The Reuters Institute has just released the tenth edition of its Digital News Report, a must-read for all of us. Together with last year's, this report shows with great depth and clarity the impact of the pandemic on the global information ecosystem. As in every other area, the great crisis that the world has gone through in the last year and a half has only exacerbated trends that were already being observed; in this case, the move towards a more digital, mobile and platform-dominated news environment.
The report notes that trust in the news has grown, on average, by six percentage points in the wake of the pandemic, with 44% of the total sample saying they trust most news most of the time. This tendency reverses recent falls in average trust bringing levels back to those of 2018. Similarly, there has been an increased consumption of trusted news brands in many countries, particularly those with strong and independent public service media. However, this pattern is less clear in countries where the Covid-19 crisis has dominated the media agenda on a lower level and where other political and social issues have played a more important role.
Regarding news sources, TV has continued to perform strongly in some countries, but print newspapers have witnessed a dramatic fall virtually everywhere as physical distribution has been hampered by lockdowns, hastening the transition to a digital news environment. Some audiences are turning away from the news media and in some cases avoiding news altogether. A growing concern in the media environment seems to be diversity and inclusion. On this topic, the research found that the media are seen to be representing young people, and especially young women, political partisans, and people from minority ethnic groups less fairly.
The use of social media platforms for news is still very strong, particularly among younger populations and those with lower levels of education. In the Global South, apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have become especially popular, causing the most concern when it comes to the spread of misinformation about Covid-19.
This year, global concerns about false and misleading information have risen marginally. People who use social media are more likely than non-users to say they have been exposed to misinformation. Facebook is widely seen as the main platform for spreading false information, while messaging apps such as WhatsApp are perceived as a worse concern in countries from the Global South. We should also pay attention to the growing presence of alternative sources on networks such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Indeed, TikTok now reaches a quarter (24%) of under-35s, with 7% using the platform for news – and a higher penetration in parts of Latin America and Asia.
Although there have been significant increases in payment for online news in a small number of Western countries, the overall percentage of people paying for online news remains low. Likewise, in most countries a large proportion of digital subscriptions go to just a few big national brands, reinforcing a “winner takes most” dynamic.
Last but not least, the report shows that access to news continues to become more distributed. Across all markets, just a quarter of those surveyed (25%) prefer to start their news journeys with a website or app. Those aged 18-24 have an even weaker connection with websites and apps and are almost twice as likely to prefer to access news via social media, aggregators, or mobile alerts. And while mobile aggregators play a small part in the media environment of Western countries, they have a powerful position in many Asian markets.
In this disruptive era, in which news consumption is undergoing profound transformations, the good news is that media companies still have options to thrive. According to the report, they have two options: “They can try to build a deeper relationship with a specific audience or demographic – representing and reflecting their views and aspirations. This journalism may need to take a clearer ‘point of view’ but could also build deep trust with that specific group. On the other hand, media companies could choose to try to bridge these divides with services that work for the largest number of people possible – something much of the public say they want. In this case, the challenge will be whether journalism that balances different points of view can engage audiences sufficiently but also avoid getting caught up in the partisan and cultural battles that have been such a feature of the last few years.” The challenge is definitely not small, and the whole information ecosystem will be profoundly affected by it. Let's face it all together.
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