Reuters Digital News

Reuters Institute
Digital News Report 2020

Reuters Institute
Digital News Report 2020
Nic Newman with Richard Fletcher, Anne Schulz,
Simge Andı, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Supported by
Surveyed by
© Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism / Digital News Report 2020
Contents
Foreword by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen 5 3.15 Netherlands 76

Methodology6 3.16 Norway 77
Authorship and Research Acknowledgements 7 3.17 Poland 78
3.18 Portugal 79
SECTION 1 3.19 Romania 80
Executive Summary and Key Findings by Nic Newman 9 3.20 Slovakia 81

3.21 Spain 82
SECTION 2 3.22 Sweden 83
Further Analysis and International Comparison 33 3.23 Switzerland 84
2.1 How and Why People are Paying for Online News 34 3.24 Turkey 85
2.2 The Resurgence and Importance of Email Newsletters 38 AMERICAS
2.3 How Do People Want the Media to Cover Politics? 42 3.25 United States 88
2.4 Global Turmoil in the Neighbourhood: 3.26 Argentina 89

Problems Mount for Regional and Local News 47 3.27 Brazil 90
2.5 How People Access News about Climate Change 52 3.28 Canada 91
3.29 Chile 92
SECTION 3 3.30 Mexico 93
Country and Market Data 59 ASIA PACIFIC
EUROPE 3.31 Australia 96
3.01 United Kingdom 62 3.32 Hong Kong 97
3.02 Austria 63 3.33 Japan 98
3.03 Belgium 64 3.34 Malaysia 99
3.04 Bulgaria 65 3.35 Philippines 100
3.05 Croatia 66 3.36 Singapore 101
3.06 Czech Republic 67 3.37 South Korea 102
3.07 Denmark 68 3.38 Taiwan 103
3.08 Finland 69 AFRICA
3.09 France 70 3.39 Kenya 106
3.10 Germany 71 3.40 South Africa 107
3.11 Greece 72
3.12 Hungary 73 SECTION 4
3.13 Ireland 74 References and Selected Publications 109
3.14 Italy 75
4 / 5
Foreword
Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ)
The coronavirus crisis is having a profound impact not just on Our main survey this year covered respondents in 40 markets,
our health and our communities, but also on the news media. including 24 in Europe, and four in Latin America (Brazil, Argentina,
Most of the research presented in this year’s Digital News Report Chile, and Mexico) as well as the United States and Canada. In
was collected before the virus hit in many countries, but findings Asia we have added the Philippines this year to our existing seven
from the work we have carried out in the months since underline markets (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia,
that the crisis is very likely to accelerate long-term structural Singapore, and Australia) and we are delighted to include Kenya for
changes towards a more digital, more mobile, and more the first time, following the inclusion of South Africa in 2019. In the
platform-dominated media environment. years to come we plan to continue to make this report even more
comprehensive and more international by covering more countries
The bulk of this report is based on data collected by a survey of
in the Global South. Having said that, as we use online polling
more than 80,000 people in 40 markets and reflects media usage
and need to make meaningful comparisons, we continue to focus
in January/February just before the coronavirus hit many of these
on countries with high internet penetration and which are either
countries. But the key trends that we document here, including
broadly democratic or generally compare themselves to countries
changes in how people access news, low trust, and rising concern
with a democratic tradition.
about misinformation have been a backdrop against which journalists,
editors, politicians, and public health officials have been battling to A report of this scale and scope is only possible due to collaboration
reach ordinary people with key messages over the last few months. from our partners and sponsors around the world. We are proud to
have the opportunity to work with a number of leading academics
We know that this crisis has substantially increased the amount
and top universities in the report, as well as media experts from
and frequency of news consumption as well as influenced attitudes
the news industry itself. Our partners have helped in a variety
to the news media, at least temporarily. We’ve captured this in a
of different ways, from checking questionnaires to helping to
second set of polling data collected in April when the crisis was at
analyse and interpret the results. Many are also organising events
its peak in some countries. This has helped us to see the impact of
or publishing country reports looking in more detail at specific
the crisis in terms of sources of news and also reminded us of the
issues facing their national media – adding wider value to this
critical role that the news media play at times of national crisis,
international project.
including documenting that people who rely on news media are
better informed about the virus than those who do not. Given the richness of the research, this report can only convey
a small part of the data collected and work done. More detail
While many media companies have been enjoying record audience
is available on our website, www.digitalnewsreport.org, which
figures, news fatigue is also setting in, and the short-term and
contains slidepacks and charts, along with a licence that
long-term economic impact of the crisis is likely to be profound –
encourages reuse, subject to attribution to the Reuters Institute.
advertising budgets are slashed and a recession looms, threatening
news media, some of whom are struggling with adapting to a Making all this possible, we are hugely grateful to our sponsors:
changing world. Against this background, this year’s report also Google News Initiative, BBC News, Ofcom, the Broadcasting
focuses on the shift towards paying for online news in many Authority of Ireland, the Dutch Media Authority (CvdM), the
countries across the world, with detailed analysis of progress in three Media Industry Research Foundation of Finland, the Fritt
countries (the UK, USA, and Norway). What lessons can we learn Ord Foundation in Norway, the Korea Press Foundation, and
about what could persuade more people to pay directly for news? Edelman UK, as well as our academic sponsors at the Hans
Bredow Institute, the University of Navarra, the University of
This year, our report carries important data about the extent to
Canberra, the Centre d’études sur les médias, Quebec, Canada,
which people value and trust local news, perhaps the sector most
and Roskilde University in Denmark. We are particularly grateful
vulnerable to the economic shocks that will inevitably follow the
to the Open Society Foundations, our newest sponsor, which has
health crisis itself. And we also explore the way people access
helped us to expand the report to cover more countries in the
news about climate change as well as attitudes to media coverage
Global South this year.
for the first time.
We are also grateful to YouGov, our polling company, who did
Given that the coronavirus is continuing to impact the media
everything possible to accommodate our increasingly complex
landscape at great pace, we have significantly reduced the
requirements and helped our research team analyse and
commentary on this year’s market- and country-based pages, though
contextualise the data.
we publish the key data that we collected in January/February in full.

Methodology
This study has been commissioned by the Reuters Institute • It is also important to note that online surveys rely on recall,
for the Study of Journalism to understand how news is being which is often imperfect or subject to biases. We have tried
consumed in a range of countries. Research was conducted by to mitigate these risks through careful questionnaire design
YouGov using an online questionnaire at the end of January/ and testing. On the other hand, surveys can be a good way of
beginning of February 2020. capturing fragmented media consumption across platforms
(eg social media, messaging, apps, and websites), and tracking
• Samples in each country were assembled using nationally
activities and changes over time.
representative quotas for age, gender, region, and education.
The data were also weighted to targets based on census/ • We conducted two additional surveys this year. The first was
industry accepted data. a detailed study of paying for online news where we surveyed
around 4,000 respondents in the United States and the United
• As this survey deals with news consumption, we filtered out
Kingdom and around 2,000 respondents in Norway. Polling
anyone who said that they had not consumed any news in the
was conducted by YouGov in February 2020 using a similar
past month, in order to ensure that irrelevant responses didn’t
methodology as for the main survey. In April we conducted
adversely affect data quality. This category averaged around 3%.
an additional survey with the Misinformation, Science and
• We should note that online samples will tend to under-represent Media project run by the Reuters Institute in collaboration
the consumption habits of people who are not online (typically with the Oxford Internet Institute and support from the
older, less affluent, and with limited formal education). In this sense Oxford Martin School to understand the impact of the novel
it is better to think of results as representative of online populations coronavirus on media consumption in six countries (UK, USA,
who use news at least once a month. In a country like Norway this Germany, Spain, Argentina, and South Korea). Samples sizes
is almost everyone (98%) but in Mexico it is only two-thirds (66%) were approximately 2,000 in the UK and Germany, and 1,000
and in South Africa just over half (55%). Our sample in Kenya only elsewhere. We have indicated occasions where data come
includes those aged 18-54 due to difficulties in reaching older from these additional surveys next to the appropriate chart.
people online. These differences mean we need to be cautious Where we compare the results from this survey to the DNR,
when comparing results between countries. We have marked we have removed those that use news less than once a month
countries with lower internet penetration or less representative to make the data more directly comparable. For more details
online samples with an asterisk (*) in the table at the end of on the methodology for this survey, see the standalone report
this section and have been careful in the report not to directly (Nielsen et al. 2020). Open questions were used in our surveys
compare these countries on issues where we know that the sample and some user comments have been drawn from these and are
difference would make results invalid (eg paying for news). used in the text.
• It is important to note that some of our survey-based results • A fuller description of the methodology, panel partners, and
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
will not match industry data, which are often based on different
Slide 1
methodologies, such as web-tracking. The accuracy of these
a discussion of non-probability sampling techniques can
be found on our website along with the full questionnaire
approaches can be high, but they are subject to different (digitalnewsreport.org).
limitations, meaning that data can also be partial or incomplete.
Country/market Sample Internet Country/market Sample Internet Country/market Sample Internet

size penetration size penetration size penetration
Europe Netherlands 2014 96% Chile* 2005 77%
UK 2011 95% Norway 2010 98% Mexico* 2023 66%
Austria 2005 88% Poland 2008 78% Asia Pacific
Belgium 2010 94% Portugal 2012 78% Australia 2131 89%
Bulgaria* 2006 67% Romania* 2017 74% Hong Kong 2023 89%
Croatia 2009 92% Slovakia 2018 85% Japan 2006 93%
Czech Republic 2006 88% Spain 2006 93% Malaysia* 2013 81%
Denmark 2061 98% Sweden 2091 96% Philippines* 2019 72%
Finland 2050 94% Switzerland 2012 94% Singapore 2014 88%
France 2038 92% Turkey* 2017 83% South Korea 2304 96%
Germany 2011 96% Americas Taiwan 1027 93%
Greece* 2015 73% USA 2055 89% Africa
Hungary 2011 89% Argentina* 2007 93% Kenya (18-54)* 2003 87%
Ireland 2006 92% Brazil* 2058 71% South Africa* 2006 55%
Italy 2015 93% Canada 2002 93%
Source: Internet World Stats (http://www.internetworldstats.com). *Data are from more urban areas, rather than a fully nationally representative sample. These will tend to represent richer
and more connected users which should be taken into consideration when interpreting results.
6 / 7
Authorship and research

acknowledgements
Nic Newman is Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism and is also a consultant on digital media, working
actively with news companies on product, audience, and business
strategies for digital transition. He also writes an annual report for
the Institute on future media and technology trends.
Dr Richard Fletcher is a Senior Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute

for the Study of Journalism. He is primarily interested in global trends in
digital news consumption, the use of social media by journalists and
news organisations, and more broadly, the relationship between
computer-based technologies and journalism.
Dr Anne Schulz is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Reuters

Institute for the Study of Journalism. Her doctoral work focused
on populism, media perceptions, and news consumption. She is
researching questions surrounding news audiences and digital news.
Dr Simge Andı is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Reuters

Institute for the Study of Journalism. Her doctoral work explored online
misinformation, mainly focusing on the sharing of false information
via social media. She uses survey and experimental data to study
the consumption and sharing of news.
Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen is Director of the Reuters Institute

for the Study of Journalism, Professor of Political Communication at the
University of Oxford, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the International
Journal of Press/Politics from 2015 to 2018. His work focuses on changes
in the news media, political communication, and the role of digital
technologies in both.
Market-level commentary and additional insight around media

developments have been provided by academic partners and by our
network of Reuters Journalist Fellows around the world.1 Additional
expert analysis and interpretation of the survey data were provided by
the team at YouGov, in particular, Charlotte Clifford, Lucie Larboulette,
David Eastbury, Mark Pellatt, and Anna Wilson.
Reuters Fellowships offer an opportunity to mid-career journalists to spend time researching an aspect of journalism for one or more terms at the Institute in Oxford.
1

8 / 9
S E C T I O N 1
Executive Summary
and Key Findings
Nic Newman
Senior Research Associate,
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

This year’s report comes in the midst of a global A SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
health pandemic that is unprecedented in modern FINDINGS FROM OUR 2020 RESEARCH
times and whose economic, political, and social • The coronavirus crisis has substantially increased news
consequences are still unfolding. The seriousness consumption for mainstream media in all six countries where
we conducted surveys before and after the pandemic had
of this crisis has reinforced the need for reliable,
taken effect. Television news and online sources have seen
accurate journalism that can inform and educate significant upticks, and more people identify television as
populations, but it has also reminded us how their main source of news, providing temporary respite from a
picture of steady decline. Consumption of printed newspapers
open we have become to conspiracies and
has fallen as lockdowns undermine physical distribution,
misinformation. Journalists no longer control almost certainly accelerating the shift to an all-digital future.
access to information, while greater reliance • At the same time, the use of online and social media
on social media and other platforms give people substantially increased in most countries. WhatsApp saw
access to a wider range of sources and ‘alternative the biggest growth in general with increases of around ten
percentage points in some countries, while more than half
facts’, some of which are at odds with official
of those surveyed (51%) used some kind of open or closed
advice, misleading, or simply false. online group to connect, share information, or take part in
a local support network.
Much of the data in this publication was collected before the virus
hit many of the countries featured in this survey, so to a large • As of April 2020, trust in the media’s coverage of COVID-19
extent this represents a snapshot of these historic trends. But was relatively high in all countries, at a similar level to
to get a sense of what has changed, we repeated key parts of our national governments and significantly higher than for
survey in six countries (UK, USA, Germany, Spain, South Korea, individual politicians. Media trust was more than twice the
and Argentina) in early April. These responses confirm industry level for social networks, video platforms, or messaging
data which show increased consumption of traditional sources of services when it came to information about COVID-19.
news, especially television, but also some online news sources. From our wider dataset collected in January:
Journalism matters and is in demand again. But one problem • Global concerns about misinformation remain high. Even before
for publishers is that this extra interest is producing even less the coronavirus crisis hit, more than half of our global sample
income – as advertisers brace for an inevitable recession and said they were concerned about what is true or false on the
print revenue dips. Against this background it is likely we’ll see internet when it comes to news. Domestic politicians are the
a further drive towards digital subscription and other reader single most frequently named source of misinformation, though
payment models which have shown considerable promise in the in some countries – including the United States – people who
last few years. This is what makes it so important to understand self-identify as right-wing are more likely to blame the media –
how various models are progressing in different markets, such part of a ‘pick-your-side’ dynamic. Facebook is seen as the main
as the United States, Norway, and the UK, where we have channel for spreading false information almost everywhere but
conducted more in-depth research on pay this year. While the WhatsApp is seen as more responsible in parts of the Global
coronavirus crisis is likely to dramatically affect the short-term South such as Brazil and Malaysia.
prospects for many publishers, our findings provide long-term
insights into one important part of the future of the business • In our January poll across countries, less than four in ten
of news. We also ask about the implications for society if more (38%) said they trust most news most of the time – a fall of
high-quality information disappears behind paywalls, a dilemma four percentage points from 2019. Less than half (46%) said
that has become more real during this health emergency. they trust the news they use themselves. Political polarisation
linked to rising uncertainty seems to have undermined trust
Looking to the future, publishers are increasingly recognising in public broadcasters in particular, which are losing support
that long-term survival is likely to involve stronger and deeper from political partisans from both the right and the left.
connection with audiences online, which is why we have also
• Despite this, our survey shows that the majority (60%) still
examined the growing importance of emails and podcasts,
prefer news that has no particular point of view and that only
formats that are being deployed in greater numbers to increase
a minority (28%) prefer news that shares or reinforces their
engagement and loyalty. The coronavirus crisis has presented an
views. Partisan preferences have slightly increased in the
immediate and urgent existential threat, but in the section on
United States since we last asked this question in 2013 but
climate change, we explore how audiences access news about
even here a silent majority seems to be looking for news that
this longer-term threat to human existence and how they feel
at least tries to be objective.
about media coverage.
• As the news media adapt to changing styles of political
Our report this year, based on data from six continents and communication, most people (52%) would prefer them to
40 markets, aims to cast light on the key issues that face the prominently report false statements from politicians rather than
industry at a time of unprecedented uncertainty. The overall not emphasise them (29%). People are less comfortable with
story is captured in this Executive Summary, followed by political adverts via search engines and social media than they
Section 2 with chapters containing additional analysis, and then are with political adverts on TV, and most people (58%) would
individual country and market pages in Section 3 with detailed prefer platforms to block adverts that could contain inaccurate
data and extra context. claims – even if it means they ultimately get to decide what is true.
10 / 11
• We have seen significant increases in payment for online news CORONAVIRUS REMINDS PEOPLE OF THE VALUE
in a number of countries including the United States 20% OF TRADITIONAL NEWS SOURCES
(+4) and Norway 42% (+8), with smaller rises in a range of
other markets. It is important to note that across all countries Over the last nine years, our data have shown online news
most people are still not paying for online news, even if some overtaking television as the most frequently used source of news
publishers have since reported a ‘coronavirus bump’. in many of the countries covered by our online survey. At the
same time, printed newspapers have continued to decline while
• Overall, the most important factor for those who subscribe
social media have levelled off after a sharp rise.
is the distinctiveness and quality of the content. Subscribers
believe they are getting better information. However, a large The coronavirus crisis has significantly, though almost certainly
number of people are perfectly content with the news they temporarily, changed that picture. Television news has seen an
can access for free and we observe a very high proportion of uplift in all
REUTERS six countries
INSTITUTE FOR THEwhere
STUDYweOFpolled in both/ FURTHER
JOURNALISM January and April
ANALYSIS
non-subscribers (40% in the USA and 50% in the UK) who
say that nothing could persuade them to pay.
Slide 2
2020. Taking Germany as an example (see chart), a 12-point decline
in reach INSTITUTE
for TV news was
REUTERS FOR THEpartially
STUDY OFreversed as many
JOURNALISM people
/ FURTHER turned
ANALYSIS
• In countries with higher levels of payment (eg the USA and
Norway) between a third and half of all subscriptions go to just
Slide 3
to trusted sources of news including public service media.
a few big national brands – suggesting that winner-takes-most PROPORTION THAT USED EACH AS A SOURCE OF NEWS
dynamics are persisting. But in both these countries a significant IN THE LAST WEEK (2013–20) – GERMANY
minority are now taking out more than one subscription,
TV Print (incl. mags) Online (incl. social media) Social media
often adding a local or specialist publication.
Jan Apr
• In most countries, local newspapers and their websites 2020 2020
100%
remain the top source of news about a particular town
or region, reaching four in ten (44%) weekly. But we find 82%
that Facebook and other social media groups are now 75% 70% 72%
63% 69%
used on average by around a third (31%) for local news and 63% 70%
information, putting further pressure on companies and 50%
their business models. 37% 39%
• Access to news continues to become more distributed. 25%

33% 26%
18%
Across all countries, just over a quarter (28%) prefer to start
their news journeys with a website or app. Those aged 18–24 0%
(so-called Generation Z) have an even weaker connection with 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Jan Apr
2020 2020
websites and apps and are more than twice as likely to prefer
to access news via social media. Across age groups, use of Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Q4. (Apr.
2020). Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Total
Instagram for news has doubled since 2018 and looks likely 2013–20 samples ≈ 2000. Note. Apr. 2020 figures adjusted to exclude non-news users for comparability.
to overtake Twitter over the next year.
• To counter the move to various platforms, publishers have
been looking to build direct connections with consumers Weekly TV news consumption rose by an average of five percentage
via email and mobile alerts. In the United States one in five points across all six countries. But it is worth noting that social
(21%) access a news email weekly, and for almost half of media were also substantially up (+5) as more people used these
these it is their primary way of accessing news. Northern networks for finding and sharing news in combination with
European countries have been much slower to adopt email television and online sites. By contrast, the lockdowns hit the reach
news channels, with only 10% using email news in Finland. of print newspapers and magazines with a six-point drop in Spain,
not helped by difficulties in distributing physical copies.
• The proportion using podcasts has grown significantly in
the last year, though coronavirus lockdowns may have
temporarily reversed this trend. Across countries, half of all PROPORTION THAT USED EACH AS A SOURCE OF NEWS
respondents (50%) say that podcasts provide more depth and IN THE LAST WEEK (APRIL 2020) – SELECTED COUNTRIES
understanding than other types of media. Meanwhile, Spotify
has become the number one destination for podcasts in a Online TV Social Radio Print
(incl. social media (incl. mags)
number of markets, overtaking Apple’s podcast app. media)
UK 79% 71% 47% 35% 18%

• Overall, almost seven in ten (69%) think climate change is
a serious problem, but in the United States, Sweden, and USA 73% 60% 47% 21% 16%
Australia a significant minority dispute this. This group Germany 69% 72% 39% 41% 26%
tends to be right-wing and older. Younger groups access Spain 83% 71% 63% 24% 28%
much of their climate change news from social media and South Korea 85% 65% 51% 14% 19%
by following activists like Greta Thunberg. Argentina 90% 77% 78% 24% 30%
Average change
+2 +5 +5 +2 -2
from January
Q4. (Apr. 2020). Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of
news? Base: Total sample: UK = 2191, USA = 1221, Germany = 2003, Spain = 1018, South Korea = 1009,
Argentina = 1003. Note. Figures adjusted to exclude non-news users for comparability.
100%
Social media

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism / Digital News Report 2020 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
75% Slide Online
5
Print
(incl. social media)
50% TV
The25%
change of underlying preferences is even more clear when we PROPORTION THAT USED EACH AS A SOURCE OF NEWS
ask people to choose their main source of news. The UK shows IN THE LAST WEEK (APRIL 2020) – UK
a 20-percentage-point switch in preference from online to TV
0% Jan Apr 100%
between the end of January
2013 and2016
2014 2015 the start
2017 of2018
April,2019
and Argentina
2020Jan 2020
Apr +7
19 points, with the average across six countries being a2020 2020
change 90 +7
of 12 points. +1 +12
80% -1 81
75 76
In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s address telling Britons +9
68 +25
to stay at home was one of the most-watched broadcasts in UK 60%
61
television history, with 27m tuning in live (excluding live streams 57
REUTERS
via newsINSTITUTE
websitesFOR
andTHE STUDY
apps).2 OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
Nightly viewership of BBC TV +8
Slide 4
bulletins was up by around 30% in March while the European 40% 42
+6 -7
Broadcasting Union (EBU) reported daily viewing increases 35 -5
across countries of 14% in the early stages.3 30
20% +1
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS 21
Slide 6 12
0%
Online Social media Print TV
(inc. social media)
U35 35+ 55+
UK TRAFFIC DOUBLES TO BBC NEWS WEBSITE JAN- APRIL 2020

Q4. (Apr. 2020). Which of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news?
Base: U35/35+/55+: UK = 548/1643/923. Note. Showing change from Jan. 2020. Figures adjusted
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND LOCKDOWN
to exclude non-news users for comparability.
35,000,000
30,000,000
Number of daily
25,000,000 By contrast
browsers initially doubles to the UK experience, in countries with fewer
before falling back
20,000,000 widely used and broadly trusted sources, the television
15,000,000 experience has been very different, with CNN and Fox
12 March 6 April
10,000,000 News covering
Government President Trump’s
announces press
Boris Johnson conferences in
admitted
first shielding measures to hospital
5,000,000 fundamentally different ways, and some broadcasters
Two children watch British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s press conference as the spread of
0disease (COVID-19) continues in Hertford, Britain March 23, 2020. REUTERS/
coronavirus refusing to transmit live from sessions where the President
01 Jan 08 Jan 15 Jan 22 Jan 29 Jan 05 Feb 12 Feb 19 Feb 26 Feb often
Andrew Couldridge 04 Margoes 11 Mar 18 Maragainst
directly 25 Mar medical
01 Apr 08 Apr scientific
and 15 Apr 22advice.
Apr 29 Apr
In
2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
the United States we see less of a boost for television news
SOURCE: BBC. Note: Unique browsers does not necessarily equate to people as they can be related to differentoverall, though
devices or web browsers a similar growth in usage from under-35s.
The uplift in TV and social media was experienced across all
age groups, with under-35s proportionally showing the biggest Industry data also indicate strong traffic increases for
increase in use of television as well as for using social media to online news with the most trusted brands often benefitting
access news. In the UK, under-35s showed an increase in watching disproportionately. The BBC reported its biggest week ever
TV news of 25 percentage points compared with January, though for UK visitors, with more than 70m unique browsers as the
their core preference for online and social media remained. Older lockdown came into effect – though traffic has since returned
groups read fewer newspapers and watched more television news. to more normal levels.
UK TRAFFIC DOUBLES TO BBC NEWS WEBSITE JAN-APRIL 2020
SOCIAL DISTANCING AND LOCKDOWN

