Newspaper closures and the decline of “legacy media” are posing a “challenge” for Christians seeking to uphold the value of truth in public life, a former media boss has said.

Duncan Williams, former proprietor of the View From group and now working as a content creator for InYourArea, posed the question of how Christians should respond to the changing media landscape.

Writing in Christian Today, Duncan, who is himself a Christian, said the decline of legacy media and the accompanying rise of decentralised digital commentary amouns to “a moment of reckoning.”

He said that while journalism “done well” was a “public good,” it now faced a “crisis not only of economics but of credibility.”

Duncan, pictured, wrote: “Across the UK, 22 local newspapers have closed in the past two years alone, marking a significant retreat of regional journalism from the public square.

“The South London Press, after 160 years in print, ceased publication in May. Other closures include the Brighton Indy, North Liverpool Champion, Highland News, and Times of Tunbridge Wells – each one a familiar name to its community, now silenced.

“As Christians, we are right to pause and ask what this means. Is this simply progress, or does it represent a deeper loss – one with spiritual and moral implications?

“What role, if any, should we play in engaging with, supporting, or challenging the media environment that now surrounds us? More fundamentally, how do we discern what is true when trust is so fractured?

“The digital transformation has delivered both blessing and burden. On the one hand, we now receive news in real-time, free from the constraints of print deadlines. The immediacy can be empowering – allowing people to respond swiftly to crises, amplify marginalised voices, and connect across borders.

“Yet this same immediacy also brings volatility. In the absence of careful editorial oversight, rumours and misinformation spread rapidly. If the vacuum created by the demise of local and trusted journalism is not filled with thoughtful, accurate reporting, it will be filled – by anyone, or anything, at all.

“The authority of truth, once tethered to professional standards and public accountability, has been scattered. In its place, we often find competing narratives shaped by ideology, celebrity, or profit.

“The age-old question – what is truth? – has returned, not as a philosophical enquiry, but as a daily struggle in the digital noise.”

Duncan added: “Journalism has long served as a public good, when done well. It informs citizens, scrutinises power, and records the first draft of history.

“But it now faces a crisis – not only of economics but of credibility. The proliferation of misinformation, often dressed in the clothing of legitimacy, has made it increasingly difficult for readers to separate fact from spin. In such a climate, the danger is not just confusion but cynicism, a resignation that truth itself is no longer accessible or even necessary.

“Yet the Christian tradition holds truth in high regard. We worship a God who is truth, who calls His people to speak truthfully and to live with integrity.

“If we are to be faithful witnesses in this cultural moment, then our relationship with media cannot be passive. We must become discerning participants – asking careful questions of the stories we consume and share, resisting the pull of outrage or convenience, and holding ourselves to higher standards of accountability.

“This does not mean retreating into echo chambers of our own. It means recognising that good journalism – when it exists – is a form of service, one that aligns closely with the Christian call to justice, to compassion, and to light in dark places.

“This may mean encouraging younger Christians to enter the field of journalism with a sense of calling – to report truthfully, challenge injustice, and hold institutions to account. It may mean churches hosting media literacy workshops or equipping congregants to navigate misinformation.

“The decline of legacy media and the rise of decentralised digital commentary is not inherently a tragedy. But it is a moment of reckoning.

“The question is not whether the media landscape will change – it already has – but whether we as Christians will rise to the challenge it presents. Not merely as critics or consumers, but as stewards of truth in a noisy and distracted world.”