Reuters Celebrates Pure and Trusted Reporting

“Pure News, Straight from the Source” by Brandtech’s Gravity Road uses cinematic Gen AI and original Reuters footage to demonstrate Reuters unique position as the world’s source for trusted news.

Reuters today announced the launch of a new brand campaign in the U.S., “Pure News, Straight from the Source.” The campaign underscores the importance of independent, agenda-free news in an environment rife with misinformation that can make it difficult to discern fact from fiction. 

This is the first time in its nearly 175-year history that Reuters has run a video advert as part of a brand campaign. 

“Pure News, Straight from the Source,” created by The Brandtech Group’s creative innovation company Gravity Road, uses water as a metaphor: just as water can become unclear the further it gets from its origin, so too can information the further it gets from its source. It highlights Reuters unique position in reporting the world’s news as it happens, from where it happens, with more than 2,600 journalists reporting from 200 locations around the world. Reuters global journalism is a trusted, unbiased source relied upon by thousands news outlets, 50 million monthly digital users and hundreds of thousands of professionals via Thomson Reuters and LSEG products.

The film is directed by Ivan Bird, who is renowned for his cinematography work on the BAFTA and Oscar nominated cult hit Sexy Beast and the iconic Guiness Surfer ad, repeatedly cited as one of the best advertisements ever made.

The campaign centers on a film that dramatizes an alternate reality where the water everyone consumes is cloudy–a visual metaphor for the misinformation that a growing number of people are consuming and where it can be hard to tell what’s real. A cacophonous soundtrack echoes the barrage of sources that people must navigate in search of reliable news.  

The film combines cinematic craft, generative AI and original Reuters footage to create a striking visual narrative. Generative AI is deliberately employed to transform clear water into cloudy, demonstrating how this same technology can be used to create convincing but false imagery. This artistic choice reinforces why trusted, verified news sources like Reuters are more critical than ever.  

An arresting moment occurs when the film switches to actual Reuters footage, shot in alignment with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. While generative AI is used artistically in the campaign, Reuters maintains strict editorial guidelines that prohibit the creation of photos and videos with generative AI in its news coverage, ensuring audiences can know that what they see from Reuters journalists is real, accurate and trustworthy. 

This campaign launches amid the escalating spread of misinformation and disinformation worldwide. According to the 2025 Reuters Institute Digital News Report, more than half of global respondents said they are worried about whether news they see online is real or fake. That concern is particularly high in the U.S., where nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents share these worries. As an on-the-ground source for global news, Reuters is the place where readers know they are seeing information that is real and true.

"In an era of information overload and growing skepticism about media, Reuters stands as a beacon," said Paul Bascobert, President of Reuters. "Our mission has never been more critical – to deliver facts and rigorous analysis and to shed light on the truth without fear or favor. This campaign reinforces our position as one of the most trusted sources of information for nearly 175 years, assuring readers they are getting unbiased and accurate news when they subscribe to Reuters.com."

The channel strategy and execution is led by StrawberryFrog Media and deploys AI-driven cross-device sequencing and next-generation video formats to bring the Reuters “Pure News” narrative to life. The strategy focuses on how people in New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. experience the Reuters brand across CTV, online video, high-impact mobile interstitials and social. This turns the multi-screen media plan into a seamless, story-driven journey that feels fluid, human and impossible to ignore.

"Subscribing to Reuters.com provides a direct link to pure, trusted journalism,” said Josh London, Head of Reuters Professional. "In a world craving certainty, we offer consumers access to facts, reported independently and accurately. For our subscribers, this isn't just a news service; it's a commitment to receiving unvarnished truth, empowering them with the trusted insights only Reuters can provide.”

Gravity Road co-founder and CEO Mark Eaves says: “We scrutinise the sources of the food and drink we consume — where we demand transparency, traceability and purity. So why should we be less concerned with the sources of the news we intake? As misinformation takes on ever more convincing forms through AI, this campaign reasserts Reuters’ primacy as part of a healthy news diet.” 

“Pure News, Straight from the Source” launches today throughout the U.S.

Credits

CLIENT/ REUTERS:
President - Paul Bascobert
Managing Director, Reuters Professional - Josh London
General Manager, Digital - Phil Andraos

AGENCY/ Gravity Road:
Founder - Mark Eaves
Executive Creative Director - Sophie Cullinane
Executive Producer - Lou Hake
Executive Strategy Director - Ruairi Curran
Account Director - Rob Henderson

PRODUCTION/ Great Guns:
Director: Ivan Bird
Producer: Kate Philips
Head of Production: Tim Francis
Editor: Vanessa Wood

SOUND/ 750mph
Sound design: Mike TBC
Production: Aishah Amodu

GRADE/ Selected Works

Colourist: Nielsen Bohl
Producer: Nicola Simmons