Although coverage of cryptocurrency in mainstream media has turned increasingly negative in recent years, a recent report indicates that in 2025, traditional media’s portrayal of bitcoin became more balanced, with neutral reporting surpassing negative narratives.
An analysis of sentiment data from the crypto intelligence platform Perception revealed that this shift was primarily driven by a saturation of earlier criticisms rather than a newfound enthusiasm for bitcoin.
Perception’s analysis, encompassing nearly 350,000 mentions across 407 outlets, indicates that environmental issues, which had previously dominated media discourse, diminished in 2025, giving way to intermittent reporting on crime, kidnappings, and illicit activities.
While these stories may appear negative on their own, they did not consistently cast bitcoin as inherently harmful, leading to an overall tone that felt more neutral than antagonistic.
For the first time, the most significant media attention surrounding BTC was not centered on the question of whether bitcoin is obsolete. Instead, it focused on how established bitcoin has become and the potential for its infrastructure to scale with its permanence.
This narrative transformation did not happen overnight; it unfolded gradually throughout the year, as indicated by Perception’s findings.
January heralded a change in regulatory dynamics, marked by the exit of SEC Chair Gary Gensler, which concluded years of enforcement-induced uncertainty. Consequently, several enforcement actions, including those against Binance and Coinbase, were dismissed.
In March, policy legitimization followed, signaled by an executive order that instituted a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. While the industry is still anticipating the final outcomes of this order, it has shifted media focus from speculative debates to state-level budgetary considerations.
October brought a validation of price, as bitcoin reached a new peak before a correction, reinforcing its image as a mature yet volatile asset rather than a fragile experiment.
By the end of the year, the focus had shifted to technical aspects concerning the long-term stability of cryptographic foundations, especially after advancements in quantum computing reignited discussions about ensuring the future viability of the Bitcoin blockchain.
As media coverage settles into a more neutral and normalized stance in 2025, where is it headed next?
Not surprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as the leading topic capturing attention across both mainstream and digital channels, as noted by Perception’s findings.
The discussion around AI generated significantly higher volume and more pronounced sentiment fluctuations, with controversies outpacing bitcoin, even as coverage related to mining, which was previously largely negative, has shifted to a more positive tone, according to Perception.
In the eyes of mainstream media, bitcoin now appears less as a current disruptive threat and more like a relic of the past, while AI assumes the unpredictable attention that once characterized crypto reporting.
With cryptocurrency prices largely stabilized, it remains unclear what will prompt a resurgence in crypto-focused coverage. However, it is evident that AI will shape the media narrative in 2026, regardless of whether the tone is favorable or unfavorable.
Market Movement
BTC: Bitcoin remains above $92,000 as ETF inflows return and liquidations remain modest, indicating institutional backing in the market rather than a rush-driven breakout.
ETH: Ethereum is making slight gains near $3,160, with controlled liquidations suggesting steady accumulation rather than speculative activity.
Gold: Gold trades at $4,392.93, maintaining its broader upward trend amid geopolitical concerns related to Venezuela and upcoming U.S. jobs data, which keeps safe-haven demand and expectations of Fed rate cuts in the spotlight, despite a recent selloff triggered by margin calls.
Nikkei 225: Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.26% in its first trading session of 2026, leading gains across Asia-Pacific markets after the U.S. announced the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, while oil prices declined amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Elsewhere in Crypto
- Bitfinex hacker Ilya Lichtenstein attributes his early prison release to Trump’s First Step Act (CoinDesk)
- SEC’s lone Democratic Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw departs from the agency, leaving the panel with all-Republican members (The Block)
- Overview of Trump’s Pardons of Prominent Crypto Figures—So Far (Decrypt)
