Why AI news bias matters for your business and how PR can help

ChatGPT cites GB News, Al Jazeera and even Marie Claire more often than the BBC, despite the BBC being one of the UK’s most trusted and widely used news sources. That is the finding of a fascinating new analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), published 30th January 2026.

The IPPR revealed that news query output fed to users of AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews are a reflection of commercial licensing deals and blocked access, creating potential editorial blind spots and limiting public exposure to journalism. Essentially, AI systems are editorial engines with hidden incentives, instead of neutral conduits of information.

Echoes of the past

This is, of course, not especially new. Social media algorithms have long dictated what is and isn't fed to users, often leading to echo chambers that reinforce assumptions and biases. Before that, search engines such as Google became the de facto front page of the web and publishers who failed or were slow to optimise for search lost visibility.

Now, people are increasingly going to ChatGPT-style tools for news, with news-related prompts surging 212% from 2024–2025, while equivalent Google searches fell 5%, according to The Decoder. This shift is giving AI models enormous gatekeeping power. In many cases, users never even click through to the source. "When Google AI Overview is present, Google users are almost half as likely to click on news links," the IPPR says.

The news sources used by AI

However, in contrast to its OpenAI competitor, Google AI Overview used the BBC in over 52% of answers in the IPPR's analysis, showing the varying relationships and technical permissions between publishers and AI companies.

Meanhile, ChatGPT:

• Cited The Guardian in 58% of responses, far more than any other outlet.

• Used Reuters, The Independent, and the FT as next-tier sources.

• Excluded the BBC entirely, due largely to BBC’s decision to block AI crawlers and the murky rules governing who gets indexed and how.

Learning from the past

What is clear from lessons past: publishers that don't adapt to these changes quickly are likely to repeat the mistakes of the last 20 years. When the internet started to gain traction, many newspapers were slow to move online, resulting in hundreds of regional titles folding during the 2000s and 2010s (including the one I worked on in 2009). This time around, if they are not part of the AI ecosystem, they risk becoming invisible.

Why does this matters to your business

The IPPR research shows that AI models are already reshaping which news sources matter - and, therefore, which businesses and stories get surfaced when people seek information. In this evolving landscape, earned media is vitally important, because AI models often draw from authoritative, high‑quality, well‑indexed journalism.

We talked about this in more detail in a previous post: Why PR (and earned media) matters in the AI search era.

If your organisation is consistently featured in trusted news outlets, you are more likely to appear in AI outputs and your messaging will be repeated more accurately - vitally important when 45% of responses to questions about the news had at least one "significant" issue, according to Al Jazeera. Additionally, it will prevent your competitors from filling the space in the absence of your brand's voice.

Consistent, strategic PR is the mechanism that puts your business into the data pipelines AI tools rely on. The outlets you target, the relationships you build, and where your stories appear directly determine whether AI will know you exist - and whether it will present your business accurately.

How Schofield Communications can help

That is why you need a strategic PR partner who understands how AI, media relationships and modern news distribution work together. At Schofield Communications, we help organisations secure high‑quality earned coverage and strengthen their visibility online. Whether you need proactive PR, media outreach, crisis management support, or guidance on navigating the new media landscape, we’re here to make sure the right story is being told about your business.