---
title: "These Outlets Shaped Bitcoin’s Narrative in May."
date: 2025-06-09
author: Fernando Nikolic
tags: ["Reports"]
url: https://perception.to/bitcoin-media-research/these-outlets-shaped-bitcoins-narrative-in-may
description: "The Bitcoin Mainstream Media Power Rankings — May 2025 Edition"
image: https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/May-2025Legacy-media-report.png
---

# These Outlets Shaped Bitcoin’s Narrative in May.

> ****From Fernando, Founder of Perception****  
>   
> I built Perception because I was tired of guessing how Bitcoin was being framed — and by who. Every month, we scan 200+ outlets and surface the **narratives that actually move markets**.  
>   
> Not just volume. Not just headlines. Actual sentiment. Real tone. Strategic insight.  
>   
> This month’s report only includes outlets that mentioned Bitcoin at least 10 times.  
>   
> That means no **New York Times**, **FT**, or **WSJ**.  
>   
> They didn’t show up enough to matter.  
>   
> And that’s the whole point: **frequency equals influence**.  
>   
> By the way: if you haven’t been in the app lately, we’ve rolled out a ton of new features:  
>   
> → Real-time trend discovery (you can actually see what pocket of the Internet caught a trend first)  
>   
> → Channel-level sentiment dashboards  
>   
> → Daily alerts straight to Slack  
>   
> If this report saves you even five minutes, imagine what the full platform can do.  
>   
> 👉 [Jump into the app](https://app.perception.to/?ref=cms.perception.to) — see the signal for yourself.

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*Brought to you in partnership with* [***Bitcoin News***](https://weekly.bitcoinnews.com/?ref=cms.perception.to)

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/BN-Newsletter-Promo.png)

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## **Key Narrative Trends & Strategic Takeaways**

**1\. Media Fragmentation Is Now a Feature, Not a Bug**

Mainstream coverage is diverging. *CNBC* and *Forbes* position Bitcoin as financial infrastructure. *NBC News* and *The Guardian* still treat it as a systemic risk.

→ *Narratives now reflect the outlet’s audience — not objective consensus.*

**2\. Crime & Cybersecurity Remain Anchors of Fear**

Outlets with high negative sentiment nearly always focus on legal action, hacks, or scams.

→ *These tropes dominate bearish coverage and won’t disappear without active narrative pressure.*

**3\. Institutional Coverage Drives Bullish Sentiment**

Positive tone correlated with topics like ETFs, VC inflows, and sovereign strategies.

→ *Bitcoin is increasingly framed as a capital allocation tool, not protest tech.*

**4\. Volume Is Influence**

This report is based on outlets that published **10+ Bitcoin mentions** — because frequency is power.

→ *Narrative dominance requires repetition, not prestige.*

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## **🟢 Most Bullish Outlets**

**These outlets consistently portrayed Bitcoin in a constructive, forward-looking light.**

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### **🥇 CNBC**

**Positive:** 57.5% — **Negative:** 10.0% — **Neutral:** 32.5%

**Narrative:** Market momentum, institutional use, and tech optimism.

**Topics:** Market analysis (72.2% positive), investment vehicles, banking.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.07.17---AM.png)

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### **🥈 Forbes**

**Positive:** 55.7% — **Negative:** 18.0% — **Neutral:** 26.2%

**Narrative:** Bitcoin as asset class. Frequent intersections with AI and long-term macro.

**Topics:** Market analysis (85.7% positive), investment strategies, tech finance.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.08.26---AM.png)

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### **🥉 Fox News**

**Positive:** 35.7% — **Negative:** 35.7% — **Neutral:** 28.6%

**Narrative:** Sovereignty, anti-establishment, price bullishness.

**Topics:** Banking (66.7% positive), market analysis (100% positive), crime/cyber concerns.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.09.17---AM.png)

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### **CBS News**

**Positive:** 25.0% — **Negative:** 16.7% — **Neutral:** 58.3%

**Narrative:** Balanced, with bright spots on institutional adoption.

**Topics:** Institutional adoption (100% positive), banking, mining.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.10.05---AM.png)

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### **Fortune**

**Positive:** 25.0% — **Negative:** 9.4% — **Neutral:** 65.6%

**Narrative:** Quietly bullish, especially on mining and fintech rails.

**Topics:** Banking (50% positive), mining (100% positive), treasury strategy.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.10.46---AM.png)

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*Brought to you in partnership with* [***Bitcoin News***](https://weekly.bitcoinnews.com/?ref=cms.perception.to)

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/BN-Newsletter-Promo.png)

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## **🔴 Most Bearish Outlets**

**These outlets framed Bitcoin through the lens of crime, risk, or systemic instability.**

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### **🥇 New York Post**

**Positive:** 16.7% — **Negative:** 72.2% — **Neutral:** 11.1%

**Narrative:** Crime-dominant. No institutional or technical framing.

**Topics:** Crime/legal (100% negative), finance (66.7% negative).

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.11.32---AM.png)

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### **🥈 The Guardian**

**Positive:** 15.4% — **Negative:** 61.5% — **Neutral:** 23.1%

**Narrative:** Bitcoin as speculative, extractive, or ecologically harmful.

**Topics:** Mining (100% negative), investment vehicles (60% negative), crime.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.12.29---AM.png)

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### **🥉 NBC News**

**Positive:** 15.4% — **Negative:** 38.5% — **Neutral:** 46.2%

**Narrative:** Bitcoin as institutional risk and cybersecurity threat.

**Topics:** Banking (100% negative), crime/legal (100% negative), cybersecurity.

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.13.06---AM.png)

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### **The Independent**

**Positive:** 28.6% — **Negative:** 52.4% — **Neutral:** 19.0%

**Narrative:** Mixed, but tilted bearish via fear-based framing.

**Topics:** Cybersecurity and crime/legal (100% negative), investment (83.3% negative).

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.13.48---AM.png)

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### **Bloomberg**

**Positive:** 25.0% — **Negative:** 33.3% — **Neutral:** 41.7%

**Narrative:** Balanced, but persistent skepticism around legal and regulatory implications.

**Topics:** Market analysis (50% positive), crime/legal (100% negative).

![](https://cms.perception.to/content/images/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-09-at-9.14.23---AM.png)

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## **📊 Sentiment Summary Table**

**Outlet**

**🟩 Positive**

**⚪ Neutral**

**🟥 Negative**

CNBC

57.5%

32.5%

10.0%

Forbes

55.7%

26.2%

18.0%

Fox News

35.7%

28.6%

35.7%

CBS News

25.0%

58.3%

16.7%

Fortune

25.0%

65.6%

9.4%

New York Post

16.7%

11.1%

72.2%

The Guardian

15.4%

23.1%

61.5%

NBC News

15.4%

46.2%

38.5%

The Independent

28.6%

19.0%

52.4%

Bloomberg

25.0%

41.7%

33.3%

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## **Why This Report Matters**

Narrative is upstream of capital flow.

Whether you’re a fund manager, comms lead, or founder — knowing *who is framing Bitcoin*, *how often*, and *with what tone* is the key to strategic clarity.

**Perception** is your edge in that landscape — surfacing real-time media sentiment, narrative shifts, and outlet credibility at scale.

→ [Request access to the dashboard](https://perception.to/?ref=cms.perception.to)

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