Pod utjecajem suvremenih tehnologija i posebno društvenih mreža, profesionalno novinarstvo našlo se u raskoraku između normi, standarda i izvornih zahtjeva profesije s jedne strane, zahtjeva poslodavaca, vlasnika medijskih kompanija i industrije s druge strane i s treće očekivanja atomiziranih javnosti rukovođenih različitim patikularnim interesima, sklonostima i predrasudama. U radu ukazujemo na izazove profesionalnog novinarstva koji su uticali na gubljenje povjerenja između informativnih medija, novinara i publike, što je utjecalo na promjenu profesionalnog identiteta novinara i umesto nezavisnih, kritičkih i objektivnih istraživača i snabdjevača informacijama odgovornog demokratskog i kritičkog javnog mnjenja, oni su svedeni na „zaposlene u medijskim kompanijama“. Jedna od posljedica novinarskog odustajanja od normi profesionalnog identiteta i fokusiranosti na javni interes je poplava lažnih vesti koje medijski ekosistem čine još kaotičnijim, a površnu i medijski neobrazovanu publiku sklonu jednostavnim rješenjima i predrasudama, lakom za manipulaciju. U tako oblikovnom medijskom ekosistemu, u kojem novinari nemaju obavezu da provjeravaju informacije prije objavljivanja nego se to radije prebacuje na korisnike, manipulacija nema za cilj samo ekonomsku dobit medijskih kompanija nego i ideološku i političku indoktrinaciju, širenje govora mržnje, straha i nepoverenja i konačno stvaranje uvjeta za nedemokratske oblike vladavine. U radu tvrdimo da dokumenti u kojima se utvrđuju mjere za ojačavanje povjerenja između novinara i publike neće imati efekta ukoliko sami novinari ne reafirmiraju svoj profesionalni identitet i ne steknu podršku publike da zaštite svoje profesionalne strandarde od uticaja tržišta i profita. Under the influence of modern technologies and especially social networks, professional journalism has found itself in a gap between the norms, standards and original requirements of the profession on the one hand, the demands of employers, owners of media companies and industry on the other hand, and on the third hand the expectations of the atomized public guided by different particular interests, preferences and prejudices. In the paper, we point out the challenge of professional journalism, which affected the loss of trust between the news media, journalists and the audience, which affected the change in the professional identity of journalists, and instead of independent, critical and objective researchers and suppliers of information to responsible democratic and Cretan public opinion, they were reduced to “employees in media companies”. One of the consequences of journalists abandoning the norms of professional identity and focusing on the public interest is a flood of fake news that makes the media ecosystem even more chaotic and a superficial and media-uneducated audience prone to simple solutions and prejudices, easy to manipulate. In such a shaped media ecosystem, in which journalists do not have the obligation to check information before publication, but rather leave it to the users, manipulation is not only aimed at the economic profit of media companies, but also at ideological and political indoctrination, the spread of hate speech, fear and mistrust, and ultimately the creation of conditions for non-democratic forms of government. In the paper, we claim that documents establishing measures to strengthen trust between journalists and the public will have no effect if the journalists themselves do not reaffirm their professional identity and gain the support of the public to protect their professional standards from the influence of the market and profits.