Asia Morning Briefing: Data reveals that traditional media coverage of Bitcoin in 2025 was notably more balanced.

Bitcoin Coverage Shifts in 2025 as AI Captures Media Spotlight

In 2025, media attention on Bitcoin moved away from its environmental footprint and toward crime, kidnapping, and illicit activity, though overall sentiment remained largely neutral, according to crypto intelligence platform Perception.

While legacy media had grown increasingly negative on crypto in recent years, Perception’s report found that last year’s coverage of Bitcoin was more balanced, with neutral reporting outweighing critical stories. The shift reflected less enthusiasm for Bitcoin than a waning of earlier critiques.

Perception tracked around 350,000 mentions across 407 outlets, showing that environmental concerns—which once dominated coverage—faded, replaced by episodic reports on criminal activity. These negative stories no longer framed Bitcoin itself as harmful, resulting in a net tone that leaned neutral.

For the first time, major Bitcoin media moments weren’t about whether the cryptocurrency was “dead,” but about its permanence and whether its infrastructure could scale for the long term.

This narrative unfolded in phases throughout 2025:

January: Regulatory clarity emerged following SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s departure, leading to the dismissal of enforcement cases against Binance and Coinbase.
March: Policy recognition grew with an executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, shifting coverage from speculation to state-level budget implications.
October: Bitcoin hit a new all-time high before correcting, reinforcing its status as a mature, volatile asset.
Year-end: Focus turned to technical questions about Bitcoin’s cryptographic foundations, driven by advances in quantum computing.

Looking ahead, AI has become the primary driver of media attention. Perception data shows AI discussions outpaced Bitcoin in volume and sentiment swings, while mining-related coverage shifted from negative to more positive. Bitcoin increasingly appears as a stable, normalized asset, while AI now dominates headlines.

Market Update

Bitcoin (BTC): Holding above $92,000, supported by ETF inflows and contained liquidations, signaling institutional backing.
Ethereum (ETH): Trading near $3,160, showing steady accumulation rather than speculative spikes.
Gold: At $4,392.93, maintaining its uptrend amid geopolitical tensions in Venezuela and anticipation of U.S. jobs data.
Nikkei 225: Rose 2.26% in the first 2026 session, leading Asia-Pacific gains after the U.S. captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro; oil prices edged lower.

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