Although mainstream media coverage of crypto has become more negative in recent years, a report found that in 2025, mainstream media coverage of bitcoin has become more balanced, with neutral reporting outweighing negative stories.
According to a set of opinion data compiled by crypto intelligence platform Perception, the shift was due less to enthusiasm for bitcoin and more to the exhaustion of previous criticism.
Perception’s analysis, which tracked approximately 350,000 mentions across 407 media outlets, suggests that environmental concerns, which once dominated mainstream media coverage, have faded by 2025, replaced by episodic reporting on crime, kidnapping and illicit use.
While these stories are negative in isolation, they no longer present Bitcoin itself as structurally harmful, resulting in a net tone that is more neutral than contradictory.
For the first time, BTC’s biggest media moments weren’t focused on whether Bitcoin is dead, data shows. They wondered how permanent bitcoin had become and whether its infrastructure could evolve and adapt to this permanence.
However, this shift in narrative did not happen overnight; rather, it occurred in distinct phases throughout the year, according to Perception data.
January marked a change in the regulatory regime, with the departure of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, ending years of uncertainty over enforcement. This led the agency to dismiss numerous lawsuits, such as those against Binance and Coinbase.
In March, political legitimization followed with the publication of a decree establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve. While the industry still awaits the official outcome of the executive order, it has shifted media coverage from speculative debate to state-level budget implications.
Then came October, which saw price validation as bitcoin hit a new high before correcting, cementing its status as a mature, volatile asset rather than a fragile experiment.
By the end of the year, attention had shifted to technical questions surrounding long-term cryptographic underpinnings, particularly after advances in quantum computing reignited discussions about the sustainability of the Bitcoin blockchain.
So where will media attention shift after media coverage settles into a more neutral and normalized posture in 2025?
Unsurprisingly, its artificial intelligence (AI) has become the primary driver of attention across consumer and digital channels, according to Perception data.
AI, as a topic, generated a much higher volume of discussion and sharper shifts in opinion, with controversy overtaking bitcoin even as mining-related coverage, which previously received mostly negative coverage, became more positive, Perception said.
It seems that, in the eyes of the mainstream media, bitcoin looks less like today’s disruptive threat than yesterday’s, as AI inherits the volatility of attention that once defined crypto coverage.
With cryptocurrency prices varying widely, only time will tell what catalyst will bring crypto coverage back. However, for now, it appears that AI will dominate the media narrative of 2026, whether positive or negative.
Market movement
BTC: Bitcoin holds above $92,000 as ETF flows re-emerge and liquidations remain contained, indicating institutional support beneath the market rather than a momentum-driven breakout.
ETFs: Ethereum is up slightly near $3,160, with modest gains and contained liquidations indicating steady accumulation rather than a speculative surge.
Gold: Gold is trading at $4,392.93, maintaining its broader uptrend as Venezuela-related geopolitical risk and upcoming U.S. jobs data keep safe-haven demand and Fed rate cut expectations in focus, despite a recent margin-triggered sell-off.
Nikkei 225: Japan’s Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.26% in its first trading session of 2026, leading gains in Asia-Pacific markets after the United States announced it had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, while oil prices fell slightly amid geopolitical uncertainty.
Elsewhere in crypto
- Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Credits Early Prison Release to Trump’s First Step Act (CoinDesk)
- SEC’s sole Democratic commissioner, Caroline Crenshaw, leaves agency, leaves all-Republican panel (The Block)
- All of Trump’s Pardons to Prominent Crypto Figures – So Far (Decrypt)