35,000,000
Number of daily UK unique browsers
30,000,000
Number of daily
25,000,000 browsers initially doubles
before falling back
20,000,000
15,000,000
12 March 6 April
Government Boris Johnson
10,000,000
announces first admitted
shielding measures to hospital
5,000,000
0 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s press conference as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Hertford, Britain March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Two children watch
01 Jan 08 Jan 15 Jan 22 Jan 29 Jan 05 Feb 12 Feb 19 Feb 26 Feb 04 Mar 11 Mar 18 Mar 25 Mar 01 Apr 08 Apr 15 Apr 22 Apr 29 Apr
2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
SOURCE: BBC. Note: Unique browsers does not necessarily equate to people as they can be related to different devices or web browsers.
2
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/mar/24/boris-johnsons-covid-19-address-is-one-of-most-watched-tv-programmes-ever
3
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/tv-radio/2020/03/coronavirus-bbc-corporation-boris-johnson-protect. EBU Report, Covid-19: The Impact on Digital Media Consumption,
Apr. 2020, https://www.ebu.ch/publications
12 /
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS 13
Slide 9
Commercial media have also reported a significant increase in TRUST IN DIFFERENT SOURCES OF NEWS AND INFORMATION
online traffic
REUTERS and have
INSTITUTE produced
FOR THE many
STUDY OF examples
JOURNALISM of innovations
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS (APRIL 2020) – AVERAGE OF SIX
Slide 7 and other visual formats online to help explain
in data journalism
the crisis. Websites and apps have included practical guides for
COUNTRIES
Trust Neither/Don’t know Don’t trust
managing isolation and staying safe.
Scientists, doctors 83% 5%
EXPLANATORY AND DATA-RICH ONLINE COVERAGE FROM National health organisations 76% 9%
THE WASHINGTON POST
Global health organisations 73% 12%
News organisations 59% 18%
The national government 59% 23%
Ordinary people
I know personally
43% 21%
Individual politicians 35% 35%

Overall our April 2020 survey found the news media were
considered to have done a good job in helping ordinary people Ordinary people that I do not
17% 45%
know personally
understand the extent of the crisis (60%), and also in making
clear what people can do personally to mitigate the impact
(65%). Though some media have in the past been accused of Search engines
45% 18%
(Google, Bing, Naver)
sensationalising stories, on this occasion only a third (32%)
think that
REUTERS the media
INSTITUTE have
FOR THE exaggerated
STUDY the severity
OF JOURNALISM of ANALYSIS
/ FURTHER the Video sites
(YouTube, Vimeo)
29% 34%
Slide 8
situation, though concern was higher in the United States
(38%) and Argentina (41%), and amongst those that distrust Social media
26% 40%
eg Facebook, Twitter)
the media already.
Messaging apps (eg WhatsApp,
Facebook Messenger)
24% 40%
ATTITUDES TOWARDS NEWS MEDIA COVERAGE OF

CORONAVIRUS (APRIL 2020) – SELECTED COUNTRIES Q10/11. (Apr. 2020). How trustworthy would you say news and information about coronavirus
(COVID-19) from the following is? Please use the scale below, where 0 is ‘not at all trustworthy’
and 10 is ‘completely trustworthy’. Base: Total sample: USA, UK, Germany, Spain, Argentina,
South Korea = 8522. Note. Trust = 6–10, Don’t trust = 0–4.
At around the peak of the lockdowns, trust in news organisations

around COVID-19 was running at more than twice that for social
60% 65% 32% media, video sites, and messaging applications where around four
in ten see information as untrustworthy. By contrast information
Agree media Agree media has Agree media has
has helped me helped explain exaggerated found in search engines was seen as more reliable. Of course, neither
understand the crisis what I can do the impact search nor social companies create content themselves, so trust in
this context is a reflection of the selection decisions they make.
Least Least Most It is particularly striking that average levels of trust in the
52% in 57% in 41% in national government and news organisations are almost
USA South Korea Argentina identical, perhaps reflecting the way that in the early stages
of this crisis many media organisations focused on amplifying
government messages about health and social distancing,
including carrying extended government press conferences. As
Q14. (Apr. 2020). To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the things return to normal, the media are likely to become more
coronavirus (COVID-19)? Base: Total sample: USA, UK, Germany, Spain, Argentina, South Korea = 8522.
critical of government and this may in turn lead to a return of
more partisan approaches to media trust.
And in terms of trust for information about coronavirus, national

news organisations score relatively well, behind doctors and health
organisations but ahead of individual politicians and ordinary
people. In recent years some populist politicians in particular have
taken to undermining the media but this coronavirus pandemic has
been a reminder that even weakened media play a critical role in
informing populations and shaping opinion.
Slide 10

Slide 11
SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE CRISIS PROPORTION OF 18-24s THAT USED EACH AS A SOURCE
OF CORONAVIRUS NEWS IN THE LAST WEEK (APRIL 2020) –
While people are wary of social media and messaging apps, SELECTED COUNTRIES
high usage may suggest that many people are confident in their
own ability to spot misinformation or just that they value these
platforms for other reasons, such as keeping in touch with
family or friends, and for mutual support.
Instagram Snapchat TikTok
In April we found that across our six surveyed countries almost a UK 24% 19% 6%
quarter (24%) used WhatsApp to find, discuss, or share news about
COVID-19 – up seven points on average on our January survey which USA 26% 14% 11%
asked about usage for any news. Around a fifth (18%) joined a Germany 38% 10% 8%
People applaud from their balcony as part of an event organised via social media
support or discussion
to thank Spanish healthcaregroup
workers.with people
Malaga, they didn’tNazca
Spain. REUTERS/Jon know on either
Facebook or WhatsApp specifically to talk about COVID-19 and Spain 26% 1% 1%
half (51%) took part in groups with colleagues, friends, or family. South Korea 10% 1% 5%
One in ten accessed closed video chats using platforms like Zoom,
Houseparty, and Google Hangouts – many for the first time. Argentina 49% 7% 9%
Q8. (Apr. 2020). Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news
or information about coronavirus (COVID-19)? Base: 18-24s: UK = 202, USA = 153, Germany = 183,
Spain = 80, South Korea = 83, Argentina = 151.
LASTING EFFECTS?
Media habits changed significantly during the COVID-19
lockdowns even if levels of interest have proved hard to sustain.4
More people turned to live broadcast television news and to
trusted news sources online, but the lockdowns have also
accelerated the use of new digital tools, with many people
joining online groups or taking part in video conferencing for
the first time. Together with the impact on print production and
distribution, it is likely that the net effect will be to speed up
rather than slow down the shift to digital.
The implications for trust are harder to predict. In most countries

the media played a largely supportive role in the early stages
of the crisis – when lives were most at risk. But that consensus
People applaud from their windows and balconies as they take part in an event organized has already started to break down as normal activities resume
through social media to show gratitude to healthcare workers during a partial lockdown as and disagreements resurface about the best way to manage the
part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19),
outside a pharmacy in Ronda, southern Spain, March 20, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca recovery. Any ‘trust halo’ for the media may also be short-lived.
Meanwhile Instagram and Snapchat have become popular with

younger groups for accessing news about COVID-19. Celebrities
and influencers play an outsized role on these networks, with some
sharing music, running exercise classes as well as commenting on
the wider health issues. Almost half of our 18–24 respondents in
Argentina (49%) used Instagram, 38% in Germany. One in ten (11%)
accessed COVID-19 news via TikTok in the US and 9% in Argentina.
Social media may be helping to spread false and misleading

information, but it has also supported people at a time of anxiety
and isolation and provided an effective way to amplify reliable
information. It is important to remember that social media are
generally used in combination with other types of information.
In the six countries we surveyed in April, more than four-in-ten
(43%) accessed both social media for news and traditional media
sources on a weekly basis. A more detailed analysis showed that,
in most countries, those who relied on news organisations for
information about coronavirus were more knowledgeable about
the crisis, whereas there was no consistent, significant pattern
for those who relied on various platforms including social media
– they were not more informed but, despite some fears to the
contrary, they were not misinformed either (Nielsen et al. 2020).
4
https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/04/the-coronavirus-traffic-bump-to-news-sites-is-pretty-much-over-already
14 / 15
TRUST IN THE NEWS MEDIA CONTINUES TO FALL Divided societies seem to trust the media less, not necessarily
GLOBALLY because the journalism is worse but because people are generally
dissatisfied with institutions in their countries and perhaps
As the coronavirus hit, we observed overall levels of trust in the because news outlets carry more views that people disagree with.
75%
Brexit Divisive 2019 Right
news at their lowest point since we started to track these data. vote election
In a direct
REUTERS comparison
INSTITUTE with
FOR THE 2019
STUDY OFwe find that /fewer
JOURNALISM than
FURTHER four in
ANALYSIS One recent
58% example of how this works came in the UK election Left
Slide 12
ten (38%) say they trust most news most of the time – down four
percentage points. Less than half (46%) say they trust the news
in December 2019 where Boris Johnson asked the people to
50%
endorse 46%
his Brexit deal. The Tory victory came after a toxic political
that they themselves use. campaign where the media were heavily36% criticised by both sides
(Fletcher et al. 2020). Many on the left blamed the Labour defeat
25%
on unfair media treatment of its leader Jeremy Corbyn by a ‘biased
PROPORTION THAT TRUST EACH MOST OF THE TIME –
press’. The impact can be seen in the next15% chart with trust amongst
ALL MARKETS
respondents who self-identify on the left collapsing from 38% in
0%
Trust news Trust news Trust news Trust news January 20192015
to 2016 2017a year
just 15% 2018 later.
2019 Trust
2020 amongst those on the
overall I use in search in social right also declined but by much less.
In the United States we observe the same picture but in reverse.
38% 46% 32% 22% Slide 16
It is the right that has lost trust, partly inflamed by the anti-media
(-4) (-3) (-1) (-1) rhetoric of the president himself. A bruising Democratic Presidential
Primary may help account for the decline in trust on the left.
Mostly this is about trust in mainstream Uncertainty in distributed environments, PROPORTION THAT TRUST MOST NEWS MOST OF THE TIME
media and in the sources that people use information unchecked, hard to BY LEFT-RIGHT POLITICAL LEANING (2015–20) – UK & USA
distinguish news from rumour...
75%
Right
Q6_1/2/3/4. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: I think
Brexit
vote
Divisive 2019
election UK
you can trust most news/the news I use/news in search/news in social media most of the time. 58% Left
Base: Total sample: All markets = 80155.
50% 46% Trust in the
news overall
36%
We continue to see considerable country differences, ranging 25% 28%
75%
from Finland and Portugal where over half (56%) say they trust (-12)
15%
most news most of the time, to less than a quarter in Taiwan
(24%),59
France (23%), and South Korea (21%). Just six countries 0%
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Left Right
58 57
now have trust
50% levels
53 52of more than 50%.
50 49 49 48 48 48
47 46 46 46 46 45
44 43 75%
Notable changes over the last 12 months include a 16-percentage 42 40 40 40 40 Trump Right
elected
New election
39 39 39 39
cycle
35
USA
point fall in Hong Kong (30%) following violent street protests 33 33 32 31
Left
25% 28 28 27
over a proposed extradition law. In Chile, which has seen regular 50% Trust in the
24 22
demonstrations about inequality, the media has lost trust (-15) 39% news overall
35%
partly because it is seen as too close to the elites and not focusing
0%attention enough on underlying grievances.5
25% 25% 29%
its FIN POR DEN NLD CAN MEX BEL ZAF POL BRA IRE GER SUI HK TUR NOR CHL AUS SPA SGP UK BGR ITA CRO JPN ARG AUT SWE ROU CZE SVK USA MYS TWN HUN GRE FRA KOR (-3)
13%
There were also significant falls in the United Kingdom (-12), 0%
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Left Right
Mexico (-11), Denmark (-11), Bulgaria (-7), Canada (-8), and
Australia (-6) where our poll coincided with bitter debates over
Slide 13
Q6_2016_1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I think you can
the handling of some of Australia’s worst-ever bush fires. trust most news most of the time. Q1F. Some people talk about ‘left’, ‘right’ and ‘centre’ to describe
parties and politicians. With this in mind, where would you place yourself on the following scale?
Base: 2015–20 Left/Right: USA ≈ 500/500, UK ≈ 500/300.
PROPORTION THAT AGREE THEY CAN TRUST MOST NEWS MOST OF THE TIME – ALL MARKETS
75%
-3 Denmark Mexico Chile Hong Kong UK
Concern about economy Violent Violent Divisive election,
and gang violence street street Brexit, attacks
-11
56 56 55 -8 protests protests on media
50% 52 51 50 -11 -6
48 48 46 -7
45 45 45 45 44 44 -15 -16 -11 -3 -12
40 39 39 38 38 38
37 36 36 -4
33 33 33
30 30 29 29 28 28 28
25% 27 27 25
24 23
21
0%
FIN POR TUR NLD BRA KEN ZA IRE DEN GER NOR POL BEL CAN SUI AUT CRO MEX SWE AUS ROU JPN SPA SGN CZE ARG BGR CHL HK ITA USA GRE SVK UK HUN PHL MYS TWN FRA KOR
Q6_1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement: I think you can trust most news most of the time. Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027.
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2019/11/chile-protests-media-191103105957626.html
5

Although the left has long had a problem with right-wing bias in the Looking across nine markets we see that the majority in each
UK press, the Brexit crisis saw the public service BBC increasingly country say they prefer news with no particular point of view. In a
in the firing line. The BBC has a duty to be duly impartial in its news sense this is not surprising given that traditional expectations are
coverage but our data show that, although overall trust in its news that journalists should produce neutral and detached news, but
remains INSTITUTE
REUTERS high, criticism from
FOR THE those
STUDY OFwho are politically
JOURNALISM committed
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS the differences between countries are striking.
Slide 17
(on the left and the right) has grown over the last few years. Trust in
the BBC with the most partisan groups has fallen by 20 percentage This preference for neutral news is strongest in Germany, Japan,
points since 2018. the UK, and Denmark – all countries with strong and independent
public
REUTERSbroadcasters.
INSTITUTE FORA preference
THE for more partial
STUDY OF JOURNALISM newsANALYSIS
/ FURTHER is
PROPORTION THAT TRUST BBC NEWS BY LEVEL Slide 18

strongest in Spain, France, and Italy – countries that scholars
have labelled ‘polarised pluralist’ (Hallin and Mancini 2004) –
OF POLITICAL COMMITMENT (2018 AND 2020) – UK
as well in the United States.
100%
More Partisan
-9
-8 PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY PREFER TO GET NEWS
Partisan
75% 79 FROM SOURCES THAT HAVE NO POINT OF VIEW –
71 70
-20 SELECTED COUNTRIES
Centrist
67
63
50% 15
47
Germany 80 Ch
25% 5
17
0%
Trust BBC 2018 Trust BBC 2020 Japan 78
Centrist Partisan More Partisan 6 N
13
Q6_2018_trust. How trustworthy would you say news from the following brands is? Please
use the scale below, where 0 is ‘not at all trustworthy’ and 10 is ‘completely trustworthy’. Q1F. UK 76
Some people talk about ‘left’, ‘right’, and ‘centre’ to describe parties and politicians. With this
in mind, where would you place yourself on the following scale? Base: Centrist/Partisan/More 11
partisan: 2018 = 1018/645/170, 2020 = 1019/536/97. Note centrist = those that selected ‘centre’,
‘slightly left/right of centre’, Partisan = ‘fairly left/right wing’, More partisan = ‘very left/right wing’.
14 Sh
Denmark 68
Public service media remain by and large the most trusted brands, 18
especially in Northern European countries where they have a strong 34
tradition of independence. But criticisms from the extremes do
Spain 55
seem to be chipping away at this confidence in many countries,
especially when combined with anti-elitist rhetoric from populist 11
politicians. Our country and market-based pages clearly show 22
that, though trust remains high, distrust of public service media is
Italy 65
growing and is often higher than for many other news brands.
13
For full brand trust scores see section 3: Country and Market pages
30
USA 60
DESPITE PARTISAN PRESSURES, SILENT MAJORITY 10
STILL PREFER ‘OBJECTIVE’ NEWS
20
Greater political polarisation has coincided with an explosion France 58
of low-cost internet publishing which in turn has led to the
22
widespread availability of partisan opinions online. With news
coverage increasingly commoditised, parts of the traditional 43
media have also focused more on strong and distinctive Brazil 51
opinion as a way of attracting and retaining audiences. Some
6
commentators have increasingly questioned the value of
objective news in a world where people have ready access to news 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
from so many different points of view, while others worry that
Share your point of view
social media and algorithms are encouraging echo-chambers and
No point of view
pushing communities apart. In this context we were interested
Challenge your point of view
to know if consumer preferences for news that reinforce people’s
views had grown since we last looked at this subject in 2013.
Q5c_2020. Thinking about the different kinds of news available to you, do you prefer getting
news from sources that share/challenge/have no point of view. Base: Total sample (excluding
don’t knows): USA = 1760, UK = 1659, Germany = 1624, France = 1437, Italy = 1762, Spain = 1756,
Denmark = 1611, Japan = 1538, Brazil = 1901.
16 / 17
Comparing 2020 with data from 2013, we see increased preference THE
100%
ROLE OF THE NEWS SOURCE
over time in the UK (+6) for news that has ‘no particular point of
view’. At the same time, the proportion that prefers news that It is interesting how people’s attitudes to objective, partial, or
‘shares their point of view’ has declined by a similar amount (-6). challenging news is related to the source of news they use most
It is hard to be sure about the reasons, but one possibility is that a often.
75% In the next chart we can see that in the USA people who
silent majority is reacting against a perceived increase in agenda- regularly use strident 24-hour news channels like Fox and CNN
filled, biased, or opinion-based news. These themes came out are most likely to prefer partial news, followed by social media
61
strongly in comments from our survey respondents. and then print.
50%
48
47 the reverse picture,
I prefer that news is delivered objectively so individuals In the UK we see with people who use
40
are able to analyse what they have heard/read television as main source most likely to prefer neutral or
and come to their own conclusions without being objective news. This is not surprising
25% 30 given that television in
unduly influenced. the UK has an obligation to be duly impartial and26is regulated
Female, 61, UK accordingly. By contrast, those whose main source is a printed
newspaper
REUTERS (or social
INSTITUTE FOR media) areOF
7 THE STUDY three times
JOURNALISM
7 as likely toANALYSIS
/ FURTHER prefer
5
Slide 20
news
0% that shares their point of view. In Spain and Brazil, we see
TV news (24 hour) Social media Newspapers
all three media sources being associated with a preference for
A DIFFERENT STORY IN THE UNITED STATES
partial news – and social media playing the biggest role.
In the United States, where both politics and the media have
become increasingly partisan over the years, we do find an increase PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY PREFER TO GET NEWS FROM
in the proportion of people who say they prefer news that shares SOURCES THAT HAVE NO POINT OF VIEW BY MAIN SOURCE
their point
REUTERS of viewFOR
INSTITUTE – upTHE
six STUDY
percentage points since
OF JOURNALISM 2013 toANALYSIS
/ FURTHER 30%. OF NEWS – SELECTED COUNTRIES
Slide 19
This is driven by people on the far-left and the far-right who have
both increased their preference for partial news sources. USA
100% Share your point of view
No point of view
PARTIAL TV AUDIENCES Challenge your point of view
75%
62% 34% 66
of those who self of those who self
identify on the identify on the 56
50% 51
right watch Fox left watch CNN
(11% from the left) (9% from the right) 42
35
25% 28
In the USA, audiences for cable television networks, such as
Fox on the right and CNN and MSNBC on the left, are strongly
weighted to one view or another. At the same time, the influence 7 8 6
of partisan websites (eg Breitbart, the Blaze, the Daily Caller, 0%
TV news (24 hour) Social media Printed newspapers
Occupy Democrats, Being Liberal) grew rapidly ahead of the 2016
election and even today around a quarter (23%) of our sample
UK
visits at least one of these each week. In our survey we asked
respondents who said they prefer news that ‘shares their point of 100% Share your point of view
view’ to explain why they held that position. Many suggested that No point of view
it helped avoid political arguments or because they felt they were Challenge your point of view
getting closer to the truth: 81
75%
I'm tired of hearing fake news from the dishonest 69 70

left socialist commie traitors!!!
Female, 69, USA survey respondent 50%
Because CNN, MSNBC tell the truth whereas Fox News

is not bound by pure facts.
25%
Female, 73, USA survey respondent 21
20
Complaints like this about the media have become increasingly 11 11 9
8
vocal in recent years and yet it is striking that even in the United 0%
States a majority (60%) still express a preference for news TV news Social media Printed newspapers
without a particular point of view. We can also note that, during
the coronavirus crisis, partisan websites and TV brands showed news from sources that share/challenge/have no point of view. Base: Total sample (excluding
stagnant or low traffic growth compared with other brands.6 don’t knows): USA = 1760, UK = 1659.
6
New York Times analysis of traffic changes https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.html
news from sources that share/challenge/have no point of view. Base: 18–24 = 8639, 25–34=
12603, 35–44 = 12643, 45–54 = 11605, 55+ = 23773.
REUTERS

Reuters INSTITUTE
Institute for theFOR THE
Study STUDY OF JOURNALISM
of Journalism / FURTHER
/ Digital News ANALYSIS
Report 2020
Slide 21
PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY PREFER TO GET NEWS FROM PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY PREFER TO GET NEWS
SOURCES THAT HAVE NO POINT OF VIEW BY MAIN SOURCE FROM SOURCES THAT HAVE NO POINT OF VIEW BY AGE –
OF NEWS – SELECTED COUNTRIES ALL MARKETS
18-24
SPAIN 32
25-34
100% Share your point of view
34 35-44
Challenge your point of view 45-54
No point of view Share point 31 55+
Challenge your point of view of view
No point of view 26
75%
24
58 51
56
50%
49 52
43
No point 57
33 of view
25% 28 62
66
14
10 9
0%
17
TV news Social media Printed newspapers
14
BRAZIL Challenge 12
point of view
100% 11
No point of view 10
No0%
point of view 25% 50% 75%
75%
news from sources that share/challenge/have no point of view. Base: 18–24 = 8639, 25–34=
12603, 35–44 = 12643, 45–54 = 11605, 55+ = 23773.
50% 52
47 48 49
43 41 In reality this is not a zero-sum game. Most people like to mix
news that they can trust with a range of opinions that challenge
25% or support their existing views. We do find, however, that those
with extreme political views are significantly less attracted to
objective news – and these are often the same people that are
10
5 5 increasingly distrustful of mainstream media. Younger people are
0%
TV news Social media Printed newspapers more ambivalent. They still turn to trusted mainstream brands at
times of crisis but they also want authentic and powerful stories,
Q5c_2020. Thinking about the different kinds of news available to you, do you prefer getting and are less likely to be convinced by ‘he said, she said’ debates
news from sources that share/challenge/have no point of view. Base: Total sample (excluding
don’t knows): Spain = 1756, Brazil = 1901. that involve false equivalence.
Interpreting notions of objectivity is not an easy task at a time of

MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION
rising political polarisation, even on issues in which the weight of
scientific evidence overwhelmingly favours one side. Public media More than half (56%) of our sample across 40 countries remains
organisations like the BBC in the UK have faced criticism for adopting concerned about what is real and fake on the internet when
a ‘he said, she said’ approach to coverage of topics such as climate it comes to news. Concern tends to be highest in parts of the
change as they seek to present both sides of arguments. Some UK Global South such as Brazil (84%), Kenya (76%), and South Africa
news organisations have taken a different approach to these issues, (72%) where social media use is high and traditional institutions
with the Guardian adopting the term ‘climate emergency’ to describe are often weaker. Lowest levels of concern are in less polarised
the urgency of the story. Our recent qualitative study of news European countries like the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.
behaviours amongst under-35s showed that younger age groups
in particular tend to respond well to approaches and treatments The biggest increase in concern came in Hong Kong this year (+6)
that take a clear point of view (Flamingo 2019). Our survey data as the conflict between the government and student protesters
also show that, across countries, young people are also less likely continued and also in Finland (+4), where we see higher than
to favour news with no point of view. average concern over false and misleading information from
foreign governments.
18 / 19
Slide 23
PROPORTION CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS FAKE ON THE INTERNET WHEN IT COMES TO NEWS –
ALL MARKETS
100%
USA
Concern high
UK
Brexit concerns
Mexico
Post-election
Finland
Fears of
Hong Kong
Violent
56%
worry about
ahead of election ease concerns Russian street
ease influence protests what is real or fake
84 (no change).
75% -7
76 76 -8 Average of
72 40 markets.
67 65 65 65 65 +4
64 63 63 63 62 62 62 +6
60 60 60 58
57 56 55
50% 54 54
51 51 50 49 49
46 45 45 45
42 40
37 37 35
32
25%
0%
BRA POR KEN ZA USA SGN CAN SPA CHL AUS UK GRE MYS FRA IRE TUR ARG KOR MEX ROU PHL FIN CRO JPN ITA HK BGR HUN BEL SWE CZE TWN SUI POL NOR AUT DEN GER SVK NLD
Q_FAKE_NEWS_1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement. Thinking about online news, I am concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet. Base: Total sample
in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027.
Domestic politicians are seen as most responsible (40%) for But political starting positions can make a big difference when
false and misleading information online, followed by political it comes to assigning responsibility for misinformation. In
activists (14%), journalists (13%), ordinary people (13%), and the most polarised countries, this effectively means picking
foreign governments (10%). Despite widespread media coverage your side. Left-leaning opponents of Donald Trump and Boris
of alleged attempts by outside powers to undermine elections, Johnson are far more likely to blame these politicians for
it is striking
REUTERS that itFOR
INSTITUTE is the
THErhetoric
STUDY OFand behaviour
JOURNALISM of national
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS spreading lies and half-truths online, while their right-leaning
Slide 24
politicians that is considered the biggest problem. This echoes
arguments from scholars that misinformation often comes from
supporters are more likely to blame journalists. In the United
States more than four in ten (43%) of those on the right blame
the top (and not from ordinary people). journalists for misinformation – echoing the President’s anti-
media rhetoric – compared with just 35% of this group saying
they are most concerned about the behaviour of politicians.
PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY ARE MOST CONCERNED For people on the left the situation is reversed, with half (49%)
ABOUT FALSE OR MISLEADING INFORMATION FROM
blaming politicians and just 9% blaming journalists.
EACH OF THE FOLLOWING – ALL MARKETS
40% politicians Slide 25 of sides required, though those on the right are
By contrast, in the Netherlands, there is less political polarisation
and less picking
More in... USA, Brazil, Philippines, South Africa still twice as critical of the role of journalists.
14% activists PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY ARE MOST CONCERNED

More in... Hong Kong, Norway, Czech Republic ABOUT FALSE OR MISLEADING INFORMATION FROM EACH
OF THE FOLLOWING BY LEFT-RIGHT POLITICAL LEANING –
13% journalists SELECTED COUNTRIES
Left Right
More in... Greece, South Korea, Croatia, USA
75%
13% ordinary people R
More in... Japan, Taiwan, South Korea UK USA NETHERLANDS

61 L
10% foreign governments 50%

49
More in... Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands 43
Q_FAKE_NEWS_2020b. Which of the following, if any, are you most concerned about online? 35
False or misleading information from… Base: Total sample = 80155.
25% 27 28 28
We see a slightly different pattern in parts of Asia where 17

the behaviour of ordinary people – for example, in sharing 11 11
9
false information without considering the consequences – is 5
considered the biggest problem in Japan (27%) and is second only 0%
Domestic Journalists Domestic Journalists Domestic Journalists
to domestic politicians in Taiwan (29%). politicians/ and news politicians/ and news politicians/ and news
parties organisations parties organisations parties organisations
Q_FAKE_NEWS_2020b. Which of the following, if any, are you most concerned about online?
False or misleading information from… Base: Left/Right: UK = 352/283, USA = 507/458,
Netherlands = 334/305.

Slide 28
CHANNELS OF MISINFORMATION MOST CONCERNING PLATFORM FOR FALSE AND

MISLEADING INFORMATION – SELECTED COUNTRIES
It is perhaps no surprise that people see social media as the
50% Facebook YouTube Twitter WhatsApp
biggest source of concern about misinformation (40%), well
47
ahead of news sites (20%), messaging apps like WhatsApp (14%),
and search engines such as Google (10%).
35 35
PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT 32
FALSE OR MISLEADING INFORMATION FROM EACH OF THE 31
29
FOLLOWING – ALL MARKETS
25% 25 24
15
12
40% 20% 14% 10%

10 9
6 7 7 7 6 7 7
5
Social News sites/ Messenger Search eg 4 4 3
2
media apps apps Google 0%
Philippines USA South Korea Japan Kenya Brazil
Q_FAKE_NEWS_2020c. Which of the following, if any, are you most concerned about online?
False or misleading information from… Base: Total sample = 80155. FAKE_NEWS_2020c. Which of the following, if any, are you most concerned about online? Please
select one. False or misleading information from… Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000.
Breaking the social data down further, across all countries

29% say they are most concerned about Facebook, followed The coronavirus crisis has reminded us that these networks can
by YouTube (6%) and Twitter (5%). But in parts of the Global be used to spread all kinds of damaging misinformation, not just
South, such as Brazil, people say they are more concerned about about politics. A range of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories
closed messaging apps like WhatsApp (35%). The same is true in have been doing the rounds including one linking COVID-19
Chile, Mexico, Malaysia, and Singapore. This is a particular worry to 5G networks and another suggesting that the virus was a
because false information tends to be less visible and can be biological weapon originating in a Chinese military research
harder to counter in these private and encrypted networks. facility – though it is important to note that politicians and the
By contrast, in the Philippines (47%) and the United States media have also played a role in bringing these ideas to a wider
(35%) the overwhelming concern is about Facebook, with other public. In our April survey, almost four in ten (37%) said they
networksINSTITUTE
REUTERS playing aFOR
minor role. Twitter
THE STUDY is seen to
OF JOURNALISM be the biggest
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS had come across a lot or a great deal of misinformation about
Slide 27
problem in Japan and YouTube in South Korea. Facebook is used
much less widely in both of these countries.
COVID-19 in social media like Facebook and Twitter, and 32%
via messaging apps like WhatsApp.
MOST CONCERNING PLATFORM FOR FALSE AND MISLEADING INFORMATION – ALL MARKETS
32%
35% 31% Most concerned
about Twitter
Most concerned Most concerned in Japan
about Facebook about YouTube
in USA (just 7%
WhatsApp)
in South Korea
47%
33%
Most concerned
about Facebook
in the Philippines
35% Most concerned
about WhatsApp
Most concerned in Malaysia
about WhatsApp
in Brazil
30%
Facebook Most concerned
about Facebook
WhatsApp/other messaging in South Africa
Twitter 23% WhatsApp
YouTube
FAKE_NEWS_2020c. Which of the following, if any, are you most concerned about online? Please select one. False or misleading information from… Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027.
20 / 21
Slide 29
PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY HAVE SEEN FALSE OR POLITICAL ADS AND FACEBOOK
MISLEADING INFORMATION ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
ON EACH (APRIL 2020) – AVERAGE OF SIX COUNTRIES One flashpoint is likely to be the extent of any intervention by
social networks in the run-up to the US presidential election
Social media
(eg Facebook, Twitter)
37% 30% 15% 18% in November. A burning question is the extent to which social
Messaging apps (eg WhatsApp,
networks should remove misleading advertising from politicians
32% 29% 19% 20%
Facebok Messenger) standing for election. Facebook has exempted candidates from
Video sites normal fact-checking processes but has increased transparency
(YouTube, Vimeo)
26% 30% 20% 24%
so it is clear what campaigns are being run and how much is
Search engines being spent. Twitter has taken a different view and has restricted
(Google, Bing, Naver)
19% 35% 26% 20%
political ads on its platform entirely.
A lot/Great deal Some Little/None Don’t know
In our January survey we find that 58% of our respondents
Q13 (Apr. 2020). How much false or misleading information about coronavirus (COVID-19), if any, think that misleading ads should be blocked by social media
do you think you have seen from each of the following in the last week? Base: Total sample: USA,
UK, Germany, Spain, Argentina, South Korea = 8522.
companies, with just a quarter (26%) thinking it should not
be up to technology companies to decide what is true in this
context. Support for blocking such ads was strongest in countries
Slide 30
Given these concerns, Facebook has stepped up funding
for independent fact-checkers and a number of platforms
like Germany, France, and the UK where political advertising is
already tightly controlled, and was weakest in countries that have
including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have taken down
traditionally worried about regulating free speech – such as the
misinformation that breached guidelines, including a video
United States and the Philippines.
from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.7
By contrast people are less keen on media companies omitting
Digital literacy has also been a priority, with a prominent link
potentially misleading statements by candidates in the course of
to trusted information sources pinned at the top of Facebook
a campaign. Over half (52%) say that news organisations should
news feeds in many countries. Algorithms have been tweaked to
report statements prominently because it is important to know
prioritise official and trusted news sources.
what the politicians said. This is consistent with our earlier data
It may be that COVID-19 finally supercharges the fight against which suggest the majority of people would like to make up their
misinformation and gives social networks more confidence to own mind rather than be told what to think by a journalist – or to
take down damaging or dubious content, but these judgements feel that information was being withheld.
are likely to get more difficult once the immediate crisis is
For further analysis see section 2.3: How do People Want the Media to
over, the blame game begins, and the cut and thrust of normal
Cover Politics?
politics resumes.
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-brazil-president-refuses-to-ramp-up-covid-19-lockdown-as-facebook-pulls-video-11966279
7

Slide 32
CHANGING BUSINESS MODELS AND THE GROWTH PROPORTION THAT PAID FOR ANY ONLINE NEWS IN LAST
OF PAID CONTENT YEAR (2014–20) – SELECTED COUNTRIES
USA 9 country average

It is too early to predict the full impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the
news industry but it is almost certain to be a catalyst for more cost- 25%
1. Political boost 2. Newspapers tighten
for liberal media paywalls, better target
cutting, consolidation, and even faster changes in business models. (Trump Bump) potentials 20%
20%
While some publications report growth in digital subscriptions,
some publishers say advertising revenue has fallen by up to 50% and 16%
15%
many newspapers have cut back or stopped printing physical copies 13%
11%
and laid off staff.8 In Australia, News Corporation suspended print 10% 10%
production of around 60 newspapers, while in the UK analysts warn 9%
that as many as a third of journalists in the media could lose their 5%
job as a result of the pandemic.9 All of this puts more focus on reader
payment models online – including subscription, membership, 0%
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
donation, and micropayment – and on the issue of trust which
underpins these. Q7a. Have you paid for ONLINE news content, or accessed a paid-for ONLINE news service in the
last year? Total 2014–20 samples ≈ 2000. Note: 9 country average includes USA, UK, France, Spain, Italy,
Germany, Denmark, Japan, and Finland.
In the last 12 months more publishers have started charging for
content or tightening paywalls and this is beginning to have an
impact. Across countries we have seen significant increases in In the wake of the pandemic, the New York Times and the Atlantic
the percentage paying for online news, including a jump of four are among US publications reporting substantial increases in
percentage points in the United States to 20% and eight points digital subscriptions while the Guardian has seen a boost to the
in Norway to 42%. We’ve also seen increases in Portugal, the numbers of contributors. Some publishers have emphasised
Netherlands, and Argentina, with the average payment level the value of trusted and accurate journalism through a series of
also up in nine countries that we have been tracking since 2013. coronavirus-themed messaging campaigns designed to increase REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
subscriptions or donations. But the crisis has also raised new

Slide 33
Looking back, we can detect two clear waves of subscription dilemmas around paywalls, with many
growth in the United States. The first was sparked by the election news organisations like the New York Times
of Donald Trump, with many younger and liberal voters looking and El Pais in Spain dropping their paywalls
to support publications that could hold the President to account. for a time. Others like the Financial Times
This year’s uptick may be partly driven by a new election cycle but have offered a subset of content for free to
Slide 31
also by publisher tactics to restrict the amount of content people ensure that critical public health content
can see for free combined with special deals. was available to all.
PROPORTION THAT PAID FOR ANY ONLINE NEWS IN LAST YEAR – SELECTED COUNTRIES
14%
Norway
Sweden
42% (+8)
27% (-)
26%
Average in Nordic
Netherlands
20%
countries pay
(+3) Finland 19% (+3)
Denmark 17% (+2)
USA
(+4)
ALSO:
14%
Australia
Germany 10% France 10% Argentina 11%
Spain 12% Portugal 10% Japan 8%
Austria 11% Poland 20% UK 7%
Q7a. Have you paid for ONLINE news content, or accessed a paid-for ONLINE news service in the last year? Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000.
8
https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2020/a-qa-with-tampa-bay-times-chairman-and-ceo-paul-tash-about-the-times-print-reduction
9
https://www.endersanalysis.com/reports/enders-analysis-calls-government-support-news-magazine-media
22 / 23
Many fear growing levels of information inequality, where people In all three countries the majority of those who pay only
with less money become more dependent on social media and subscribe to one title, but in Norway more than a third (38%)
other low-quality news while those who can afford it get better have signed up for two or more – often a national title and a
information. Currently levels of concern about this issue from local newspaper. It is a similar story in the United States with
respondents are highest in the United States (24%) and Norway 37% taking out two or more subscriptions, with additional
(17%). Lower concern in the United Kingdom (9%) may be payment often for a magazine or specialist publication such as
REUTERS
becauseINSTITUTE FOR THE
of widespread STUDY OF JOURNALISM
availability / FURTHER
of high-quality ANALYSIS
free news from the New Yorker, the Atlantic or The Athletic (sport). By contrast,
Slide 34
the BBC News website, many widely read popular newspapers in the UK a second or third subscription is rare, with three-
and digital-born titles, and titles like the Guardian, with its open quarters (74%) paying for just one title.
donation model.
In the UK and Norway, three-quarters (75%) pay for subscriptions
with their own money, around 5% are on a free trial, with the
PROPORTION CONCERNED THAT OTHERS MAY BE MISSING
rest paid for by someone else (by work or a gift). The free trials
OUT ON NEWS BECAUSE OF PAYWALLS – USA, NORWAY, UK
seem to be twice as prevalent in the United States (10%), where
competition for a limited pool of subscribers is extremely fierce.
USA 24% 23% 42%
For further results from our detailed pay survey see section 2.1:
Norway 17% 29% 45% How and Why People are Paying for Online News
UK 9% 22% 58% Donations for news are relatively new, though Wikipedia and
National Public Radio have generated much of their income
Concerned Neither Don’t know Not concerned this way for many years. Our survey showed a growing array
of publications to which people are prepared to give money.
P3_2020_1. Some news providers now charge money for access to their online news content. In the United States 4% now say they donate money to a news
How concerned are you, if at all, that other people might be missing out on news from sources
that they have to pay for? Base: USA = 2055, UK = 2011, Norway = 2010. organisation, 3% in Norway, and 1% in the UK. The Guardian
has one of the most successful donation models of any major
brand, with over a million people having contributed in the last
WINNER-TAKES-MOST IN SUBSCRIPTIONS year.10 According to our data, almost half of all the relatively
small number of donations in the UK (42%) go to the Guardian,
This year we conducted a second more detailed survey in three but mostINSTITUTE
REUTERS are one-off, withSTUDY
FOR THE an average payment
OF JOURNALISM of less than
/ FURTHER £15.
ANALYSIS
countries (USA, UK, and Norway) to understand more about
patterns and attitudes to online news payment. This research Slide 36
Other beneficiaries include small community websites such as
the Bristol Cable, YouTube channels, and podcasts such as the
clearly shows that a few large national news brands have been one produced by the investigative co-operative Bellingcat.
the biggest winners in all three countries. Around half of those
that subscribe to any online or combined package in the United
States use the New York Times or the Washington Post and a
similar proportion subscribe to either The Times or the Telegraph
in the UK, though in much smaller numbers. In Norway the
quality newspaper Aftenposten leads the field (24% of those that
pay), along with two tabloid newspapers that operate premium
paywall models, VG (24%) and Dagbladet (14%). One surprise in
these data is the extent to which people subscribe to local and
regional newspapers online in Norway (64%). Most local news
publishers in Norway charge for online news, with a total of 129
differentINSTITUTE
REUTERS local titles
FORmentioned
THE STUDY by our respondents.
OF JOURNALISM In the
/ FURTHER United
ANALYSIS
Slide 35
States 30% subscribe to one or more local titles, with 131 different
titles mentioned. By contrast in the UK only a handful of local
publishers have put up a paywall.
PROPORTION WITH ACCESS TO PAID NEWS THAT HAVE ACCESS

TO EACH BRAND – UK, USA, NORWAY
In looking through the donation lists, it is striking to see so
many political partisan websites such as The Daily Kos and
UK USA Norway
Patriot Post in the US and The Canary and Novara media
The Times New York Times
in the UK. In Norway, a significant number of donations to
39% 39% LP Local
64%
Papers
news services go to one of three far-right websites, Resett,
Telegraph Washington Post Aftenposten
Document, and HRS. With advertisers increasingly wary of
20% 31% 24% controversial political content, donations are proving one
important way to tap into the loyalty of committed partisans.
LP Local
5%
Papers LP Local
30%
Papers Verdens Gang
24%
PAY3. You said that you currently have access to a single news brand. Please list all of the
online brands you’d normally have to pay for that you currently have access to. Base: All who
have access to a single news brand: USA = 584, UK = 256, Norway = 751.
1.16m have contributed, including 821,000 ongoing monthly donations (and subscriptions). https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/29/guardian-reports-surge-in-readers-
10
support-over-past-year
REUTERS

Reuters INSTITUTE
Report 2020
Slide 37
PROPORTION OF DONATERS THAT DONATE TO EACH BRAND In federated systems like Germany and the United States local
– UK, USA, NORWAY newspapers play a critical role in providing accountability and
this is reflected in these scores. The value that people place
UK USA Norway on their local newspaper is closely correlated with the higher
subscription and donation rates that we see for local news in
Guardian Guardian Resett Norway and the United States when compared to the UK.
42% 13% 13%
Wikipedia National Public Document For further analysis see section 2.4: Global Turmoil in the Neighbourhood:
13% Radio 11% 7%
Problems Mount for Regional and Local News
DONATE2. You say you currently donate to a news brand. Which brands do you donate to?
Base: All those who have donated: UK = 197, US = 433, Norway = 211.
GATEWAYS AND INTERMEDIARIES
After the 2008 economic crash many publishers saw advertising In terms of access points for online news, habits continue to
revenues drop by around a third and many worry that the become more distributed – as more and more people embrace
aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic could be even worse. various digital platforms that were initially used most intensely
Online subscriptions and donations may make up for some of by younger people. Across all countries, just over a quarter (28%)
this, especially at a time when trusted news matters more than prefer to start their news journeys with a website or app, followed
ever, but for most publishers any extra reader revenue won’t be by social media (26%) – up two percentage points on last year.
nearly sufficient. Industry expectations need to be realistic as Once again, though, we see very different patterns with 18–24s,
many people are likely to have less disposable income and the the so-called Generation Z. This group has a much weaker direct
majority of non-payers are still broadly happy with free sources. connection with news brands (16%) and is almost twice as likely
to prefer to access news via social media (38%).
UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR LOCAL NEWS If younger groups cannot be persuaded to come to specific
websites
50%
and apps, publishers may need to focus more on how
The COVID-19 disruption is likely to hit local news providers to build audiences through third-party platforms like Facebook,
hardest, given their continuing dependence on both print and Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. This may become more attractive
REUTERS -1
for publishers nowFOR
INSTITUTE Facebook has
THE STUDY OFstarted to offer
JOURNALISM direct payments
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS
digital advertising. Commercial local newspapers in particular
are a key component of democracy in many countries, employing Slide 39
25%yet proved
not 28
+2
for its dedicated ‘news tab’, but aggregated environments have
a good
the majority of journalists, highlighting local issues, and holding 26 environment
25
to build the loyalty and
politicians to account. In Denmark, Sweden, and some other attribution that will be needed for long-term relationships.
countries
REUTERS the government
INSTITUTE has stepped
FOR THE STUDY in to provide
OF JOURNALISM subsidies
/ FURTHER and
ANALYSIS
Slide 38
short-term relief for the sector.11 Without more support further
closures and cuts seem inevitable. But how much would people
8
MAIN GATEWAYS TO NEWS – ALL MARKETS
0%
7 5
Direct Social Search Mobile Aggregators Email
miss their local newspapers if they were no longer there? 50% ALL AGESalerts
media
PROPORTION OF READERS WHO WOULD MISS THEIR LOCAL

-1 72%
+2 side door
NEWSPAPER A LOT – SELECTED COUNTRIES access
25% 28 26 25
54% 49% 39% 25% 8 7

Germany Norway USA UK 5
0%
Direct Social Search Mobile Aggregators Email
media alerts
L4_2020. How much would you miss your local newspaper/website if it went out of business? 50% GEN Z
Showing code ‘a lot’. Base: Those who consume local newspapers in last week. Germany = 1136,
+2
84%
Norway = 1283, USA = 730, UK = 835.
38 side door
access
Our research shows that local newspapers (and their websites) 25% -1
25
are valued much more in some countries than others. Over
half of those who regularly read local newspapers in federal 16 +2
Germany (54%) say they would miss them ‘a lot’ if they were no 9 8 4
longer there, 49% in Norway, and 39% in the United States. By 0%
PROPORTION OF READERS WHO WOULD MISS THEIR LOCAL Direct Social Search Mobile Aggregators Email
contrast
NEWSPAPER only A
25%
LOTof– those who regularly
SELECTED COUNTRIESread newspapers in
media alerts
the UK, 18% in Argentina, and 13% in Taiwan say the same. The
value placed on local news seems to be partly related to the Q10a. Which of these was the MAIN way in which you came across news in the last week?
importance that countries place on their regions more generally Base: All/18-24s that came across online news in the last week: All markets = 74181/9083.
– and the extent to which local politics matters.

