mitali Mukherjee, said:

“The Digital News Report is our signature piece of research. Over the last 13 years it has grown in reach and representation and is now an essential tool for newsrooms, providing evidence and documenting changes in audiences’ attitudes and their relationship with news across dozens of markets worldwide. We are delighted to have Jim Egan take on the role of lead author. Working closely with our research team, Jim’s deep industry experience and international outlook will be a valuable asset for the report. Nic Newman’s authorship and contribution has been exemplary and we are looking forward to continuing our association with him.”

The next edition of the report will be the last one led by Nic Newman and will be launched on 17 June. Under David Levy’s leadership, Newman launched the report in 2012 and was instrumental in transforming it into an incredible resource for editors, media managers and academic researchers around the world. As a Senior Research Associate, Newman will keep working with the Institute after the Digital News Report 2025 is published on several research projects and leadership programmes.

If you want to know more...

• Explore the Digital News Report 2024
• Check out data from your country
• Explore previous editions of the report: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012
• Listen to our podcast series on the report