Tell the Media: Keep Betting Out of Journalism

The growing integration of prediction markets and betting platforms into news coverage is blurring the line between journalism and gambling. Partnerships with companies like Kalshi and Polymarket risk turning reporting into speculation, where the incentive is no longer to inform the public but to drive engagement, wagers, and profit. This is not innovation—it is a fundamental shift in what journalism is for.

Yet too much media coverage treats these partnerships as novel tools or audience engagement strategies rather than confronting their ethical implications. When news organizations embed betting odds into reporting or align themselves with platforms that profit from political outcomes, they risk undermining credibility, distorting incentives, and turning democratic processes into games of chance.

We call on major news organizations to reject partnerships with prediction markets and keep betting out of journalism. The public deserves reporting grounded in facts, not speculation tied to financial stakes. Journalism’s role is to inform and hold power accountable—not to encourage gambling on the outcomes of democracy.