54% 49%
Germany Norway
https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/147956
11
24 / 25
MOBILE AGGREGATORS PUBLISHERS FIGHT BACK WITH EMAIL AND OTHER

LOYALTY TACTICS
Some publishers have been reporting significant increases in
referrals from mobile apps such as Apple News, Upday, and various Faced with the growing power of platforms, publishers have been
Google products including Google News and Google Discover. working hard to build direct connections with consumers via email,
Some of these (Apple News and Google) are very hard to measure mobile alerts, and podcasts. Across countries, around one in six
in surveys because respondents often cannot recall these services (16%) access news each week via email, with most of these (60%)
– especially if they access via a notification. Apple News is still only accessing a briefing of general or political news, often sent in the
available in a few countries but is accessed by 29% of iPhone users morning. But publishers have been extending the range of formats,
in the United States and 22% in the UK. Our data suggest that the increasingly offering ‘pop up emails’ on subjects like coronavirus
premium Apple News + ($9.99 a month) has not yet had much and the 2020 presidential elections. Emails have proved effective
impact outside the US, where the service includes content from in attracting potential new subscribers, as well as encouraging
the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. existing users to come back more frequently.
40%
Aggregators remain more important in some countries (South Korea, Despite this
UK -revival in the newsletter format we find surprising
Apple Smartphone
Japan) than others but overall access remains constant at around differences in the level of adoption across countries. In the United
UK
7% and there has been little movement in the headline numbers for States one in five (21%) access a news email weekly, and for almost
specific apps. Line News reaches 22% and Gunosy 12% in Japan each USAit
half of these - Apple Smartphone
is their primary way of accessing news. Northern
week,
20% while Kakao Channel (25%) is a popular mobile aggregator in EuropeanUSAcountries have been much slower to adopt email news
South Korea. TopBuzz, an artificial intelligence (AI) driven aggregator channels, with only 10% using email news in Finland and 9% in the UK.
that often
REUTERS surfaced
INSTITUTE low
FOR quality
THE STUDYnews, is being closed
OF JOURNALISM down
/ FURTHER after
ANALYSIS
Slide 40
attracting low levels of usage in western countries, though it was
becoming popular in countries in the Global South such as the
The New York Times now offers almost 70 different scheduled
emails, with the popular morning briefing now reaching 17 million
Philippines
0% (9%), Kenya (11%), and2018
Brazil (9%). subscribers. The size and importance of this audience has meant
2016 2017 2019 2020
an increased profile for flagship emails, with senior journalists
appointed as hosts to help guide users through the news each day.12
PROPORTION OF iPHONE USERS THAT USE APPLE NEWS
(2016–20) – USA AND UK Americans get, on average, more emails from different news
providers (4) compared with Australians (3) or British (3).
USA USA – Apple iPhone
Across countries almost half (44%) say they read most of their
UK UK – Apple iPhone
news emails. Emails tend to be most popular with older age groups,
40% while mobile notifications are more popular with the young and
continue to grow in many countries.
29%
Slide
For further 42
analysis see section 2.2: The Resurgence and Importance
22% of
25%Email Newsletters
20%
14%
11% 11%
8% PROPORTION THAT USED EACH AS A WAY OF GETTING NEWS
4% IN THE LAST WEEK (2015–20) – SELECTED COUNTRIES
3%
0% UK USA France Spain Finland
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Email newsletter
Slide 41
Q10c. When using the internet for news, have you used any of the following sites or mobile apps
that aggregate different news links in the last week? Base: All/Apple iPhone users 2016–20: USA ≈
0% 25%
25% 2015
21%
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
21%
2055/530, UK ≈ 2011/583.
15%
14% 15%
PROPORTION THAT USED EACH MOBILE AGGREGATOR 10% 10%

9% 9%
IN THE LAST WEEK – SELECTED COUNTRIES
0%
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Google News Apple News Upday Flipboard 25% Mobile notifications

22%
USA 17% 11% 3% 4%
18%
UK 6% 8% 2% 2% 16%
14%
Germany 14% 5% 5% 2% 13% 13%
10% 9%
France 20% 5% 3% 2% 8%
7%
Spain n/a 7% 6% 5%
Japan 21% 5% 2% 1% 0%
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
All markets 23% 7% 5% 3%
Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile or any device) in the last
Q10c. When using the internet for news, have you used any of the following sites or mobile apps week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Base: Total sample in each
that aggregate different news links in the last week? Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000. market 2015-20 ≈ 2000.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/04/the-new-york-times-morning-email-newsletter-is-getting-an-official-host-and-anchor
12
Slide 43

PODCASTS AND THE RISE OF AUDIO Podcast listeners tend to be younger (see next chart) and mainly
listen via headphones/mobile phones. These demographics and
In the last few years podcasts have become another important habits are not just of interest to subscription businesses but
channel for driving loyalty to specific news brands. The Daily from also to broadcasters who, as we’ve already noted, are finding it
the New York Times attracts 2 million listeners a day and, although harder to reach under-35s through linear programming. In the
the advertising revenue is substantial, the main strategic aim REUTERS INSTITUTE
UK half of FOR THE
all podcasts areSTUDY OF JOURNALISM
listened / FURTHER
to by under-35s, ANALYSIS
despite
is to attract new subscribers and to build habit with existing
ones (Newman and Gallo 2019). The Guardian (UK), Aftenposten
Slide 45
these making up just a third of our sample. By contrast, the
majority of those listening to traditional news bulletins and
(Norway), and Les Echos (France) are amongst publishers to programmes on the radio each week are over 50.
have launched successful daily news podcasts in the last two
years. During the coronavirus lockdowns some podcast listening
PROPORTION THAT USED A PODCAST IN THE LAST MONTH
reportedly fell by up to 20% – a reminder of how integral AND RADIO NEWS IN THE LAST WEEK BY AGE – UK
podcasts have become to commuting habits and other activities
outside the home.13 At the same time, listening to other types of
podcasting has shifted to the home and there have been some
breakout hits, including Das Coronavirus-Update, a 30-minute
show featuring one of Germany’s top virologists, which reached Podcast Radio news
No. 1 in the podcast charts there. listeners by age listeners by age
Proportion of each age group Proportion of each age group
listening monthly listening weekly
50%
43
40
38
32 33
25%
22
19 19
10 11
0%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Q11F. A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files, which you can download, subscribe,
or listen to. Which of the following types of podcast have you listened to in the last month?
100% Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news?
Base: 18–24/25–34/35–44/45–54/55+ = 201/282/343/349/836.
84
75% 76 76
72
67 65 remains
The underlying picture 65 65 65one of growth. Our
64 63 63 63 62 62data show
62 60 60 60
Many podcasts contain an informational element (sport, lifestyle,
an overall rise in podcast listening to 31% (+3) across a basket 58 57
50% true56crime)
55 54but
54podcasts
51 51 50specifically about news and politics are
49 49
of 20 countries we have been tracking since 2018. Almost four amongst the most widely listened46 to. 45 45 45
About half42
of podcast users
40 37 37
in ten access monthly in Spain (41%), Ireland (40%), Sweden listen to a news podcast in the US, where the market has 35 32
developed
25%
(36%), Norway (36%), and the United States (36%). By contrast furthest. Podcast users in the United States say that the format
usage inINSTITUTE
REUTERS the Netherlands (26%),
FOR THE STUDY OF Germany
JOURNALISM(24%), and ANALYSIS
/ FURTHER the UK gives greater depth and understanding of complex issues (59%)
Slide 44
(22%) is nearer to a quarter.
0% and a wider range of perspectives (57%) than other types of media.
BRA POR KEN ZA USA SGN CAN SPA CHL AUS UK GRE MYS FRA IRE TUR ARG KOR MEX ROU PHL FIN CRO JPN ITA HK BRG HUN BEL SWE CZE TWN SUI POL NOR AUT DEN GER SVK NLD
PROPORTION THAT USED A PODCAST IN THE LAST MONTH – SELECTED COUNTRIES
50%
+2 +3
+5
41 40 +3 +4 +5
36 36 36 +3 +4
34 33 +3 +5
32 32 32
31%
30 +3
25% 29 28 28
26 26 26
24 24
22 access a podcast
monthly, up from
29% in 2019
0%
SPA IRE SWE NOR USA ARG CAN AUS SUI ITA SGN FIN AUT DEN BEL NLD FRA JPN GER UK
Q11F. A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files, which you can download, subscribe, or listen to. Which of the following types of podcast have you listened to in the last month? Please select
all that apply. Total sample in each market ≈ 2000. Note: We excluded markets with more urban samples as well as those where we are not confident that podcasts is a term sufficiently well understood to produce
reliable data.
https://podnews.net/article/coronavirus-covid19-affecting-podcasting
13
26 / 27
News podcasts
REUTERS areFOR
INSTITUTE most
THEpopular
STUDY OFwith 25–34s (young
JOURNALISM millennials).
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS WHICH PLATFORMS DO PEOPLE USE TO ACCESS
Slide 46
Those aged 18–24 are less likely to listen to news podcast but
are some of the heaviest consumers of lifestyle and celebrity
PODCASTS?
podcasts as well as true crime. Podcasts have traditionally been associated with Apple devices,
but that is changing rapidly. In the last 18 months Spotify has
invested over $500m in podcasting and has reported a doubling
PROPORTION THAT USED EACH TYPE OF PODCAST of podcast listens.14 Broadcaster apps like BBC Sounds, ABC
IN THE LAST MONTH BY AGE – USA
Listen (Australia), NPR One (USA), and SR Play (Sweden) now
23
offer original podcasts in addition to live and catch-up radio.
News and
current affairs Google has started to promote podcasts within search and has
34 18-24s
revamped its own podcast service. Our data from the UK show
21 Lower interest
in news-based BBC Sounds (28%) is similar to Apple (26%) and Spotify (24%) in
13 podcasts with terms of access, while Spotify (25%) is now ahead of Apple (20%)
18-24s when
13 compared and Google (16%) in the United States. The US has a much larger
with young ecosystem of widely used smaller podcast apps and services
millennials including TuneIn, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Spotify (40%) is
18 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
Specialist ahead in Sweden, the country of its birth and also in Australia
(health, tech,
business) 28 Slide 47
(33%). In Sweden the national radio broadcaster reaches more
19 than a quarter of podcast users.
7
8
PROPORTION OF PODCAST LISTENERS THAT USE EACH
PLATFORM – SELECTED COUNTRIES
Lifestyle 23
(food, fashion, UK
celebs) 23
16 BBC Sounds 28
9 Apple podcasts 26
4 Spotify 24
Google podcasts 10
Website (stream) 6
Sports 12
Audible 5
12
Podcast Addict 5
11
Castbox 3
6
TuneIn 3
2 Pocket Casts 2
Podbean 2
True crime 18 18-24 Overcast 1
1 Public broadcaster app
20 25-34 Stitcher
0% 25% 50%
16 35-44
6 45-54
USA
6 55+
Spotify 25
Apple podcasts 20
0% 25% 50%
Google podcasts 16
Pandora 15
Q11F. A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files, which you can download, subscribe
or listen to. Which of the following types of podcast have you listened to in the last month? Website (stream) 11
Base: 18–24/25–34/35–44/45–54/55+ = 258/378/348/243/828.
Audible 10
NPR One 9
TuneIn 8
The deep connection that many podcasts seem to create could
Deezer 7
be opening up opportunities for paid podcasts, alongside
Podcast Addict 7
advertising-driven models. Almost four in ten Australians (39%)
Overcast 6
said they would be prepared to pay for podcasts they liked, 38% 6
Pocket Casts
in the United States, and a similar number in Canada (37%). 6
RadioPublic
Willingness to pay was lower in Sweden (24%) and the UK (21%) Stitcher 6
where so many popular podcasts come from free-to-air public Non-profit broadcaster app
Castbox 5
broadcasters. 0% 25% 50%
POD2. Which of the following apps or websites do you mainly use to find and play podcasts?
Base: All that listened to podcasts in the last month: UK = 440, USA = 746.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/5/21123905/spotify-earnings-q4-2020-podcasting-investment-operating-loss
14
REUTERS

Reuters INSTITUTE
Report 2020
Slide 48
PROPORTION OF PODCAST LISTENERS THAT USE EACH HAS READING HAD ITS DAY ONLINE?
PLATFORM – SELECTED COUNTRIES
For many years bandwidth and technical limitations meant online
Sweden news was largely restricted to text and pictures. But now, in most
parts of the world, it is possible to seamlessly watch news videos
Spotify 40
or listen to on-demand audio as well. But what do consumers
SR Play 27 prefer? Reading text is convenient, but can be difficult on small
Apple podcasts 17 smartphone screens, and a desire to get away from screens
Google podcasts 8 may be one factor driving the current boom in audio listening,
Website (stream) 7 according to research (Newman 2018).
Castbox 4
4 We find that, on average, across all countries, people still prefer
Podbean
reading news online, but a significant proportion now say they
Podcast Addict 4
prefer to watch, with around one in ten preferring to listen. Parts
TuneIn 4
of the world with strong reading traditions such as Northern
Overcast 3
Europe are most keen on text (54%), while our sample of Asian
Spreaker 3 and American markets is more equally split. The Philippines
Audible 2 and Hong Kong are two markets where a majority say they
2 Public broadcaster app
Pocket Casts prefer to watch news online rather than read (55% and 52%
0% 25% 50% respectively).
REUTERS Across
INSTITUTE FORmarkets weOFalso
THE STUDY find that/people
JOURNALISM FURTHERwith lower
ANALYSIS
Australia
Slide 49
levels of education are more likely to want to watch online news,
compared with the better educated– a finding which reflects
traditional offline preferences around television and print.
Spotify 33
Apple podcasts 21
ABC Listen 16 PROPORTION THAT PREFER TO READ, WATCH OR LISTEN
Google podcasts 15 TO NEWS – SELECTED REGIONS
Audible 10
8 Northern
Pandora Europe
54 31 7 8
Castbox 7
Southern
Website (stream) 7 Europe
51 34 10 5
Deezer 6
Central and
6 South America
47 38 11 4
Pocket Casts
RadioPublic 6
Asia 46 39 8 7
Overcast 5
Podcast Addict 5 North
America
42 39 10 9
Spreaker 5
TuneIn 5 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Podbean 4 Read news Watch news Listen to news Don’t know

Public broadcaster app
Stitcher 3
0% 25% 50%
PROPORTION THAT PREFER TO READ, WATCH OR LISTEN
Slide 59 TO NEWS BY EDUCATION – ALL MARKETS
POD2. Which of the following apps or websites do you mainly use to find and play podcasts?
Base: All that listened to podcasts in the last month: Sweden = 741, Australia = 690.
High education 56 32 7 4
Spotify’s move into Low education 41 41 9 9

podcasts, which includes
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
commissioning its own
high-quality original Read news Watch news Listen to news Don’t know
content, is bringing audio

OPTQ11D_2020. In thinking about your online habits around news and current affairs which of
programming to a wider the following statements applies best to you? Base: Northern Europe = 22281, Southern Europe =
and more mainstream 8071, Central and South America = 8093, North America = 4057, Asia = 11387, high education = 30258,
low education = 12993.
audience but it is also
raising new questions for
public broadcasters. Many worry that aggregators will take much Perhaps more surprisingly, we find that in a number of countries
of the credit/attribution for public content and are building up including the UK, Australia, France, and South Korea, younger
their own platforms instead. Some are withholding content from people (under-35s) are more likely to say they prefer to read rather
Spotify and Google or are previewing it first in their own apps. than watch news online. We know that the young consume more
Broadcasters have also been losing presentation and production video news than older people because they are more exposed via
talent to newspaper groups, platforms, and independent studios. Facebook and YouTube, but the speed and control that comes
through reading often seems to trump this when it comes to
underlying preference.
100%
28
75%
76 / 29
61
50%
47
25%
23 25
VIDEO CONSUMPTION ACROSS COUNTRIES Across countries over half (52%)11 access video news via a third-party
0%
platform each week, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, with
Looking at absolute consumption of different kinds of video news a third (33%)
REUTERS accessing
INSTITUTE viaSTUDY
FOR THE news OF
websites and apps.
JOURNALISM But again,
/ FURTHER we
ANALYSIS
we also see interesting regional differences in line with these
stated preferences. Nine in ten of the online population say they
Slide 51
find very significant differences between markets. In Hong Kong
three-quarters (76%) access video news via third-party platforms
access video news online weekly in Turkey (95%), Kenya (93%), but this figure is less than a quarter (23%) in the UK.
the Philippines (89%), and Hong Kong (89%), but only around
Slide 50
half this proportion do in Northern European countries such as
PROPORTION THAT ACCESSED ONLINE NEWS VIDEO VIA
Germany (43%), Denmark (41%), and the UK (39%).
EACH PLATFORM IN THE LAST WEEK – HONG KONG AND UK
PROPORTION THAT ACCESSED ONLINE NEWS VIDEO

IN THE LAST WEEK – ALL MARKETS HONG KONG UK
TUR 95 Facebook 52% Facebook 15%

KEN 93 YouTube 45% YouTube 8%
PHL 89 Others 29% Others 7%
100%
HK 89
MEX 88
75%
BRA 84 76
ZA 81
50% 61
BGR 80
47
TWN 79
25%
CHL 79
23 25
MYS 79 11
0%
KOR 77 Consumed Consumed Consumed Consumed Consumed Consumed
77 via social news- no news- via social news- no news-
CRO or other related related or other related related
GRE 76 platform video video in the platform video video in the
onsite last week onsite last week
POL 75
ROU 73 Q11_VIDEO. Thinking about consuming online news video (of any kind) over the last week,
which of the following did you do? Base: Total sample: Hong Kong = 2023, UK = 2011.
SVK 71
HUN 70
ARG 70 The popularity of social networks and video platforms in Asia, Latin
69
SGN America, and Africa seems to Slide
be stimulating
52 video consumption at
SPA 68 the expense of text – even if most people consume a mix of the two.
CZE 64
Even in Europe a number
ITA 63
of publishers have stepped
POR 62
up investment in video
CAN 62
formats. The German
IRE 62 public broadcaster ARD
USA 61 has recently made vertical
AUS 60 video a central feature of
SUI 57 its Tagesschau app.
NOR 55 Swiss publisher Ringier has launched Blick TV, a 15-minute news
54 show that is broadcast online but updated through the day, while
FIN
53 rival 20 Minuten is significantly increasing its video production.
AUT
The big dilemma for publishers, however, is how to monetise video,
BEL 53
which has proved difficult for shorter news items. Publishers
JPN 51
like the New York Times, Vox, and BuzzFeed have been focusing
NLD
FRA
49
48
67% on longer form linear commissions aimed at online streaming
services and cable TV.
consume video news
SWE 48 online weekly
GER 43 (average of 40 Consumer preferences around video and audio are changing,
markets) opening up new possibilities for publishers, but shifting resources
DEN 41
from text carries significant risks while the commercial returns
UK 39
are still far from proven.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Q11_VIDEO. Thinking about consuming online news video (of any kind) over the last week,
which of the following did you do? Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027.
Note: Turkey and Kenya are urban samples that will inflate figures.

SOCIAL MEDIA PREFERENCES ALSO BECOMING Both Instagram and WhatsApp were designed from the ground up
MORE VISUAL for mobile usage, which gives them a cutting edge with younger
people. In developing countries, Facebook has often made
With video now a key component of social platforms, it is interesting arrangements to bundle these applications with free data which
to see how this is playing out in the networks people use most often. has also INSTITUTE
REUTERS helped them grow.
FOR THE After
STUDY OFyears of stagnation,
JOURNALISM Twitter
/ FURTHER has
ANALYSIS
Each year we track the importance of different social networks Slide 54

also seen significant growth in a small number of countries, also
driven by younger demographics engaging with the platform
averaged across more than a dozen countries we have been more often. Twitter has also been pushing new video formats and
tracking since 2014. Facebook and YouTube remain by far the most monetisation of live video in the last few years.
important networks, with around two-thirds using them each week
for any purpose. Almost half now use WhatsApp (48%), part of a
shift towards more private messaging which started in around 2016.
Another big change in the last few years has been the growth Instagram for news Twitter for news
of Instagram which popularised visual formats like ‘stories’ and
Brazil 30% (+4) Spain 20% (+4)
short videos via IGTV. Instagram now reaches more than a third
Chile 28% (+8) USA 17% (+2)
(36%)
REUTERSweekly and FOR
INSTITUTE two-thirds of under-25s
THE STUDY (64%).
OF JOURNALISM As people
/ FURTHER spend
ANALYSIS
Italy 17% (+4) Brazil 17% (+2)
Slide 53
more time with the network, the role of news has also increased
significantly. Instagram reaches 11% across age groups, almost as
Spain 17% (+5) Japan 15% (+5)
many as use Twitter for news. For more on the top social networks see section 3: Country and Market
pages
PROPORTION THAT USED EACH SOCIAL NETWORK FOR By allowing Instagram and WhatsApp to develop separately,
ANY PURPOSE IN THE LAST WEEK (2014–20) – AVERAGE OF
Facebook as a company has been able to cater for many different
12 COUNTRIES
demographics and try new formats, without losing its core loyalists.
Facebook Facebook Messenger Twitter Instagram Across countries, Facebook Inc now reaches 85% each week on
Snapchat WhatsApp YouTube average, rising to 94% in Brazil and 96% in Kenya and South Africa.
75%
YouTube
63%
27%
60% 60% 61% WhatsApp ON SMARTPHONES CONTINUES
DEPENDENCE
53%
24%
48% TO GROW
Snapchat
45%
38%
36% OverInstagram
two-thirds (69%) of people now use the smartphone for
30% 31% news weekly and, as we’ve seen, these devices are encouraging
23% Twitter
19% the growth of shorter video content via third-party platforms as
15% 17% 13% wellFacebook Messenger
as audio content like podcasts. Those who use smartphones
8% as a main device for news are significantly more likely to access
5%
Facebook
0% news via social networks.
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Usage is often highest in parts of the Global South such as Kenya

Q12a. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week for any purpose? Base: Total
2014-19 sample across 12 countries ≈ 24000 (~19000 in 2014). Note: From 2015-20 the 12 countries (83%) and South Africa (82%) where fixed-line internet tends to
included are UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Australia and
Brazil. In 2014, we did not poll in Australia or Ireland. be less prevalent.
REUTERS INSTITUTE Access
FOR THEisSTUDY
lowest
OFin Canada (55%),
JOURNALISM JapanANALYSIS
/ FURTHER (52%),
PROPORTION THAT USED EACH SOCIAL NETWORK FOR NEWS

Slide 55
and in much of Eastern Europe, though even here the smartphone
has become – or is on its way to becoming – the main platform for
IN THE LAST WEEK (2014-20) – AVERAGE OF 12 COUNTRIES accessing news.
Facebook Facebook Messenger Twitter Instagram

Snapchat WhatsApp YouTube PROPORTION THAT USED A SMARTPHONE TO ACCESS NEWS
IN THE LAST WEEK (2013-20) – SELECTED COUNTRIES
40%
36% 36% YouTube
USA UK Germany France Japan Spain
30% 75% WhatsApp 73%

Snapchat 62%
59%
21% 58% 58%
20%
50%
Instagram 52%
16% 16%
12% Twitter
35%
10% 9% 11% 30%
7% 6% 8%
Facebook
25% 25%
29% Messenger
22%
2% 3% 19%
Facebook
1%
0%
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0%
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Q12b. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week for news? Base: Total 2014–19
sample across 12 countries ≈ 24000 (~19000 in 2014). Note: From 2015–20 the 12 countries included are
UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Australia and Brazil. In 2014, Q8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
we did not poll in Australia or Ireland. Base: Total sample in each country 2013-20 ≈ 2000.
62%
Tablet
50%
30 Computer / 31
43%
75% Smartphone
Smart speaker
29%
25% 26%
Tablet
16%
50% Computer
Across countries almost half (48%)3% use two or more devices5% to CONCLUSION
0% Smartphone
access news 2013each2014 week 2015
compared 2016 with201739%2018 2019
in 2014. 2020
Computers
and laptops remain important for many but the convenience
25% The COVID-19 lockdown has reminded us both of the value of
Q8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
andUK
Total versatility
sample 2013–20 of ≈the
2000.smartphone continues to win out. In the UK media that bring us together, as well as the power of digital
the smartphone overtook the computer in 2017 and is now used networks that connect us to those we know and love personally.
by
0%around two-thirds of our sample. Tablets are flat in terms of For many of those stuck at home, television remains a window to
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 the wider world, and some broadcasters have provided a platform
usage for news (26%) with a small group of older and richer users
continuing to value their larger screens. Smart speakers are now for governments and health authorities to communicate health
used for news by around 5% of online users. and other advice to mass audiences.
New digital behaviours have also emerged in this crisis that are
PROPORTION THAT USED EACH DEVICE TO ACCESS NEWS likely to have long-term implications. Many have joined Facebook
IN THE LAST WEEK (2013–20) – UK
or WhatsApp groups for the first time and have engaged in local
Smartphone Computer Tablet Smart Speaker groups. Young people have consumed more news through services
75% like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Video conferencing has
Smart speaker
67% emerged as a new platform for personal communication but has
62% Tabletthe face of government press conferences. The media
also changed
50% Computer
have embraced these new technologies in terms of remote working,
43%
but also Smartphone
in terms of the production and distribution of content.
29%
25% 26%
16% The biggest impact of the virus is likely to be economic, with
5% local and national media already cutting staff or publishing less
1%
0% frequently. The coronavirus crisis is driving a cyclical downturn
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
in the economy hurting every publisher, especially those based
Q8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week? on advertising, and likely to further accelerate existing structural
Total UK sample 2013–20 ≈ 2000.
changes to a more digital media environment in terms of audience
behaviour, advertising spending, and reader revenues. Reader
payment alternatives such as subscription, membership, and
AI-driven smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo and Google
donations will move centre stage, but as our research shows, this
Home continue to become more widely available, along with the
is likely to benefit a relatively small number of highly trusted
intelligent assistants inside them. They are now in more than 20
national titles as well as smaller niche and partisan media brands.
countries including India, Mexico, and a wider range of European
The crisis in local media will become more acute with more calls
languages. Usage for any purpose is up five percentage points to 19%
for support from government and technology companies – with
in the UK and a similar amount in Germany to 12%. In South Korea,
all the problems that this entails in terms of media independence.
where local firms make a range of popular speakers including the
Naver Wave and Kakao Mini, usage is up four points to 13%. As if this were not enough, dependence on aggregated and
mobile content has made it harder for news brands to forge direct
Both Amazon and Google have been looking to improve the news
relationships with consumers. Our report shows that younger
experience after disappointing levels of take-up for on-demand
users, especially those now coming into adulthood, are even less
briefings. Google has been rolling out a new atomised audio news
connected with news brands and more dependent on social media.
service that aims to offer a more story-based approach and the BBC
More effective distribution of formats like video, podcasts, emails,
has added more controls to its news briefing allowing consumers
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS and notifications may help but most publishers continue to struggle
to skip between stories. Despite these initiatives, our data suggest
Slide 57
that only between a third and a quarter are using their devices to
to engage more deeply with the next generation and other hard-to-
reach groups. More widely, concern about misinformation remains
regularly access news.
high, while trust in the news continues to fall in many countries.
Despite this, there are some signs of hope. The COVID-19 crisis has
PROPORTION THAT USE SMART SPEAKERS FOR ANY PURPOSE clearly demonstrated the value of reliable trusted news to the
(2017-20) – SELECTED COUNTRIES
public but also to policymakers, technology companies, and others
USA Germany Canada Australia South Korea UK who could potentially act to support independent news media. The
creativity of journalists has also come to the fore in finding flexible
20% 19% ways to produce
UK the news under extremely difficult circumstances.
Fact-checking has become even more central to newsroom
South Korea
13% 13%
12% 12% operations, boosting digital literacy more widely and helping to
Australia
10% 9% Canada
counter the many conspiracy theories swirling on social media and
Germany
elsewhere. Publishers have also found innovative ways to display
USA
and interrogate data, just one of many format innovations that
0% have helped audiences understand the background and the
2017 2018 2019 2020
implications for each individual.
ALSO:
Spain 9%, France 4%, Sweden 4%, Norway 4%, Mexico 4%, Japan 4% The next 12 months will be critical in shaping the future of the news
industry. Many news organisations go into this period clearer than
Q8a. Which, if any, of the following devices do you ever use (for any purpose)? Base: Total ever about the value of their product even if the immediate outlook
sample in selected markets 2017–20 ≈ 2000.
looks uncertain.

