On Tuesday, the Reuters Institute published the Digital News Report 2026 (DNR), a comprehensive study showing that social media and video platforms have overtaken news organizations’ websites, apps, and television channels as the main way people access information globally.
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The study, based on a survey of nearly 100,000 digital news consumers across 48 markets worldwide, reveals that trust in news has fallen to 37%, its lowest level since 2015, with particularly sharp declines in the Philippines, Ireland, Thailand, Peru, and Poland.
The DNR 2026 also points to increased use of artificial intelligence chatbots to access current events, especially among younger people, the rise of digital content creators and a growing preference for video formats over text and audio.
Videos and Content Creators
Social media and video platforms are now the main source of news for 30% of respondents globally, compared with 22% five years ago, placing them ahead of any other avenue for accessing current events. Increases were recorded in 22 out of 48 markets analyzed, including countries such as Germany, where they have historically played a smaller role.
More than half of young people ages 18 to 24 (56%) have never regularly read a newspaper, while news consumption through television and through news organizations’ websites and apps has declined across all age groups except those older than 55.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents watch news videos every week through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
The study found that consumption of news videos now surpasses television in most of the markets analyzed, with the exception of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Some 27% of respondents obtain at least part of their information from influencers or news content creators, although only 3% rely exclusively on them and 10% use them as their main source.
“Audiences face relentless competition for their attention online every day. It should not be surprising that some choose to disconnect, others rely on what reaches them through their social networks, and many are uncertain about what is trustworthy,” Jim Egan, the report’s lead author, said.
The researcher nevertheless emphasized that “people still believe in the importance of trustworthy news and continue to trust providers they are familiar with.” According to him, “the mandate of journalism remains valid,” even as the information environment becomes increasingly complex.
Trust in Artificial Intelligence
The DNR 2026 recorded a particularly low level of trust in the United States, where only 25% of respondents said they trust most news most of the time, a figure that falls to 15% among those who identify with the political right.
Researchers found a growing paradox globally: Although users are increasingly concerned about misinformation, they are relying more and more on social and video platforms as their primary route to news.
The use of artificial intelligence chatbots for news consumption continues to grow, although at a moderate pace, reaching 10% of respondents, compared with 7% the previous year. Usage is higher among people under 35, reaching 16%. Even so, only 20% trust their responses.
About 18% of respondents said they pay for online news, a stable figure, while interest in impartial information remains strong: 45% prefer it, compared with 20% who choose outlets that reflect their own point of view.