32 / 33
S E C T I O N 2
Further Analysis
and International
Comparison
Richard Fletcher
Senior Research Fellow, Reuters Institute
for the Study of Journalism
Nic Newman
Senior Research Associate, Reuters Institute
Anne Schulz
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Reuters
Institute for the Study of Journalism
Simge Andı
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Reuters

2.1 How and Why People are

Paying for Online News
Richard Fletcher
It’s not yet clear how the coronavirus pandemic We used sample sizes of around 4,000 people in the US and the
UK to ensure that the group that pays for online news was large
will affect payment levels for online news. The
enough to analyse separately (in Norway, as a higher proportion
initial surge in news use near the beginning of of people pay for online news, the paying group is large enough
the crisis led to optimism that an increase in with a sample size of 2,000). The surveys used different
questions to our main Digital News Report survey, but these
paid subscriptions would soon follow. But at the
questions tended to produce quite similar results. For example,
same time many people’s finances have been figures for the proportion of people paying for online news were
badly affected, meaning they may have to make within the margin of error for both surveys.
tough decisions about what they can and cannot
afford. All this comes at a time when the stakes SINGLE BRAND ACCESS STILL DOMINATES
for many publishers have never been higher, as
Let’s first consider people who have access to news that you
print revenues have shrunk during lockdowns,
would normally have to pay for. It makes sense to start here
and there’s more and more pressure to bring in because some people have access to paywalled news through
money online. free trials, via their job, and so on. We will come on to those who
actually pay with their own money later.
Our data collection took place before many countries experienced
a dramatic rise in reported coronavirus cases, so it cannot speak There are different forms of access, but the three most
directly to these issues. But it does provide key information on common are subscriptions to online news from a single brand,
the situation faced by publishers going into the crisis – much of subscriptions to a print/digital bundle from a single brand, and
which will still be relevant today, as past changes to attitudes and a subscription to multiple brands aggregated in one place. Of
behaviour around paying for news have tended to be gradual rather these, digital-only subscriptions to a single brand are the most
than sudden. common form of access in all three countries. Print-digital
bundles have clearly proved successful in Norway, with 20% of
online news
REUTERS usersFOR
INSTITUTE currently using
THE STUDY them to access
OF JOURNALISM paid online
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS
METHOD Slide 1
news. Paid news aggregators are relatively popular in the US,
mainly thanks to Apple News+, but at the moment these are far
This year we took a more detailed look at online news subscriptions. less common than subscriptions to single news brands.
To do this, we used a separate online survey in three countries –
Norway, the USA, and the UK – that focused on paying for news. PROPORTION THAT CURRENTLY HAVE EACH TYPE OF
Most of data described here come from this survey. As always, ACCESS TO PAID ONLINE NEWS
survey data are not necessarily fully aligned with self-reported
figures from the industry – each source has different strengths UK 5 21
and weaknesses, with survey research best suited for getting at
demographic and attitudinal patterns around certain behaviours. USA 11 6 4
In Norway, paying for online news is more widespread than in any Norway 23 20 3
other market in our survey, at around 45%. In the US, paying for
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
online news is relatively common (20%), rising sharply after the
election of Donald Trump. In the UK, paying for online news is yet Single brand Single brand –
Aggregator
– digital only print/digital bundle
to take off, with fewer than one in ten paying in the last year.
PAY2. You say you currently have access to online news content that normally people have to pay
to access. What do you have access to? Base: Total sample: UK = 4253, USA = 4055, Norway = 2002.
34 / 35
Slide 4
A WINNER-TAKES-MOST MARKET REASONS

Overall, theFOR most SUBSCRIBING
important factorTO AN ONLINE
is the NEWS BRAND
distinctiveness and
quality of the content. In both countries, subscribers believe
As we saw in the Executive Summary, people mainly have access they are getting better information than from free sources. More
Distinctive journalism USA
to one of a small group of prominent brands. In the US, over half than65%
USA a third
• UKcite
64% a close affinity with a particular journalist as a UK
of these people have access to either the New York Times or the reason to subscribe.
Better quality than I can In the US we find more people prepared 53% to
Washington Post, and in the UK, it’s The Times or the Telegraph. paygettofrom
get free
ahead
sourcesin their job (13% compared to just 3% in52% the UK)
Norway is different because many people have access to paid andParticular
this tallies with
journalists a bigger proportion subscribing
35% to finance
news from a range of different local and regional newspapers, publicationsthat likeI like 37%
the Wall Street Journal. The competitive nature of
with national titles like VG and Aftenposten also popular. As we the USI market, with multiple
need particular 13%publications chasing subscriptions,
described in last year’s report, most people only have access to information for my job
is also making subscribers 3% more aware of value, with one-third
paid news from one brand, creating winner-takes-most dynamics, citing getting a ‘good deal‘ as a reason to subscribe.
Convenience USA
but a significant minority in the US and Norway take out USA 58% • UK 57% UK
subscriptions to more than one title – often a local or specialist I have an excellent discount with my Prime
Convenient package of 50%
title in addition to a national one. subscription
news and with the excellent reporting,
and information 48%
there's no reason not to continue
The experience of 23% it.
the website/app
Female, 64, Washington Post subscriber
23%
MOST ACCESS IS BEING PAID FOR Payment was very 30%
Subscribers
simpleinandthe US are also more 25%
easy likely to say they want to help
Up to this point we’ve referred to people who have ‘access to fund good journalism (52% compared with 39% in the UK). We
Value USA
online news that you would normally have to pay for’. However, know
USA from
38% our30%
• UK earlier surveys that much of the recent surge in UK
most of this group have access because they are paying for subscriptions in the United States has come
I was offered a 32%from those wanting to
subscriptions
REUTERS withFOR
INSTITUTE their
THEown money
STUDY – 75% in /Norway
OF JOURNALISM FURTHERand the
ANALYSIS support good
liberal publications critical of
deal/trial 25%Donald Trump – but there’s
Slide 3
UK, and 84% in the US. For under-45s the figure is lower. But
among those 45 and over, the vast majority of those who have
also aOther
more fundamental 11%
membership
respondent comments
benefits
desire for quality journalism. These
were15%
typical of many in our survey:
access are paying with their own money.
Purpose
It's never been a more important time to fund great, USA
USA 52% • UK 39% UK
vetted journalism like the Times and the Post.
I want to help fund 52%
PROPORTION THAT PAY FOR ACCESS WITH THEIR OWN
MONEY BY AGE
Female, 59, New York Times subscriber 39%
good journalism
I like
PAY5a. Whattoaresponsor local
the main reasons
news brand: USA = 412, UK = 185.
newspaper
for paying journalists.
for online access? Base: All that pay to access a single
They are a dying breed.

UK USA Norway Female, 58, local newspaper subscriber
18-44 42% 73% 63%
45+ 91% 92% 83% REASONS FOR SUBSCRIBING TO AN ONLINE NEWS BRAND –
ALL 75% 84% 75% USA AND UK
PAY4. You say you currently have access to news from <brand>. Did you pay for this yourself with USA UK
your own money? Base: 18–44/45+ who have access to a single news brand: UK = 76/157, USA = 243/264,
Norway = 299/432. Distinctive journalism USA 65% • UK 64%
Better quality than I can 53%
get from free sources 52%
Particular journalists 35%
that I like 37%
MOTIVATIONS FOR PAYING FOR NEWS I need particular 13%
information for my job 3%
The reasons for subscribing to an online publication are complex
and partly affected by supply-side factors such as the amount Convenience USA 58% • UK 57%
of high-quality free news available. In the United States and Convenient package of 50%
news and information 48%
especially Norway, many publishers have introduced paywalls,
which means more people will be asked to pay – perhaps The experience of 23%
the website/app 23%
heightening a sense of scarcity and creating a feeling that
news could be worth paying for. In the UK, by contrast, only a Payment was very 30%
simple and easy 25%
relatively small number of publications try to charge for news.
Value USA 38% • UK 30%
Beyond this, we see subscribers weighing up personal benefits,
I was offered a 32%
such as distinctive content, convenience, and value, with perceived good deal/trial 25%
benefits for society – such as having a strong and independent media
Other membership 11%
able to hold politicians to account. In this regard it is interesting to benefits 15%
compare the different reasons subscribers give in the United States
and United Kingdom for paying for online news. Purpose USA 52% • UK 39%
I want to help fund 52%
good journalism 39%
PAY5a. What are the main reasons for paying for online access? Base: All that pay to access a single
news brand: USA = 412, UK = 185.

One interesting theme from our respondent comments was the It cost way too much and I can get round the paywall.
sense of value that comes from additional elements, such as Male, 36, USA
recipes and crosswords, that are often bundled in with the core
news offer. The Times of London also runs regular competitions Too expensive, felt there was nothing I couldn't get
and discounts for artistic events that were widely mentioned in for free on Apple News.
our open-ended questions. These additional elements seem to be Female, 19, UK
particularly valuable for retention as they build habit and are less
replicable elsewhere. In the UK, the number of people that used to have access to
paid news (10%) is close to the number of people that currently
For Norwegians too the distinctiveness of content came out on top have access (9%) – with the equivalent figures from the US and
along with convenience and ease of use. ‘Aftenposten is a serious Norway INSTITUTE
REUTERS higher still
FOR(albeit lowerOFthan
THE STUDY the number
JOURNALISM of people
/ FURTHER with
ANALYSIS
newspaper with great quality’, said one respondent, but it was
100%
striking that ‘supporting good journalism’ is less of a motivation Slide 6
access). Increasing subscriber numbers is in part about tempting
people back to news,
Challenge as well
your point as encouraging people to pay for
of view
(21%) – perhaps because mainstream media outlets are seen as the first time.
less polarised in Norway. No point of view
75%
PROPORTION THAT CURRENTLY HAVE ACCCESS VS
Share your
PROPORTION pointUSED
THAT of view TO HAVE ACCESS
MOST PEOPLE THINK THEY WILL STILL BE PAYING
61
NEXT
50%
YEAR
UK 9 10
47 48
Around 80–90% of people paying with their own money think
40 USA 20 15
they are at least somewhat likely to still be paying for access
this 30 around half of those who
25%time next year. Additionally,
26 Norway 46 23
currently have free access say that they might start paying if
their free
REUTERS access runs
INSTITUTE out.
FOR THE ThisOF
STUDY is JOURNALISM
encouraging, and perhaps
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Slide 5
more encouraging still
0%
rates that
7 is that these figures7 imply retention5 Currently have access Used to have access
TVare comparable
news (24 hour) to those for subscriptions
Social media to video
Newspapers
and audio streaming services like Netflix and Spotify. PAY1. Do you currently pay for access to online news (eg because you pay for a subscription /
membership), or have access that normally people would have to pay for (eg because you get free
access, or because someone else has paid for you)? PAY1a. Have you ever had access to online
news content that normally people have to pay to access? Base: Total sample: UK = 4253,
PROPORTION THAT THINK THEY WILL STILL BE PAYING FOR US = 4055, Norway = 2002.
THEIR ACCESS THIS TIME NEXT YEAR
News Audio Video

HOW CAN PUBLISHERS ATTRACT NEW
100%
SUBSCRIBERS?
Video
85 88 86 Audio
83 84
75% 80 79 78 79 As we’ve already seen, existing subscribers are relatively
happy, but withNews
income from digital advertising uncertain
50% many publishers will be looking to increase the number of new
subscribers. In comparing our three countries we see some
interesting differences that could inform publisher strategies.
25%
First, we observe a high proportion (40% in the US and 50% in the
0% UK) who say that nothing could persuade them to pay. Many of
Norway USA UK
these have low interest in news, or are sufficiently happy with the
PAY6/SERVICES1a/b. How likely or unlikely is it that you will still be paying for <brand/service> many free news sources available in these countries. But in Norway,
this time next year? Base: All that pay to access a single news brand/video streaming/music streaming: where interest in news tends to be higher – and where free news is
USA = 412/2527/1372, UK = 185/2230/1184, Norway = 540/1104/906.
more restricted – only 19% say they couldn’t be persuaded.
It’s worth keeping in mind that these data describe what people Price and convenience are some of the key factors that could
think they will do in the future, and were collected before a make a difference. In Norway, a third (30%) say they might
pandemic that has left many people financially worse off. It can subscribe if it was cheaper and 17% if they could pay to access
also be seen as a useful reminder that people do not necessarily multiple sites from a single payment. Others were interested
subscribe forever, and boasts about the number of ‘new subscribers’ in exploring family logins, similar to those offered by Netflix or
may not be telling the whole story. There’s substantial ‘churn’ in Spotify. Publishers have increasingly been offering differential
this area, as many people end their free trials before they have to pricing to pick up business from those unlikely to pay full price
pay, or simply cancel their subscriptions to spend their money on (eg overseas customers and students). Paying to avoid intrusive
other things. Lapsed subscribers tended to be younger and often advertisements is another potential route for publishers, with
much more price conscious: around one in seven respondents in all three countries saying
this this might tempt them to subscribe.
The price was too high compared to the value the
information I was given.
Female, 37, Norway
access their content for free? Base: Total sample: UK = 4253, USA = 4055, Norway = 2002.
36
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS / 37
Slide 7

WHAT MIGHT PERSUADE NON-PAYERS TO SUBSCRIBE? Slide 9 THAT THINK REGISTERING WITH A NEWS
PROPORTION
OUTLET IS A FAIR TRADE-OFF FOR BEING ABLE TO ACCESS
USA UK Norway THEIR CONTENT FOR FREE
Content/Experience: USA 28% • UK 21% • Norway 37%
UK 40 22 38
17%
If the content was
9% PROPORTION
USA THAT HAVE39 DONE EACH
24 TO GET AROUND 37
more valuable to me NEWS PAYWALLS
23% Norway 35 20 45
6% 50% 0% 25% 50%mode 75%
If I could get news Incognito Someone else’s 100%
login
4%
content tailored for me Yes Don’t know No cookies
9% Reset Specific software
14% REGISTER2. Do you think that registering with a news outlet is a fair trade-off for being able to
If there were no adverts 14% access their content for free? Base: Total sample: UK = 4253, USA = 4055, Norway = 2002.
16%
25%
Price/Convenience: USA 28% • UK 21% • Norway 37%
18
18% ONLY A MINORITY
16 TRYING
15 TO SIDESTEP PAYWALLS
If it was cheaper 14% 10
9 8 8 3 9 2
30% Between 13% and 22% 4 in our three countries 6 say they registered
15% to0%access news content in the last year.
Norway USA Some are also using UK other
One price for all
12% techniques to get around paywalls – such as resetting cookies,
the main news sites
17% SUBS_BLOCKER. Have you ever done any of the
changing their browser settings, orfollowing in the last year to access
even downloading news content
dedicated
that lies behind a paywall or that you would normally have to pay to access? Base: Total sample:
14%
Bundled with another software.
UK = 4253, USAJust a Norway
= 4055, third =say they have ever tried to do something like
2002.
service (mobile phone 13%
or streaming video) 8% this, as it requires a certain level of digital literacy, and many are
8%
probably unaware that is a possibility. Some may simply be content
Reasonable offer 50% what they can access for free.
with
6%
covering my family
12%
Nothing: USA 40% • UK 50% • Norway 19% PROPORTION THAT HAVE DONE EACH Incognito mode
TO GET AROUND NEWS PAYWALLS Someone else’s login
40%
Reset cookies
None of these 50% 25%
19% Specific software
18
PAY1d. Which of the following, if any, would most encourage you to pay for online news access? 16 15
Base: All who do not have access to paid news: USA = 3269, UK = 3907, Norway = 1104.
9 10 3 9
8 8 2
4 6
Going forward, news organisations will want to consider these 0%
Norway USA UK
signals about value of both price and user experience more closely.
As we have argued before, people often weigh up one media SUBS_BLOCKER. Have you ever done any of the following in the last year to access news content
that lies behind a paywall or that you would normally have to pay to access? Base: Total sample:
subscription against another and the way news is currently sold UK = 4253, USA = 4055, Norway = 2002.
does not always fit the requirements for easy, flexible, uncluttered
access to multiple sources that people say they would like. People have different views about the rights and wrongs of attempting
to sidestep paywalls. Few would argue that this is always justifiable,
[I cancelled my subscription because] it was expensive but some people do have reservations about important public-interest
and only one view, and I prefer a summary from journalism only being available to those willing and able to pay for it. A
different sources to try and balance bias. paywalled exposé of the UK government’s handling of the coronavirus
Male, 69, UK outbreak by the Sunday Times led to a heated debate about the issue
on Twitter, with some attempting to openly share the full article.
Instead, the messaging is often around restrictions and barriers.
Other outlets decided to make most of their coronavirus coverage
Having said that, it is important to note that one-stop-shop paid
free to access, as they have for other big events in the past.
aggregators have made limited headway for news – perhaps
because they do not always include a comprehensive mix of the Across all markets, 20% say they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned
best content. The fear of missing out can be a powerful barrier. about people missing out on paywalled news – about the same
number who say they are ‘not at all’ concerned. People express
similar levels of concern over the fact they themselves might be
PEOPLE WARY ABOUT REGISTERING WITH missing out. Journalists understandably have strong views on this
NEWS SITES issue, but it is not something that concerns the public.
Some outlets now ask readers to register with them in order The data here were collected before the coronavirus situation
to be able to access a small number of articles for free. Many really became a crisis in the US, the UK, and Norway. But it
journalists would see this as a fair trade-off, but the public seems very likely that the coronavirus pandemic has increased
are more wary. In all three countries fewer than half think the pressure on many news outlets to make money from digital
registering is a fair trade, but it’s also clear that people are news. We’ve already seen how some outlets have changed their
not strongly opposed either. Between a fifth and a quarter are messaging around paywalls, or become stricter about ad-blockers.
unsure, perhaps because it’s often unclear why news outlets In the longer term, it is possible that the gravity of the situation
want people to register in the first place, and what they will do will prompt people to reconsider their attitudes towards news,
with any user data they collect. and crucially, how much they value it. Time will tell.

2.2 The Resurgence and

Importance of Email
Newsletters
Nic Newman
Senior Research Associate, Reuters
Email newsletters, once thought of as low-tech Looking first at consumption across countries, we find significant
differences, with over a quarter (28%) using email news each week
and unfashionable, are proving increasingly
in Belgium, a fifth (21%) in the United States but around one in ten
valuable to publishers looking to build strong in Sweden (10%), South Korea (9%), and the UK (9%). The reasons
direct relationships with audiences. Email can for these differences are not entirely clear but may be related
to the extent to which popular publishers have invested in and
help build habit and loyalty, which is particularly
promoted the format compared with other channels. In countries
important for new business models such as like South Africa (24%) where bandwidth is expensive, text-based
subscription and membership. emails can also be an efficient way to distribute online news.
Previous research has highlighted a sharp increase in their Only 16% across countries regularly use emails but these
production in recent years, both by ‘legacy’ print and newer users tend to be much more interested in news and have more
digital media publishers (Jack 2016). The trend mirrors the disposable household income. This makes them a very attractive
continued importance of email in daily life, and its widespread set of consumers for publishers of all types.
use in marketing, despite the emergence of more sophisticated
Email news users also tend to be older, with over-45s proportionally
digital tools. In this chapter we explore in detail the role played
much more likely to receive them. By comparison, we find that
by email news, how publishers are developing their editorial
mobile notifications are used equally across age groups. Email is
products, and why audiences value the format.
popular both with news lovers – those who have high interest and
high frequency of access – as well as with daily briefers, who tend
to access news at a number of set times each day. Email is not a
Slide 10 good way to engage casual users, who tend to favour channels
where the news ‘comes to them’, such as television or social media.
PROPORTION THAT ACCESSED NEWS VIA EMAIL IN THE LAST WEEK – ALL MARKETS
50%
16%
accessed news
25%
28 via email
24 weekly
22 22 21 21 21 20
19 19 19 18 18 18 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 15 15 15 15 15 14 13 12 12 12 11 10 10 10 10 9 9
0%
BEL ZA GRE KEN USA POR MEX BRA AUT ROU TUR GER HUN SVK BGR PHL AUS SUI NLD DEN POL CAN FRA SPA CZE CHL SGN ITA MYS HK JPN IRE TWN ARG FIN NOR SWE CRO KOR UK
Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile, or any device) in the last week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Please select all that apply.
Showing email newsletter or email alert code. Base: All markets 2020 = approx. 2000.
25%
22
19 19
38 /
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS39
10 11
Slide
0%
11 Slide 12
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
PROPORTION THAT ACCESSED NEWS VIA EMAIL AND MOBILE PROPORTION OF NEWSLETTER USERS THAT GET DIFFERENT
NOTIFICATIONS IN THE LAST WEEK BY AGE – USA TYPES OF EMAIL – SELECTED COUNTRIES
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Newsletters that arrive at a regular time each day or each week
50%
Daily general news 60%
Local news 38%
Business news 23%
25% 28 Science/Environment 20%
26
17
23 23
18
22 21 Sports 20% 96%
16 Technology 19% access one or more
10 Specialist email
15% scheduled emails
relating to my work
0%
Email Mobile notifications
Alerts that arrive irregularly triggered by events
PROPORTION THAT ACCESSED NEWS VIA EMAIL AND MOBILE Alert about a breaking
NOTIFICATIONS IN THE LAST WEEK BY NEWS INTEREST/ news event 48%
FREQUENCY – USA Alert based on a story or
31%
73%
subject I’m interested in
News lovers Daily briefers Casual users Alert based on a person
or group I’m following 20%
50% access one or more
alert based emails
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR
Q10b_EMAIL_TYPES_2020. YouTHE STUDY
say you OF JOURNALISM
use email to access / FURTHER ANALYSIS
Slide 13
news. Which of the following types of news emails do you get
sent? Please select all that apply. Base: Those who get news via email in USA, UK, Germany, France,
Italy, Spain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria,
Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, Argentina.
25% 29 29
22
20
14 REGULAR BRIEFING EMAILS OFFERED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
9
0%
Email Mobile notifications
Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile, or any device) in the last
week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Please select all that apply.
Got news via an email newsletter or mobile notification. Base: USA 2055, 18–24 = 248, 25–34 =
369, 35–44 = 339, 45–54 = 238, 55+ = 860. News Lovers = 628, Daily briefers = 979, Casual users = 448.
Note. See 2016 DNR (p.89) for how we define News lovers, Daily briefers, and Casual users.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF EMAILS

Across 21 countries, where we asked detailed questions around
email news, we find that daily updates are the most popular
type (60%) of email. These editorial mails which are typically
sent early in the morning provide a useful way for readers to
cope with a growing information overload.
Emails function halfway between print and digital. Like articles
I use FT Breaking news – it is usually one of the first to in a newspaper, they cannot be corrected, updated, or easily
break the story, it’s concise so I can glance at it on the modified once sent. They tend to use a constrained layout,
go, it covers important events that I care about and is which may provide some photographs and graphics alongside
a useful prompt to find out more if I want to. text, but rarely more sophisticated or dynamic content. They are
often appreciated for their simplicity, but also for how they can
Male survey respondent, 34, UK
showcase journalism in a more personal way for specific groups
News organisations such as the New York Times and the of people:
Washington Post each offer almost 70 different scheduled
The [New York Times] Daily Update is a good mix of the
emails showcasing the work of different parts of the newsroom
most important news of the day at the top, then other
including business, technology, culture, and sport. Many have
articles of interest toward the bottom.
also developed ‘pop-up’ newsletters to provide depth on a big
ongoing story like coronavirus or the 2020 US presidential Female, 34, USA
election. Beyond scheduled emails, three-quarters of our
The Atlantic Daily helps pull me away from the daily
sample (73%) have also signed up for an email that is triggered
news cycle and toward longer-cycle stories.
by an event – such as a breaking news alert or one based on a
specific subject or person that interests them. These emails
Male, 39, USA
may come from publishers or from news aggregators like
Google News or Nuzzel.

Slide 15
Once just a series of automated links, the most successful emails AVERAGE NUMBER OF EMAILS USERS RECEIVE FROM
are treated as an editorial product hosted by a senior journalist DIFFERENT NEWS ORGANISATIONS – SELECTED COUNTRIES
who brings an informal tone and personal touch which has
often been lacking in digital media. The New York Times recently USA
appointed David Leonhardt as anchor of the morning briefing 50%
newsletter, which it also revealed has more than 17m subscribers.
The use of the term ‘anchor’, a term borrowed from network Median
TV, shows the value now placed on human curation; on guiding
4
audiences through the news of the day.15
Slide 14 Chorley played a similar role for six years as host

25%
In the UK Matt
of the popular Red Box update for The Times newspaper – mixing 19
17
14
politics, humour, and various types of user interaction. 11 10
9
5 1 1
0%
I enjoy Times Red Box because it 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9+
condenses the last day's politics
news in a light-hearted way. UK
Female, 35, UK 50%
Median
3
25%
22 21 21
Chorley has used the email as a springboard to build a wider
personal brand with a weekly podcast, and a nationwide stand-
11
up comedy tour. Now he’s giving up the newsletter to take up a 2
5 0 1 5
new role as a host on the recently launched Times Radio. 0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9+
Newsletters tend to be free to all, allowing content to be
sampled with the hope that engaged readers can then be Belgium
converted into subscribers. But they can be equally valuable
50%
in providing regular prompts for existing customers to use the
“I enjoy
product Times
more Red Box because
regularly. Median
it condenses the last day's 3
An email
politics saves
news me going to the web site to find
in a
nothing interests
light-hearted way.”me and acts as a reminder to see 25%
what’s going
Female, 35, UKon.
18 19
Male 44, UK subscriber to the update email of the
Sheffield Star UK 13 13
9
6 2 2 5
0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9+
HOW MANY EMAILS IS TOO MANY?
People in the US get, on average, more emails from different
Germany
news providers (4) than those in the UK (3). Our analysis shows 50%
that American email users are also twice as likely to receive Median
politically focused emails (47%) compared with the average 4
across countries (26%). Emails are particularly important for
partisan news providers with the Daily Signal, the Blaze, the
25%
Daily Caller on the right and the Daily Kos on the left mentioned
frequently by our survey respondents. 17
14 15
12
Given the relatively high number of emails received, it is striking 9
7
5 2 1
that on average across our 21 countries almost half (44%) say 0%
they read most of their emails each day. A further 37% say 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9+
they read some of their emails, with only 18% saying they read
Q10b_EMAIL_2020 You say you get news via an email newsletter or alert. Roughly how
none or just a few. Publisher data show that the most popular many different organisations send you news related emails each week? Base: Those who get
news emails can get open rates of up to 80%, though industry news via an email newsletter or alert: USA = 420; UK = 188, Belgium = 532, Germany = 374.
averages tend to be closer to 30%.16 The New York Times reports

an open rate of around 60% for its morning update newsletter.17
https://www.nytco.com/press/new-role-for-david-leonhardt/
15
https://mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/
16
https://www.nytco.com/press/the-new-york-times-sees-record-newsletter-subscriptions-and-open-rates/
17
40 / 41
THE ROLE OF EMAIL IN BUILDING LOYALTY With publishers stepping up email production there is a huge
amount of choice for consumers, so it is more important than
For subscription businesses email is often a critical weapon in ever to create distinctive content that fills specific audience
reducing churn – the rate at which people stop paying for the needs. Our respondent comments show that many consumers
service. Publishers like the Wall Street Journal and the Financial appreciate morning and evening briefings because they are easy
Times try to get new subscribers to take up email newsletters in to skim and save time. Others like the tone of voice and humour
the first few weeks because the data show that this increases that can be provided by a personality guiding people though the
engagement, which in turn reduces churn. According to our data, news every day – like a television anchor. Others still find email
in Belgium and the United States publishers have managed a more efficient way to keeping in touch with a specialist subject
to get around four in ten (37%) digital or joint digital/print area than, for example, browsing through a website.
subscribers to use email newsletters. But levels are much lower
in many Nordic countries – despite equally high levels of paying While specific email formats continue to evolve over time, the
for news. In Norway only 14% of subscribers access email weekly, characteristics of the most successful – simplicity, finish-ability,
with similar numbers in Sweden (15%) and Finland (19%). curation, and serendipity – are finding parallels in other forms of
Despite their
REUTERS extreme
INSTITUTE sophistication
FOR THE in using /data
STUDY OF JOURNALISM it seems
FURTHER ANALYSIS journalistic output and will be increasingly valuable over time in
Slide 16
there is much to learn from American and Belgian publishers
on how they are driving more regular engagement through
a world of information abundance and overload.
the number, quality, and focus of their emails.
PROPORTION OF PAID SUBSCRIBERS AND NON-PAYERS THAT

ACCESSED NEWS VIA EMAIL IN THE LAST WEEK – SELECTED
COUNTRIES
Non-payers
Subscribers
28
Belgium SUBSCRIBERS
37
19
USA
37 NON PAYERS
18
Germany
31
12
Japan
30
7
UK
27
15
Spain
25
9
Finland
19
Considerable
8 room for growth in
Sweden high-subscription
15
Nordic countries
9
Norway
14
0% 25% 50%
Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile, or any device) in the last
week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Showing email code. Base:
Those who have ongoing digital or digital/print subscription. Belgium=178, USA = 321, Germany = 162,
Japan = 126, UK=117, Spain = 179, Finland = 308, Sweden = 433, Norway = 672. Base: Those who have not
paid for news in the last year; Belgium = 1626, USA = 1526, Germany = 1709, Japan = 1626 UK = 1806,
Spain = 1680, Finland = 1574, Sweden = 1438, Norway = 1082.
Email news is no silver bullet solution. It is still a minority

activity that appeals mostly to older readers and the format can
be restrictive. But despite its relative unsophistication, it does
remain one of the most important tools available to publishers
for building habit and attracting the type of customers that can
help with monetisation (subscription or advertising).

2.3 How do People Want the

Media to Cover Politics?
Richard Fletcher
As the structure of the media environment has Somewhat unusually, we tend to find clear answers to
these questions – both across countries and across different
changed in recent years, so has the relationship
demographic groups. Most people think journalists should report
between politics and journalism. The growth of false statements from politicians even if it gives them unwarranted
platforms like social media and video sites means attention, and most people think that platforms should block
political adverts that contain inaccuracies even if it ultimately
that politicians can now communicate with
means the platforms become the arbiters of truth. However,
the public more directly. This allows politicians whether or not people think political parties should be allowed to
to largely sidestep media scrutiny – the price advertise on platforms in the first place seems to depend on the
they used to have to pay to get their message current rules governing political advertising on television.
across – arguably shifting the balance of power, Most of the time, and in most countries, there is a consensus on
giving politicians the confidence to bend the these issues that stretches across the left-right political spectrum.
But we see different views when we look at people with different
rules that used to govern their relationship with levels of interest in politics – with the most interested tending
the media. (Think, for example, of cases where to prefer more open political communication environments that
political parties have used social media to spread reflect the status quo.
re-edited versions of video interviews that make
their candidate look better or their opponents A NOTE ON THE QUESTIONS
look worse.)
The issues covered here are complicated, so designing questions
Of course, much remains the same, but there’s also a sense that to tap people’s views on them is challenging. To simplify them
the news media are struggling to adapt to this new world, and for our respondents, we framed them as either/or issues by
may not always be as capable of holding politicians to account at asking people to select one of two options (plus a don’t know),
a time when they have less control over what eventually reaches and worded them in a way that hinted at the underlying
the public. concerns. Of course, there is an infinite number of alternative
wordings, some of which may produce different results.
Journalists, politicians, academics, and other observers have
offered a range of opinions on what the media should do in A common reaction from journalists and academics to issues
response, but the views of news audiences are rarely solicited – such as whether the news media should report false statements
something that seems odd given that many news organisations is to say that ‘it’s too complicated’ or ‘it depends’, and to
have become increasingly audience-focused in recent years. conclude that it’s impossible to generalise across different
Few would argue that audiences should completely dictate situations. That may be partly true, but it is important to
journalistic practice, or the policy of the technology platforms, understand that – rightly or wrongly – most people are able
but what they think still matters – because journalism exists to do this. Around 80–85% of people express a clear view to
within the context of the audience. the questions included here, with the rest saying they don’t
know. Don’t know responses are less common among those
In this section we present data on what the audience thinks with higher education and higher political interest, so it seems
about three key issues: (i) whether the media should report unlikely that people ‘don’t know’ because it’s too complicated –
false statements from politicians, (ii) whether politicians should rather, most are likely from people who don’t have strong views
be able to advertise on platforms, and (iii) whether platforms one way or the other.
should fact-check political adverts.
42 / 43
PEOPLE WANT THE MEDIA TO REPORT As well as being consistent across almost all countries, this general
POTENTIALLY DUBIOUS STATEMENTS FROM view appears to be consistent across a range of different socio-
POLITICIANS demographic groups like age, gender, and political leaning. Even
in the US, where some might assume partisan differences due
A key concern for many media organisations across the world is to different political styles, a majority of those on the left (58%)
how to cover politicians who have a reputation for consistently and right (53%) would prefer potentially false statements to be
making false statements. Some worry that repeating false reported prominently – though perhaps for different reasons.
statements – even if they are fact-checked and clearly labelled
as such – still gives politicians the attention they crave. In March However, if we look at differences by interest in politics across
2020, some US media pundits similarly questioned whether it all markets, we see that, as interest goes up, people are more
was right to live broadcast President Trump’s COVID-19 press likely to take a view (as opposed to saying they don’t know), and
conferences given that they might contain misinformation that view
REUTERS is more FOR
INSTITUTE likely
THEtoSTUDY
be that the news media
OF JOURNALISM should
/ FURTHER report
ANALYSIS
about the virus.18 On the other hand, some might argue that Slide 18
what politicians have said. Those with the highest levels of
political interest are around twice as likely to prefer potentially
news organisations have a duty to report what politicians have
said, regardless of whether it’s true or false. false statements from politicians to be reported.
And it’s this, it seems, that comes closer to what most people
WHAT SHOULD THE MEDIA DO WITH STATEMENTS
would prefer. In almost every market, people say that when
FROM POLITICIANS THAT COULD BE FALSE BY POLITICAL
the media has to deal with a statement from a politician that INTEREST? – ALL MARKETS
could be false, they would prefer them to ‘report the statement
100% Report the statement prominently because it is important
prominently because it is important for the public to know what
for the public to know what the politician said
the politician said’ rather than ‘not emphasise the statement
Not emphasise the statement because it would give the
because it would give the politician unwarranted attention’.19 politician unwarranted attention
75%
In Sweden, where the difference is very large, 62% of people would
prefer the statement to be reported prominently, compared to just
60 62
10% who think the statement should be downplayed. We see the
same pattern in the US and the UK, and indeed, in almost all other 50% 53
markets. Only in Chile is there some evidence that the opposite 44
might be true, with 48% saying statements should be downplayed,
33
and 40% saying they should be reported. 25% 29 29 30 30
26
We might expect this preference for reporting to be even
100%
stronger if statements are reported as false, but it is important
to understand that there are many situations where this is 0%
Not at all Not very Somewhat Very Extremely
simply
75% not possible. What’s clear, though, is that most people interested interested interested interested interested
are uncomfortable with the idea of the news media hiding
68 68
67
66
65 65
63
62
information from the public – even if they think it might be for

59
58
J1_2020. Thinking about how the news media covers politics, if a politician makes a statement
57
56
55 55 55
54
50%
53 53
52 52 52 52
51
that could be false, which comes closer to your view about what the news media should do?
50
the greater good.

49
48 48 48 48
47
46 46
45
Base: Not at all/Not very/Somewhat/Very/Extremely interested in politics: All markets:

44 44 44
43 43
42 42 42 42
40 40
39
6212/15809/28790/19790/9599.
38
36
35 35 35 35
34 34 34
33
32
31
29 29 29
25%
28

27 27
26 26
25 25 25
24
23 23
Slide 17
22 22 22
21 21
20 20
12
10
0%
SWE CZE POL ZAF GRC NOR IRL BGR DNK TUR AUS MYS PHL SGP JPN CAN USA ITA TWN ROU HKG UK ESP HRV DEU BRA KOR AUT FRA HUN SVK NLD CHE BEL KEN MEX FIN PRT ARG CHL
WHAT SHOULD THE MEDIA DO WITH STATEMENTS FROM POLITICIANS THAT COULD BE FALSE? – ALL MARKETS
Report the statement prominently because it is important for the public to know what the politician said
Not emphasise the statement because it would give the politician unwarranted attention
100%
75%
68 68
67
66
65 65
63
62
59
58
57
56
55 55 55
54
50%
53 53
52 52 52 52
51
50
49
48 48 48 48
47
46 46
45
44 44 44
43 43
42 42 42 42
40 40
39
38
36
35 35 35 35
34 34 34
33
32
31
29 29 29
25%
28
27 27
26 26
25 25 25
24
23 23
22 22 22
21 21
20 20
12
10
0%
SWE CZE POL ZA GRE NOR IRE BGR DEN TUR AUS MYS PHL SGP JPN CAN USA ITA TWN ROU HK UK SPA CRO GER BRA KOR AUT FRA HUN SVK NLD SUI BEL KEN MEX FIN POR ARG CHL
J1_2020. Thinking about how the news media covers politics, if a politician makes a statement that could be false, which comes closer to your view about what the news media should do?
Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027. Note. See website for precise figures.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/coronavirus-trump-white-house-briefing-rachel-maddow-margaret-sullivan-jennifer-senior-a9416741.html
18
Wording adapted from a 2016 Pew survey: http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/10/17130939/Role-of-media-in-elections-2016-TOPLINE.pdf

19
Slide 19

SHOULD POLITICAL PARTIES BE ALLOWED TO ADVERTISE

PEOPLE
ON LESS COMFORTABLE
THE FOLLOWING? WITH POLITICIANS
– ALL MARKETS This pattern
REUTERS also applies
INSTITUTE FOR THEat the country
STUDY level. If/ we
OF JOURNALISM plot national
FURTHER ANALYSIS
ADVERTISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
100% Slide 20
support for political advertising on television against support for
political Percent
advertising on platforms we can see that the two go hand
Recent debates about the role of the media in society have also in hand.
focused
75% on political advertising. Some countries have long had strict
TV
rules dictating how politicians and political Facebook, Google, on
parties advertise
and Twitter COUNTRY-LEVEL SUPPORT FOR POLITICAL ADVERTISING
television, but in many cases these rules have not been extended
50% ON TELEVISION PLOTTED AGAINST COUNTRY-LEVEL
to social media.50 Furthermore, the potential for micro-targeting on SUPPORT FOR POLITICAL ADVERTISING ON PLATFORMS –
some social networks, together with a lack of 44
41transparency over ALL MARKETS
37
what
25% each person sees on their feed, has led some commentators
80%
to question whether any form of political advertising should be
permitted. In October 2019 Twitter 13 announced that it would 14 ban
r = .86
0%
all forms politicalYes advertising,
No shortly after Mark
Don't Yes Zuckerberg
No Don'truled
Allowed on Facebook, Google, and Twitter

out the possibility of a similar ban on Facebook, and in November,
know know
Google said it would no longer permit campaigns to micro-target 60%
J2_2020_1/2. Should politicians and political parties be able to advertise on television/
voters with
Facebook, certain
Google, ads based
and Twitter? onsample
Base: Total political
in eachattributes.
market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027.
What do people think about this issue? Across countries, around

half of all people surveyed (50%) think that politicians should
be able to advertise on TV, but people are more sceptical about 40%
political advertising on platforms – which has 41% approval.
SHOULD POLITICAL PARTIES BE ALLOWED TO ADVERTISE

ON THE FOLLOWING? – ALL MARKETS 20%
TV Facebook, Google, 0%
100%
and Twitter 0%
Percent 20% 40% 60% 80%
Allowed on TV
75%
J2_2020_1/2. Should politicians and political parties be able to advertise on television/
Facebook, Google, and Twitter? Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027.
50%
50
41 44
37
25%
PEOPLE WANT TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
13 14 TO BLOCK DUBIOUS POLITICAL ADVERTS
0%
Yes No Don't Yes No Don't
know know Of course, this view may be based on the assumption that political
advertising on platforms will be held to the same standard and will
J2_2020_1/2. Should politicians and political parties be able to advertise on television/ work in broadly the same way. But we know that advertising on
Facebook, Google, and Twitter? Base: Total sample = 80155.
platforms differs quite strikingly in terms of the transparency of
the underlying technology, the ability to target certain groups, and
the opportunity to disseminate thousands of adverts with different
But in a sense, this misses the point, because the picture varies a messages. A study by First Draft during the recent 2019 UK General
lot by country, and in turn, the existing rules within that country. Election found that a significant number of adverts from all political
Support for political advertising on television tends to be lower in parties contained statements that had been flagged as (at least)
European countries like Germany, Denmark, and Norway, where partially incorrect by independent fact-checkers.20 This prompts
regulation is already quite tight. Support in the US – where there important questions about the veracity of claims made in political
are few restrictions – is much higher at 68%, and higher still among advertising on platforms – and if and how it should be policed.
those on the right (83%).
Assuming that most platforms continue to allow political advertising
This is important because if people approve of political advertising in some form – thus allowing them to sidestep the crucial issue of
on TV, they normally approve of advertising on platforms too. Across what counts as ‘political’ – then some might argue that they are
all markets, 69% of those that approve of political advertising on responsible for ensuring that the information they contain is true.
television also approve of it on platforms. Similarly, 81% of those Others might have serious concerns about allowing technology
that think advertising on television should be banned also think that companies to be the ones who decide between true and false.
it should not be permitted on search and social either. The thinking
seems to be, ‘if it’s OK for them to advertise on television, why can’t
they advertise on social media too?’
https://firstdraftnews.org/latest/thousands-of-misleading-conservative-ads-side-step-scrutiny-thanks-to-facebook-policy/
20
44 / 45
Despite this, in all but a handful of countries, most people say Either way, there is little evidence of widespread concern over
they want technology companies to block advertisements from letting technology companies make decisions about what to
political parties that could be inaccurate, because they have a block and what to allow. In particular in polarised and political
responsibility to ensure that information on their platform is disputes, platform companies may not want to be ‘arbiters of
accurate.INSTITUTE
REUTERS The word could
FOR THEis important
STUDY here, because
OF JOURNALISM it suggests
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS truth’ – and politicians may not want them to be either, at least
Slide 21
that people would prefer platforms to err on the side of caution,
and that people overwhelmingly want platforms to block adverts
when on the receiving end of content moderation – but much
of the public seems to have no principled opposition to the
that are unquestionably false. companies taking on this role, at least for political advertising.
WHAT SHOULD PLATFORMS DO WITH POLITICAL ADVERTS CONTAINING INFORMATION THAT COULD BE FALSE? – ALL MARKETS
100% Allow the advertisement because it’s not up to technology companies to decide what is true
Block the advertisement because technology companies should be responsible for making sure information on their platform is true
75% 73
68
67 67
66 66 66
65 65 65 65
62
61 61
60 60
59 59 59
58 58
57 57
56 56
54 54 54 54 54 54 54
50%
53 53 53
52
48
47
46
42
38
37 37
34 34
32
31 31
30 30
25%
28
27 27 27 27 27 27
26 26 26
25
24 24 24
23 23
22 22 22 22
21 21 21
20 20 20 20
19
17
14
0%
UK CHL ARG IRE NOR POR SPA MYS ITA FRA BGR GER NLD BRA SUI AUS BEL MEX SVK TWN FIN HK KEN SGP POL AUT CAN DEN CRO CZE JPN ZA KOR SWE HUN USA ROU GRE PHL TUR
J3_2020. Thinking about the responsibility of technology companies like Facebook, Google, or Twitter, if a politician or political party takes out an advertisement that could be inaccurate, which
comes closer to your view about what technology companies should do? Base: Total sample in each market ≈ 2000, Taiwan = 1027. Note. See website for precise figures.
However, support for platforms stepping back from making However, unlike the previous question about whether the media
decisions about veracity starts to grow if we focus on those with should report potentially false statements, left-right partisanship
higher levels of interest in politics. Those most interested in does matter
REUTERS in some
INSTITUTE FORcountries.
THE STUDY In
OFGermany, both
JOURNALISM left andANALYSIS
/ FURTHER right
politics are twice as likely to favour platforms allowing political
adverts that may contain inaccuracies. To connect this with an
Slide 23
would prefer to see platforms block political adverts that could
contain inaccuracies, but in the US, those on the right think they
earlier finding,
REUTERS it seems
INSTITUTE that
FOR THE those
STUDY OFmost interested
JOURNALISM in politics
/ FURTHER have
ANALYSIS should be allowed.
Slide 22
a stronger preference for more open environments for political
communication, with fewer actors responsible for censoring
WHAT SHOULD PLATFORMS DO WITH POLITICAL ADVERTS
information – even if it means that more falsehoods circulate.
CONTAINING INFORMATION THAT COULD BE FALSE BY
POLITICAL LEANING? – SELECTED COUNTRIES
WHAT SHOULD PLATFORMS DO WITH POLITICAL ADVERTS
CONTAINING INFORMATION THAT COULD BE FALSE BY
INTEREST IN POLITICS? – ALL MARKETS 100% USA GERMANY
100% Block the advertisement because technology companies should be
responsible for making sure information on their platform is true Allow the advertisement because it's not up to technology companies to decide what is
Allow the advertisement because it’s not up to technology 75%
companies to decide what is true 67advertisement because technology companies
Block the 65 should be responsible for mak
75% 60
50%
49
59 60 34
58 25% 27
50% 55
52 20 20
0%
37 Left Right Left Right
25% 30
25 Allow Block
20
17
J3_2020. Thinking about the responsibility of technology companies like Facebook, Google,
or Twitter, if a politician or political party takes out an advertisement that could be inaccurate,
0% which comes closer to your view about what technology companies should do? Base: Left/
Not at all Not very Somewhat Very Extremely Right: USA = 506/474, Germany = 314/103.
interested interested interested interested interested
J3_2020. Thinking about the responsibility of technology companies like Facebook, Google, or
Twitter, if a politician or political party takes out an advertisement that could be inaccurate, which
comes closer to your view about what technology companies should do? Base: Not at all/Not very/
Somewhat/Very/Extremely interested in politics: All markets: 6212/15809/28790/19790/9599.

The data cannot tell us why those with high political interest
prefer the news media to adopt a more laissez-faire approach to
politics. It may be because they feel better equipped to navigate
a media environment like this and find it difficult to imagine the
problems others might face, or perhaps because they feel better
served by the status quo – where in most cases the media report
false statements by politicians, and platforms do not fact-check
political adverts.
Of course, media companies should not necessarily change their

practices just to meet the preferences of the audience. These are
difficult questions, and no response can satisfy everyone. We have
focused on political claims here, but potentially inaccurate claims
about coronavirus, for example, can have a direct human cost –
and surely require a different approach.
But if the way politicians and political parties use the media is
fundamentally changing, then the media may have to make some
changes too. No amount of data on audience preferences can tell
us exactly how, but it can highlight some of the problems with
simplistic solutions. For example, it is sometimes said that the
way to deal with politicians who lie is simply to stop reporting
what they say. But no one likes to feel that things are being kept
from them. So, are those who say this really describing a media
environment they themselves would like to inhabit – or just one
they would prefer other people to live in?
46 / 47
2.4 Global Turmoil in

the Neighbourhood:
Problems Mount for
Regional and Local News
Anne Schulz
Research Fellow, Reuters Institute
The COVID-19 pandemic is turning a tough business Measuring local and regional news consumption across 40
countries is no easy task. The markets in our sample differ hugely
into a full-blown crisis. Local and regional news
in their size – from large city states like Singapore and Hong Kong
has been under pressure for years as audiences to giant loosely connected federations like Brazil and the United
shifted their attention to digital and classified and States. Political systems vary greatly in their degree of regional
autonomy, which may influence the relative importance of local,
display advertising moved to online specialists.
regional, and national news. While recognising these differences,
The pandemic is now seriously impacting remaining our aim was to provide a common way of understanding how
revenues leading many companies to cut staff, people in different countries think about news that is closer to their
stop printing, or be forced into liquidation. home. In this regard, we gave our survey respondents a relatively
wide definition of local news that could include ‘news from the city
Non-commercial local media have also been or town, municipality or region that they live in’.
struggling to deliver on-the-ground reporting in
a world of lockdowns and social distancing. Some
DOES THE PUBLIC VALUE LOCAL NEWS?
public service broadcasters have temporarily cut
back local output21 at a time when local TV and Even before the COVID-19 crisis, almost half our survey
radio have already lost reach and influence with respondents (47%) across countries said that they were very
or extremely interested in local news. This compares with 37%
the shift to digital. who said they were interested in politics. If we break this down
via market, we observe striking differences, with interest highest
But this crisis has also shown how much local news still matters in countries with a federal system or a high degree of regional
as people try to learn about the spread of the virus in their area as autonomy. Almost three-quarters of Brazilians (73%) say they
well as hear the advice of local government, which has sometimes are interested in local news, two-thirds of Spaniards (62%), and
taken a different approach to national guidelines. This pandemic around half (54%) in Germany and the United States (48%). By
has reinforced the democratic importance of local reporting in contrast, people who live in countries with more centralised
providing timely and relevant local information as well as holding systems show comparatively little interest in local news, though
local politicians to account. it is important to note that there may be many other factors
explaining the differences found in our data. Only 31% say they
In this section we offer an international perspective on how local
are interested in the UK and France, and the number drops down
and regional news are valued across different countries and what
to 12% in South Korea.
sources of local news people prefer. We also look at the extent to
which people would miss their favourite local news outlet if it was
no longer available.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-march-24-2020-1.5507880/we-totally-understand-the-frustration-cbc-president-defends-local-tv-news-suspension-amid-
21
pandemic-1.5508146

Reuters
REUTERS Institute for theFOR
INSTITUTE Study of Journalism
THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM
/ Digital News Report 2020
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS
Slide 24
Slide 25
PROPORTION VERY OR EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN LOCAL NEWS – ALL MARKETS
75%
73
PROPORTION
65 63 VERY OR EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN LOCAL
63 62 62
NEWS BY AGE – SELECTED COUNTRIES
60 59
57 56 54 54 54
50% 52 51 50
USA GERMANY 48 48 48 48 47 46 46
45 44 44 44 44
18-24 22% 18-24 30% 40 39 38
37
34 33
25-34 40% 25-34 40% 31 31 31
25% 28
35-44 43% 35-44 54%
17
45-55 54% 45-55 53%
12
55+ 58% 55+ 65%
0%
BRA TUR CHL MEX SPA KEN ZA GRE ARG FIN GER AUT PHL BGR POL IRE USA POR SUI CAN HK NOR ROU AUS ITA NLD HUN CRO SWE SGP CZE BEL MYS DEN UK FRA SVK JPN TWN KOR
NORWAY MEXICO
QL1_2020.
18-24 23% How interested, if at all, would you say 46% Base: Total sample in each country.
you are in local news?
18-24
25-34 32% 25-34 61%
35-44 40% 35-44 68%
THE
45-55
DEMOGRAPHIC
43%
CHALLENGE
45-55 69%
To some extent these findings are in line with what we find generally
in news, with the young always somewhat less interested than the
55+ 64% 55+ 71%
While overall interest remains high, local news organisations have older generations. It is possible that they could grow into a local news
struggled
CHILE
to adapt to new digital platforms and in
PHILIPPINES
many cases local 75% as they age, but only if the agenda, tone, and content are right.
habit
newspapers have continued to prioritise the economic importance Other demographics show a different and more 68 surprising pattern.
18-24 45% 18-24 46%
of their print products – at least before the crisis (Jenkins and Nielsen Interest in local news seems to be more
25-34 59% 25-34 56% 50% 56 evenly spread across those
2020). This is partly because its core audience tends to be more with high and low educational 50
attainment than it is for other types
49 of
35-44 64% 35-44 55% 46 44 45
traditional but also because local media have invested more slowly news. Indeed, in some markets, such as the United Kingdom, interest
45-55 70% 45-55 57% REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
in product innovations such as mobile sites and video formats. Even 25% 33
55+ 69% 55+
in Norway, a country that is often held up as a model for sustainable
54% Slide 26
is greater
26amongst those with lower levels of education. This is worth
noting as information inequalities are likely to get even worse if local
local news, businesses remain highly dependent on a large number news
QL1_2020. How interested, if at all, would you say you are in local news? Base: 18–24/25–
0% outlets contract or disappear.
of over-55s who are three times as likely to be interested in local Politics News Local news
34/35–44/45–55/55+: USA = 258/378/348/243/828, Germany = 194/295/285/367/870, Norway =
news as 18–24s.Mexico
277/261/352/361/759, It’s a =390/497/419/280/437,
similar story in Germany and the US where
Chile = 255/403/371/359/617, Philippines =
543/532/394/279/271.
older generations show much more interest in local news. Only in a PROPORTION VERY OR EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN
few countries, such as the Philippines, Mexico and Chile, do we see POLITICS, NEWS, AND LOCAL NEWS BY EDUCATION
relatively high interest with younger groups.
ALL MARKETS Low Med High
75%
PROPORTION VERY OR EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN LOCAL 68
NEWS BY AGE – SELECTED COUNTRIES 50% 56
46 50 49
44 45
USA GERMANY 25% 33
26
18-24 22% 18-24 30%
25-34 40% 25-34 40% 0%
Politics News Local news
35-44 43% 35-44 54%
45-54 54% 45-54 53% UK
55+ 58% 55+ 65% 75%
50% 57
NORWAY MEXICO
41 45
18-24 23% 18-24 46% 37 34
25% 32 28
25-34 32% 25-34 61% 25
19
35-44 40% 35-44 68%
0%
45-54 43% 45-54 69% Politics News Local news
55+ 64% 55+ 71%
USA
75%
CHILE PHILIPPINES
73
67
50% 61
18-24 45% 18-24 46% 53 55
46 50
25-34 59% 25-34 56% 41 38
25%
35-44 64% 35-44 55%
45-54 70% 45-54 57%
55+ 69% 55+ 54% 0%
Politics News Local news
QL1_2020. How interested, if at all, would you say you are in local news? Base: 18–24/25– Q1c. How interested, if at all, would you say you are in news? Q2_new2018. How interested, if at all,
34/35–44/45–54/55+: USA = 258/378/348/243/828, Germany = 194/295/285/367/870, Norway = would you say you are in politics? QL1_2020. How interested, if at all, would you say you are in local
277/261/352/361/759, Mexico =390/497/419/280/437, Chile = 255/403/371/359/617, Philippines = news? Base: low/medium/highly educated: All markets = 12993/36904/30258, UK = 528/640/843, USA =
543/532/394/279/271. 96/1051/908.
48 / 49
Slide 28
WHERE DO PEOPLE GET LOCAL NEWS?

PROPORTION THAT USE EACH AS A SOURCE FOR LOCAL
Slide 27
While local news businesses have struggled in their move to
NEWS – SELECTED MARKETS
online, other regional and local actors have made use of digital USA
infrastructures to establish direct contact with their relevant NEWS MEDIA
Local newspaper and website 36%
communities. Facebook groups, political parties, local enterprises,
PROPORTION THAT USE EACH AS A SOURCE FOR LOCAL Local TV and website 55%
schools,
NEWS –and ALLchurches
MARKETS now represent important supplements, and Local radio and website 24%
sometimes serious competition, to traditional local news online
NON-NEWS MEDIA
NEWS
as theyMEDIA
provide hyperlocal information important to very specific
Local groups on social media 20%
audiences that may have never been looking for the whole local news
44% Personal communications 23%
Local newspaper and website News
package anyway (Möhring and Keldenich 2018). Duringmedia the COVID-19
sources Local politicians, police, church etc. 12%
Local TV and website 33%
crisis local Facebook groups stepped up their game as they71% helped to
drive support
Localfor local
radio andbusinesses
website affected
24% by the pandemic.22 UK
NEWS MEDIA
NON-NEWS
Our data show MEDIA that these alternative providers are indeed Local newspaper and website 40%
competing strongly, with about half of our surveyed respondents Local TV and website 31%
Local groups on social media 31% Non-news
across all markets using them. However, traditional local Local radio and website 17%
medianewssources
Personal communications 28%
sources still lead overall, with 71% of all those surveyed 51% across NON-NEWS MEDIA
Local politicians,
countries police,
relying onchurch
offline etc.
and 13%
online services offered by Local groups on social media 24%
traditional local news media. On average, across countries local
Local politicians, police, church etc. 6%
newspapers
QL2_2020. Whichremain mostsources
of the following important (44%),
of local news, if any, followed
have you usedby local
in the last TV
week,
regardlessBut
(33%). of whether
local you access
radio them digitally
(24%) is (via theirless
already website, social mediathan
important accounts,
someor an
app) or offline? Please select all that apply. Base: Total sample. All markets = 80155. GERMANY
of the non-news alternatives. Across countries, almost a third NEWS MEDIA
(31%) of our sample say they used local groups or pages on social Local newspaper and website 57%
media (eg Facebook or WhatsApp) or online discussion groups in Local TV and website 26%
the last week as a source for local news. Personal communication Local radio and website 34%
from other residents, neighbours, friends, and/or family are seen NON-NEWS MEDIA
as important sources for around a quarter (28%) across markets, Local groups on social media 15%
while 13% say they rely on information coming directly from local Personal communications 36%
institutions. The gap between news media and non-news media
is now just 20 points, with new online forums providing a free,
convenient, and relevant alternative. NORWAY
NEWS MEDIA
PROPORTION THAT USE EACH AS A SOURCE FOR LOCAL Local TV and website 24%
NEWS – ALL MARKETS Local radio and website 17%
NON-NEWS MEDIA
NEWS MEDIA Local groups on social media 21%
Local TV and website 33% News
media sources
Local radio and website 24% PHILIPPINES
71% NEWS MEDIA
NON-NEWS MEDIA Local TV and website 50%
Local radio and website 31%
Local groups on social media 31%
NON-NEWS MEDIA
Personal communications 28% Non-news Local groups on social media 41%
media sources Personal communications 28%
51% Local politicians, police, church etc. 21%
QL2_2020. Which of the following sources of local news, if any, have you used in the last
QL2_2020. Which of the following sources of local news, if any, have you used in the last week, week, regardless of whether you access them digitally (via their website, social media
regardless of whether you access them digitally (via their website, social media accounts, or an accounts, or an app) or offline? Please select all that apply. Base: Total sample. USA = 2055,
app) or offline? Please select all that apply. Base: Total sample. All markets = 80155. UK = 2011, Germany = 2011, Norway = 2010, Philippines = 2019.
Looking into individual countries, we see some variation in terms Social media are particularly important in the Philippines, which has
of importance. The newspaper dominates in Norway (64%) and one of the highest uses of Facebook in our survey. Four in ten (41%) of
Germany (57%) – both countries with strong reading traditions – but our online sample say they have relied on local social media groups
television is significantly ahead in the Philippines and the United in the past week. This number rises to 59% in Hong Kong and 56% in
States. Over half (55%) in the US use local TV weekly, with 36% Kenya but is far lower in Germany (15%) as well as Japan (14%). In the
reading local newspapers and a quarter tuning to local radio. US, where Facebook launched a big local news initiative in 2019, only
20% say they use local social media groups weekly. Findings for the
US are mirrored by Pew data from two years ago showing that ‘social
media plays a moderate role in local news’.23
https://communityimpact.com/houston/tomball-magnolia/dining/2020/04/01/facebook-groups-drive-support-to-local-restaurants-in-northwest-houston-areas/ or
22
https://wchstv.com/news/local/new-facebook-groups-promote-tri-state-businesses-open-during-pandemic
https://www.journalism.org/2019/03/26/overall-social-media-plays-a-moderate-role-in-local-news/
23

VALUE OF DIFFERENT NEWS SOURCES COMPARED LOCAL NEWS ALONG POLITICAL LINES
Local news media remain important to people in different Local news is often considered to provide journalism that is more
neighbourhoods but how much would they miss them if they trusted and less partisan than national publications. This is partly
were no longer there? Across all countries, 37% of those that a function of the fact that many local outlets have a commercial
use local TV say they would miss it a lot and a further 41% would interest in serving the widest group of users and many public media
miss it somewhat. We see similar results for local newspapers outlets have obligations to do so. In other words, local media often
with 35% saying they would miss them a lot and 43% saying do not have the luxury of reporting on behalf of one political side
somewhat. We see some country differences, partly aligned with while ignoring the other. There are some exceptions, however, not
usage of particular sources, but also with the extent of devolved least in the United States where some local media groups have
political power – and therefore the importance of local news in recently been accused of supporting right-wing political agendas.24
the democratic process. Similarly, some local newspapers in Germany were reproached for
reporting rather uncritically about the right-wing populist party
In Germany
REUTERS more than
INSTITUTE halfSTUDY
FOR THE of local
OF TV (56%) or/local
JOURNALISM newspaper
FURTHER ANALYSIS AfD. At the same time, local journalists have reported about being
Slide 29
users (54%) would strongly miss their local news source. This is
only true for 25% of TV users and 20% of newspaper users in
excluded from particular party events – in some cities they even
face death threats and attacks against their offices.25
the Philippines.
Our data show that in many of our surveyed markets regional
and local news generally fare well in terms of trust. In the US
PROPORTION OF USERS THAT WOULD MISS THEIR LOCAL
and France, local news is the most trusted news brand, while in
TV OR NEWSPAPER IF IT WENT OUT OF BUSINESS –
SELECTED MARKETS Finland, Norway, and Germany local newspapers are second to
public broadcasters, that have also built much of their reputation
LOCAL TV on local TV and radio services. In the UK, local newspapers are
trusted
REUTERSby 55%, fourth
INSTITUTE in the
FOR THE listOF
STUDY and much higher
JOURNALISM than the
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS
40 Markets 37 41 Slide 30
average for commercial media. Elsewhere, local news brands are
typically trusted by more than half the surveyed population – for
Germany 56 33 example, in Mexico (59%) and the Philippines (64%).
Norway 45 43
POSITION OF LOCAL NEWS IN LIST OF MOST TRUSTED NEWS
USA 48 36 BRANDS – SELECTED COUNTRIES
UK 33 45 55 Local news brands

56 To
Philippines 25 45 Spain
56
57
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
51
I would miss it a lot I would miss it somewhat 52 To
I would not miss it very much I would not miss it at all Don’t know USA (TV)
56
60
QL4_2020l_1. How much would you miss the below news source if it went out of business?
Base: Users of local TV news or local TV news websites: All markets = 26400, Germany = 515,
57
Norway = 482, USA = 1120, UK = 627, Philippines = 1018. 58
France To
58
62
LOCAL NEWSPAPER 55
58
UK To
40 Markets 35 43 60
64
60
Germany 54 34
64
Germany
Norway 49 38 68
70
USA 39 37 75
75
UK 25 45 Norway
76
80
Philippines 20 48
79
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 79
Finland
81
I would miss it a lot I would miss it somewhat
84
I would not miss it very much I would not miss it at all Don’t know
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
L4_2020l_3. How much would you miss the below news source if it went out of business?
Base: Users of local newspapers or local newspaper websites: All markets = 35323, Germany = 1136, Q6_2018_trust. How trustworthy would you say news from the following brands is? Please
Norway = 1283, USA = 730, UK = 835, Philippines = 602. use the scale below, where 0 is ‘not at all trustworthy’ and 10 is ‘completely trustworthy’. Base:
Total sample in each market: Spain = 2006, USA = 2055, France = 2038, UK = 2011, Germany = 2011,
Norway = 2010, Finland = 2050.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/sinclair-broadcast-group-national-expansion-2020-sports-networks.html
24
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/lokaljournalismus-und-afd-noch-lange-kein-normales.2907.de.html?dram:article_id=434882
25
50 / 51
WILL LOCAL NEWS HAVE A CHANCE?

The COVID-19 crisis is focusing minds both on the value of local
reporting but also on what could soon be lost. While some
Slide 40
titles have already disappeared, others have been trying to
demonstrate the value they can still provide with front pages and
reporting that helps people get through the crisis.
But the economic pressures are building. Changes that might

have unfolded over a decade are now set to happen in a much
more compressed timescale and support will be needed.
Facebook has already pledged a $100m package for local media,
Google has announced a new Journalism Emergency Relief Fund,
and some governments have stepped up with interim funding
and other forms of support on a much more significant scale.
But the crisis will unquestionably hurt the business of news,
including local, far more than any of these packages can make up
for. The long-term survival of local news will therefore depend
on finding new sustainable business models, attracting the next
generation of users, and moving faster towards online content
and engagement. At the same time, professionally curated
journalism for local areas still matters, offering orientation to
readers and reflecting local interests. Local news organisations
will have to prove themselves creative and courageous in order to
quickly react to an ever-changing technological environment. The
good news is that our data suggest there is still demand and trust
for them – in general and even more so in times of crisis. The next
year will be a real test to see how much local news is truly valued
by audiences and governments across the world.

2.5 How People Access News

about Climate Change
Simge Andı
Research Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Climate change is ‘the defining issue of our time’, But the past year seems to have marked a shift in terms of
public and political interest, with more people across the globe,
according to the United Nations, with an impact
particularly the young, joining demonstrations and strikes led by
that is global in scope and unprecedented in scale.26 next generation leaders like Greta Thunberg. Much of this support
Attention may be focused today on the immediate in turn has been mobilised not by traditional sources like television
but through networked channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and
threat of coronavirus, but this does not reduce the
Instagram. This generational pressure has combined with a series
underlying dangers of climate change. The role of of real-life events which have included a record melting of the
the news media is critical in influencing levels of ice sheets, crop failures in the Mid-West, floods in Europe, and
public concern, but even though extreme weather devastating fires in both the Amazon and Australia – all of which
have raised climate issues higher up the media agenda. Some
events such as hurricanes, floods, and fires seem news organisations have also devoted more resource and editorial
to be happening more regularly, many people still priority to the issue and there have been joint initiatives including
do not always feel personally or directly affected. Covering Climate Now which involves 400 media outlets.
Multilateral conferences can feel like remote In this chapter we explore in detail the different sources people use
talking shops, while scientific models around the to learn more about climate change and how this is affected by age,
education, and political affiliation. We also look at the extent to
implications for sea-level rise or migration can be
which different groups value the media’s coverage of this complex
hard to explain. A further challenge for the media subject and ask how it could be improved. Our analysis covers 40
has been in making coverage attractive to different markets, from Sweden to Kenya to the Philippines.
segments, including the young, the partisan, and
those currently indifferent to climate change.
Volunteers and Fire Rescue officers fight a bushfire encroaching on properties in New South Wales December, 3, 2019 [AAP image/Dean Lewins]
United Nations. ‘Climate Change’. Accessed Apr. 2020. https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/

26
52 / 53
THE MAJORITY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCEPTION
CHANGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change really matters to most people. On average, across Political alignment may help explain some of the differences.
all markets, around 69% of respondents stated that they consider Across markets, the more left one sits on the political spectrum,
climate change to be an extremely or very serious problem. Less the more the levels of concern about climate change tend to rise.
than one in ten (9%) of our respondents does not see climate change But in markets where the issue itself is highly politicised, the
as serious while around one in five (19%) said they were somewhat differences are even starker. In the United States, for instance,
concerned. There is some variation across countries. Around 90% of 89% of those who self-identify on the left report a serious
respondents in Chile, Kenya, and South Africa view climate change concern about climate change, compared with just 18% of those
as very or extremely serious. Chile and some countries in Africa who self-identify on the right. Right-wing media outlets in the
have historically shown high levels of concern27, and the high figure United States have often taken a sceptical view of the scientific
for Chile could also have been related to its first internal population consensus while President Trump has announced plans to
displacements last year as a result of a ten-year drought.28 In Africa too, withdraw from the international Paris agreement because he
many countries are already severely affected by the consequences of thinks the
REUTERS restrictions
INSTITUTE willSTUDY
FOR THE undermine the US /economy.
OF JOURNALISM We find
FURTHER ANALYSIS
climate change.29 However, in Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands,
only around half (or less) think that climate change is a severe problem.
Slide 33
a similar divide in Sweden where right-wing websites play a
significant role in opposing the consensus on a range of issues
including climate change.
In most countries, we observe a clear consensus about the
seriousness on the issue on one side, but also a small number of
individuals who do not take climate change seriously at all. This PROPORTION THAT THINK CLIMATE CHANGE IS VERY OR
EXTREMELY SERIOUS BY POLITICAL LEANING – USA, SWEDEN,
may be because they feel disconnected from the issue, because
ALL MARKETS
they are sceptical of the science, or because they are worried about
the economic impact of measures to tackle climate change.
The vast majority of markets in our dataset have fewer than 100% USA Sweden All Markets
3% saying climate change is not serious at all. But scepticism
(or indifference) is far higher in the United States (12%) as well 89
as in Sweden
REUTERS (9%),FOR
INSTITUTE Greta
THEThunberg’s home country.
STUDY OF JOURNALISM Further,
/ FURTHER ANALYSIS 81
Slide 32
75%
in Australia, 8% of respondents say that climate change is 75
71
not serious at all, even though the country was going through
devastating bush fires at the time of our fieldwork. 61
58
50% 54
PROPORTION THAT THINK CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT SERIOUS

– SELECTED COUNTRIES
25% 26
United States 12%
18
Sweden 9%
Australia 8% 0%
USA Sweden All Markets
Norway 7%
Left Centre Right
The Netherlands 5%
All markets
REUTERS average
INSTITUTE 3%
FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER ANALYSIS
QC1_2020. How serious a problem, if at all, do you think climate change is? Q1F. Some people
Slide 31
QC1_2020. How serious a problem, if at all, do you think climate change is? Showing % who say
not serious at all. Base: Total sample in each market.
talk about ‘left’, ‘right’, and ‘centre’ to describe parties and politicians. With this in mind, where
would you place yourself on the following scale? Base: USA Left = 507, Centre= 844, Right = 458,
Sweden Left = 331, Centre = 924, Right = 540, All markets Left = 13843, Centre = 41779, Right = 10823.
PROPORTION THAT THINK CLIMATE CHANGE IS VERY OR EXTREMELY SERIOUS – ALL MARKETS
100%
90 90
87 87 85 85 85
84 83 83 83 82
75% 80
77 77 75
74
71 71 70 70 69
67 65 65
64 63 63
58 58 58 57 56
50% 55 55 54 53
50
42 41
25%
0%
CHL KEN ZA TUR PHL POR CRO ROU MEX HUN GRE BGR ARG SPA SVK BRA ITA IRE POL MYS KOR TWN SGN JPN UK HK CAN FRA GER AUS AUT FIN USA CZE SUI BEL DEN SWE NOR NLD
QC1_2020. How serious a problem, if at all, do you think climate change is? Showing % who say very or extremely serious. Base: Total sample in each market.
27
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/11/05/1-concern-about-climate-change-and-its-consequences/
28
M. Rojas, ‘Global Heating Plus Inequality is a Recipe for Chaos – Just Look at Chile’, Guardian (8 Dec. 2019), accessed Apr. 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/
dec/08/un-conference-global-heating-cop25-chile-madrid-climate-crisis
29
BBC, ‘How Africa Will Be Affected by Climate Change?’ (15 Dec. 2019), accessed Apr. 2020, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-50726701

Slide 35
SOURCES OF NEWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE MOST USED SOURCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS BY AGE –
ALL MARKETS
Our data show that people pay far more attention to television when 55+
it comes to climate change than to other forms of media. These 23
findings are in line with previous research (Schäfer and Schlichting
Television 27
2014), perhaps reflecting the power of the moving image to stir
25-34
our emotions. Watching glaciers melt or seeing images of plastic 42
clogging up our oceans can often have more impact than reading a
news article containing scientific details of climate change. 16
18-24
Online news sites of major news organisations are the second most Online news sites from
major news organisations 17
popular news source across all markets. Our survey respondents
also pay attention to specialised outlets covering climate issues 12
(13%) as well as alternative sources such as social media and blogs
(9%). By INSTITUTE
REUTERS comparison it THE
FOR is striking
STUDY that printed newspapers
OF JOURNALISM / FURTHER and radio
ANALYSIS 12
Slide 34
are even less important as a source of news than conversations with
friends and family. On average, 7% of respondents across all markets
Specialised outlets
covering climate issues 12
stated that they do not pay attention to climate change news. 13
MOST USED SOURCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS – 18-24

17
ALL MARKETS 25-34
Alternative sources such as
social media posts and blogs 14 55+
Television 35 Total
5
Online news sites from
15 0% 25% 50%
major news organisations
Specialised outlets C2_2020. When it comes to climate change, which of the following sources of news, if any, do you
13 _pay most_ attention to? Please select one. Base: 18–24/25–34/55+: 9835/14424/274511.
covering climate issues
Alternative sources such as

9
social media posts or blogs I follow climate activists like Greta Thunberg [on social
Conversations with colleagues,
media] and follow what she does.
6
friends, or family Female, 19, UK
Printed newspapers 5 Leonardo DiCaprio posts on Instagram about climate

change a lot – so does Cody Simpson.
Radio 5 Female, 20, USA
Others still talked about using a wide range of different sources in

Don't know 4
combination with mainstream media. This is in line with evidence
noted in our Executive Summary that young people are more
I don't pay attention
7 interested in news with a point of view and in accessing authentic
to climate change
and diverse perspectives from a wide range of digital sources,
0% 25% 50%
including podcasts and blogs.
C2_2020. When it comes to climate change, which of the following sources of news, if any, do you
_pay most_ attention to? Please select one. Base: Total sample = 80155. I get most of my news about climate change
from smaller, independent news outlets such as
commondreams.org as well as from various peoples’
feeds, pages, and websites that post interesting, and
HOW YOUNG PEOPLE ACCESS NEWS ABOUT scientific, and political content.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Male, 25–34, USA
While television is more prevalent among respondents over the
[I am] following politicians, activists, and leaders in the
age of 35, alternative sources such as social media and blogs
world posting about climate change and how the things
are more popular among younger groups. 18–24s (so-called
we do affect our environment. The Earth is our past,
Generation Z) are three times as likely to access alternative present, and future and [I] think that climate change
sources of news around climate change when compared to should be the number one priority in everyone’s life.
over-55s.
Female, 25–34, USA
In open comments our respondents told us more about their
It is important to stress that, as well as following activists and
motivations for using social media. Many talked about the value
influencers, younger groups are also accessing traditional brands in
they got from accessing news directly from activists. Others said
social media. Titles like National Geographic, for example, seem to be
they picked up news by following celebrities or influencers that
finding a new audience with its visual Instagram and Facebook posts
they admired:
on the subject.
54 / 55
SOURCES OF NEWS AMONGST THE LEAST PARTICIPATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

CONCERNED
Those that are least concerned about climate change, while fewer in
Around a third (32%) of those who report that climate change is numbers, frequently report sharing news stories online – especially
not serious or not serious at all state that they do not pay attention in polarised societies. For example, in the USA, those who say that
to news about climate change. Many of these tend to have lower climate change is not serious are as likely to share news about
levels of education and are less interested in news more generally. climate change via social media or email as those who are extremely
concerned about climate change. And in Sweden, the least
Those who do pay attention but are still sceptical are less likely concerned are almost twice as likely to share news online as those
to use mainstream media but just as likely to use alternative who believe that climate change is a serious issue. In both these
sources such
REUTERS as social
INSTITUTE media
FOR THE when
STUDY compared with
OF JOURNALISM thoseANALYSIS
/ FURTHER that are countries we see a highly vocal minority making a big noise online.
Slide 36
more concerned. Only a fifth (20%) of those who say that climate
change is not serious rely on television news compared with 37% By contrast,
REUTERS in Chile,
INSTITUTE FORwhere we record
THE STUDY the highest/ FURTHER
OF JOURNALISM degree ofANALYSIS
concern
of those that take it more seriously. Slide 37
over climate change, most of the online sharing comes from those
with the highest levels of concern and this is the picture we find in
most other countries.
PROPORTION THAT THINK CLIMATE CHANGE IS SERIOUS
BY MOST USED SOURCE OF NEWS – ALL MARKETS
PROPORTION SHARING NEWS BY CONCERN OVER CLIMATE
20 CHANGE – USA, SWEDEN, CHILE
Television
37
40 N
5 25
Printed newspapers
5 USA 30
38 N
4 39
Radio
4
S
19
Online news sites from 8 19
major news organisation 17 Sweden 18 V
30
Specialised outlets 8
33
covering climate issues 15 E
47
Alternative sources such as 9
38
social media posts and blogs 10 41
Chile
7 31
Conversations with colleagues,
23
friends, or family 6
0% 25% 50%
3
Other Extremely serious
1
Very serious
4 Somewhat serious
Don't know
3 Not very serious
Not serious at all
I don't pay attention 32
to climate change 2 QC1_2020. How serious a problem, if at all, do you think climate change is? Showing % who say
Extremely serious, Very serious, Somewhat serious, Not very serious, and Not serious at all.
0% 25% 50% Q13. Net: Share a news story on social media or via email. Base: Total sample in each country. USA
= 2055, Sweden = 2091, Chile = 2005.
Not serious/Not serious at all

Extremely/Very serious
HOW DO THE NEWS MEDIA PERFORM?

C2_2020. When it comes to climate change, which of the following sources of news, if any, do
you _pay most_ attention to? Please select one. QC1_2020. How serious a problem, if at all, do
you think climate change is? Base: Extremely serious or Very serious/Not very serious or Not serious With an overall consensus about the seriousness of climate change,
at all: 55693/6794. how do people feel the media are doing in covering the issue and
informing the public? Across markets around half (47%) say that
the news media do a good job in providing accurate information
about climate change. By contrast, those who say the problem is
not serious are far more likely to think the media are doing a bad job
(46%) than a good job (16%).
REUTERS

Reuters INSTITUTE
Report 2020
Slide 38
PROPORTION THAT SAYS MEDIA PROVIDE ACCURATE CONCLUSION

INFORMATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE – ALL MARKETS
The majority of our respondents express serious concern about
All 19 34 47 climate change, with only a minority that disagrees. But at least part
of this group have different news consumption habits about climate
Serious 16 28 56 change than the rest. They are highly critical of the mainstream
media and often use alternative sources including social media.
Not serious 46 38 16 These attitudes are not unique to climate change but the issue
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% reflects the existing strong divisions among different segments of
the population – especially in countries that already have high levels
Fairly/Very bad Neither Fairly/Very good
of political polarisation.30
QC4a_2020. To what extent do the news media do a good or bad job in giving me accurate
information about climate change? Base: Total sample = 80155. QC1_2020. How serious a Young people are not as disapproving of the mainstream media
problem, if at all, do you think climate change is? Base: Extremely serious or Very serious/Not while still embracing alternative media sources in a search for
very serious or Not serious at all: 55693/6794. ‘Don’t know’ responses have been added to Neither.
authenticity and more diverse points of view. All of this is challenging
for news organisations in terms of catering for different audiences
Combined with their relatively high use of alternative sources such and producing content in new formats. There is also a new level of
as social media this might suggest a loss of confidence by this group competition with influencers and celebrities where journalists are
in the mainstream media. This may be due to how trustworthy or now just one source amongst many.
biased they think the news media are when it comes to reporting on
climate change. As we’ve already learned, in the United States much Some media organisations are responding to these trends by
of this relates to the highly charged political atmosphere and how taking a clearer stand. The Guardian, for example, has started to
this colours views on the mainstream media in general: talk about ‘climate emergency’ rather than climate change. Other
publications have started to take more content that is sponsored
Lies about climate control because [the] Democrats by NGOs and foundations with an interest in shifting policy choices.
are full of shit. But any shift towards more campaigning journalism will also need
Male, 37, USA to bear in mind the partisan differences in attitude to the subject
revealed in this report and the widespread desire for a lack of
Elsewhere critics from both left and right accuse the media of not
hidden agendas if trust is to be maintained.
being bold enough in their coverage, being relentlessly doom-
laden and negative, and following hidden agendas. Many of these
critiques are not specific to climate change and are part of wider
concerns about the news media:
I don’t trust corporate media sources to be frank

enough about climate change.
Male, 55–64, USA
Twitter allows people to speak freely on matters

they know about, such as climate change, without the
propaganda/indoctrination newspapers and TV has.
Female, 18–24, UK
I would rather read a balanced report that looks at all

factors than the ‘we’re doomed’ coming from the likes
of the BBC or Sky News.
Male, 18–24, UK
We observe a similar story when we ask about how well the media
perform in terms of helping them understand what they can do
personally about climate change, with an overall consensus that
the media are doing a good job.
Using a logistic regression (dependent variable: scepticism 0-1) across all markets with country fixed effects, we test the relationship between climate change scepticism and the
30
media sources used for climate change, while controlling for political alignment (left-right), frequency of access to news, interest in news, trust in news, gender, age, education. We find
statistically significant and negative relationships between various types of media sources (TV, online news, alternative sources, print, radio, specialised outlets on climate change) and
scepticism. Those who report ‘not paying attention’ to news sources about climate change are more likely to be sceptical about climate change. Further, climate change scepticism and
right-wing political ideology are positively linked, meaning that those who are on the right end of the political spectrum are more likely to report climate change scepticism. Women and
those with higher levels of education are, on average, less likely to be sceptical about climate change. We also find that the more people trust in news, the less they report being sceptical
about climate change. All results reported here are statistically significant (p < 0.05).
56 / 57

58 / 59
S E C T I O N 3
Country and Market Data
In this section we publish a market-based view of the findings, which includes an overview of the most
important data points in terms of news.
These include an overview of consumption in each market, EUROPE AMERICAS

including details of the most popular news brands – traditional 3.01 United Kingdom 62 3.25 United States 88
and online. The pages also contain statistics about the use of new
devices such as smartphones and tablets and the role of different 3.02 Austria 63 3.26 Argentina 89
social networks for news. Information is drawn from the 2020 3.03 Belgium 64 3.27 Brazil 90
Digital News Report survey using the methodology outlined on p. 6, 3.04 Bulgaria 65 3.28 Canada 91
with the exception of population and internet levels which are
drawn from Internet World Statistics (2019). 3.05 Croatia 66 3.29 Chile 92
3.06 Czech Republic 67 3.30 Mexico 93
Due to the coronavirus crisis and to simplify production, we have
3.07 Denmark 68 ASIA PACIFIC
decided not to include an accompanying commentary on each
market this year. However, we have published some additional 3.08 Finland 69 3.31 Australia 96
contextual background online at digitalnewsreport.org along 3.09 France 70 3.32 Hong Kong 97
with data and charts for all the countries.
3.10 Germany 71 3.33 Japan 98
Whilst most of our countries see internet penetration of 80% or 3.11 Greece 72 3.34 Malaysia 99
more, some countries have lower levels of access. It should also be
3.12 Hungary 73 3.35 Philippines 100
noted in particular that in Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Greece,
Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, South Africa, and Turkey our 3.13 Ireland 74 3.36 Singapore 101
samples tend to be based more around urban areas. Our sample in 3.14 Italy 75 3.37 South Korea 102
Kenya only includes those aged 18-54 due to difficulties in reaching
3.15 Netherlands 76 3.38 Taiwan 103
older people online. Many international comparisons will still
be relevant in terms of understanding differences in the online 3.16 Norway 77 AFRICA
sphere, but anyone interpreting these results should be careful 3.17 Poland 78 3.39 Kenya 106
not to suggest these figures represent the total adult population,
3.18 Portugal 79 3.40 South Africa 107
especially when considering offline versus online consumption.
3.19 Romania 80
Please note that this year we have changed our brand level 3.20 Slovakia 81
trust figures to show the percentage that trust/don’t trust each
news brand – rather than just showing the mean. We feel this 3.21 Spain 82
gives a clearer picture of how some brands are perceived by 3.22 Sweden 83
different groups. We ask respondents to rate each brand on a 3.23 Switzerland 84
0-10 scale (ranging from ‘Not at all trustworthy’ to ‘Completely
trustworthy’) with the ‘Trust’ percentage being those who rated 3.24 Turkey85
6–10 and the ‘Don’t trust’ figure the sum of those who rated 0–4.
Those that selected 5 (‘Neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy’)
are shown as ‘Neither. Those that said they have not heard of
each brand were excluded. We have also made the number of
brands in each country more consistent and as far as possible
focused on just the most popular news brands in each country.
18/06/2020: An earlier version of the report incorrectly stated that the
We have ordered the markets by geography (Europe, Americas, brand trust figures included all that have not heard of each brand in
Asia Pacific, and Africa) and within each region they are then the ’Neither’ bar. However, those that had not heard of each brand were
ordered alphabetically – with the exception of UK at the start of the excluded. We have edited the labels to correctly describe the data,
Europe section and the United States at the start of the Americas. but the figures themselves are unchanged. We apologise for the error.

60 / 61
S E C T I O N 3

Europe
EUROPE
3.01 United Kingdom 62
3.02 Austria 63
3.03 Belgium 64
3.04 Bulgaria 65
3.05 Croatia 66
3.06 Czech Republic 67
3.07 Denmark 68
3.08 Finland 69
3.09 France 70
3.10 Germany 71
3.11 Greece 72
3.12 Hungary 73
3.13 Ireland 74
3.14 Italy 75
3.15 Netherlands 76
3.16 Norway 77
3.17 Poland 78
3.18 Portugal 79
3.19 Romania 80
3.20 Slovakia 81
3.21 Spain 82
3.22 Sweden 83
3.23 Switzerland 84
3.24 Turkey85

UNITED KINGDOM
Population 67m
Internet penetration 95%
WEEKLY REACH BBC News (TV & radio) 56

10 BBC News online 45
10
OFFLINE AND ITV News 11

27 Guardian online 8
18
ONLINE Sky News 7

16 MailOnline 5
15
Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday 5

11 Sky News online 4
10
Local or regional newspaper 6

9 Other local or regional newspaper website 4
9
Metro 5
8 Telegraph online 4
7
The Sun/Sun on Sunday 4

8 HuffPost (Huffington Post) 65
TOP BRANDS Commercial radio news 3
8 Independent/ i100 online 4
6
% Weekly usage C4 News 5
7 BuzzFeed News 4
6
Weekly use The Times/Sunday Times 4

6 Sun online 63
TV, radio & print Guardian/Observer 3 5 Yahoo! News 63
More than 3 days per week Daily Telegraph/Sunday Telegraph 3 5 MSN News 63
TV, radio & print ALSO
Daily Mirror/Sunday Mirror/Sunday People 3 4 Metro online 3 5
Weekly use Breitbart1%
Daily Express/Sunday Express 3 Mirror online 2 4
online brands The Canary 1%
'i' 2 The Lad Bible news 3 4
More than 3 days per week Russia Today 1%
London Evening Standard 2 The Times online 4 Another Angry Voice 1%
online brands
CHANGING MEDIA SOURCES OF NEWS Online (incl. social media)

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20
TV news reach declined to Social media
55% in January before 100% 100%
Social media Ta
bouncing back during the
79%
coronavirus crisis (see 74% 77% Online
72% (incl. social media) Sm
Executive Summary chart). 59% Printed newspapers 62% Co
55%
This year’s fall in print is partly 50% 50% TV
43%
due to a change of panel 39%
29% 26%
weighting implemented to 20% 22%
16%
make our data more accurate
0% 0%
– though circulation was 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
adversely affected by the
COVID-19 lockdown.
TRUST DIFFERENT BRAND TRUST SCORES

TYPES Trust Neither Don’t trust
Trust in the news has fallen OF TRUST
over 20 percentage points BBC News 64 19 17
since 2015. Even the most ITV News 60 28 12
trusted brands like the BBC News overall News I use Channel 4 59 27 14
are seen by many as Financial Times 58 33 9
28% (-12) 39%

pushing or suppressing Local or regional newspaper 55 32 13
agendas – especially over Guardian 54 29 17
polarising issues like Brexit. Sky News 53 28 19
Broadcasters have higher =32nd/40 Independent 49 35 16
levels of trust than digital- The Times 44 34 22
born brands and tabloids, News in search News in social Daily Telegraph 31 54 15
some of which have high HuffPost 28 45 27
15% 6%
levels of distrust. Daily Mail/MailOnline 28 27 45
Daily Mirror 23 32 45
BuzzFeed News 19 44 37
Sun 16 24 60
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Trust = % scored 6-10 on 10-point scale, Don’t trust = 0-4, Neither = 5.
Those that haven’t heard of each brand were excluded.
TOP SOCIAL MEDIA AND MESSAGING

PAY
Rank Brand For News For All Rank Brand For News For All
7%
pay for
1 Facebook
2 Twitter
24% (-4)
14% (-)
65%
29%
4 WhatsApp
5 Facebook Messenger
7% (-2)
5% (-1)
56%
46%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 7% (-3) 51% 6 Instagram 3% (-1) 30%
62 / 63
AUSTRIA
Population 8.8m
WEEKLY REACH ORF (public broadcaster) 80

15 ORF News online 36
12
OFFLINE AND Kronen Zeitung 15

38 Kronen Zeitung online 9
25
ONLINE Puls 4 10
21 GMX 8
18
ServusTV 11
21 Der Standard online 5
15
Heute 9
19 meinbezirk.at /woche.at/ bezirksrundschau.at 7
12
ZDF 9
18 Kurier online 7
12
Bezirksblätter 13
17 Heute online 6
12
TOP BRANDS Österreich 9
17 oe24.at (z.B. österreich.at, sport.oe24.at, buzz.oe24.at) 5
11
% Weekly usage KroneHit 8
16 Kronehit news 6
10
Weekly use RTL 7

15 Die Presse online 5
9
TV, radio & print ATV 9
15 Kleine Zeitung online 4
9
More than 3 days per week ARD 7
14 MSN News 3
7 ALSO
TV, radio & print 5
14 4
7
Unzensuriert4%
Kleine Zeitung puls4.com news
Weekly use Kontrast4%
Der Standard 6
12 OÖ Nachrichten 3
7
online brands Info Direkt 2%
oe24 TV 6
11 news.at (NEWS online) 3 5 Alles Roger? 1%
More than 3 days per week
online brands Kurier 6
11 heute.de (ZDF Germany) 2 5 Contra Magazin 1%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20*
Austria has traditionally had Social media
the highest levels of print 100% 100%
readership in our survey but Social media Tab
78% Online (incl. social media) Sm
this has fallen by almost 20 71% 71%
68% 67% newspapers 67%
percentage points in just six 70% Printed Co
51% 54%
years. TV news reach is also 50%
45%
50% TV
38% 41%
substantially down in our
pre-COVID-19 survey, though 20%
18%
public broadcaster ORF has
0% 0%
transferred much of its 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
offline strength online. *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.

The role played by the OF TRUST
media in the fall from ORF News 66 18 16
government of the Der Standard 61 24 15
right-wing freedom party News overall News I use Die Presse 60 26 14
FPÖ has bolstered trust ZDF News 59 27 14
40% (+1) 51%

with liberal voters – and Servus TV News 56 31 13
overall. The party had been Regional or local paper 54 32 14
on a collision course with Kurier 51 30 19
many news media as it 16th/40 Puls 4 News 49 32 19
tried to control the agenda Kleine Zeitung 46 35 19
but plans to reform the News in search News in social NEWS 42 34 24
popular public service Kronen Zeitung 41 25 34
24% 17%
media (ORF) have now RTL News 40 32 28
been greatly reduced. Oe24 36 32 32

Heute 32 29 39
GMX 27 40 33
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
11%
pay for
+2
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
30%
23%
(-1)
(-)
60%
76%
4 Instagram
9% (+1)
7% (+1)
30%
31%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 21% (-2) 63% 6 Twitter 5% (+1) 10%

BELGIUM
Population 12m
WEEKLY REACH TV, RADIO AND PRINT (FLEMISH) ONLINE (FLEMISH)

OFFLINE AND ONLINE Eén (VRT) 44
12 Het Laatste Nieuws online 10
51
VTM 12
43 VRT Nieuws online 12
35
Het Laatste Nieuws 13

35 Het Nieuwsblad online 9
31
TOP BRANDS Radio 2 (VRT) 8
24 De Standaard online 6
16
% Weekly usage Het Nieuwsblad 8
22 De Morgen online 5
12
Weekly use Canvas (VRT) 9

18 4
Gazet van Antwerpen online 10
TV, radio & print Radio 1 (VRT) 6

18 3
Het Belang van Limburg online 10
More than 3 days per week Qmusic 6

16 De Tijd online 3
9
TV, radio & print
MNM (VRT) 7
15
VRT 73% MSN News 4
7
(Public
Weekly use 6
13 broadcaster) Knack.be (incl. trends.knack.be, kanaalz.knack.be) 4
7
Studio Brussel (VRT)
online brands weekly reach
Joe FM 5
11 across TV BBC News online 6
More than 3 days per week and radio
online brands 6
Metro 10 Newsmonkey.be 5
TV, RADIO AND PRINT (FRENCH) ONLINE (FRENCH)
12%
PAY RTL 48
13 RTL News online 37
10
La Une (RTBF ) 14
46 RTBF News online 10
27
100%
TF1 (France) 10
28 DH online 10
23 Tab
pay for ONLINE NEWS Bel-RTL 8
23 Le Soir online 8
20 Sm
9
22 70%7sur7 7
20
Wallonia 11% | Flanders 12% 100% Vivacité (RTBF)
Social media 58% Com
Le Soir 8
16 L'Avenir online 7
19 57%
82% 50%
26%
75% Metro 78% Online (incl. social media)
9
16
72% 39%
MSN News 5
13
France Télévisions (France 2, France 3) 7

16 Printed
La Librenewspapers
6
12
50% 46%
Regional or local newspapers 9
15
RTBF 68% 20%
TVnews sites 5
11
19%
45% (Public 39% Regional
listened to La Deux (RTBF) 9

14 broadcaster) 39% 0% 5
Yahoo! News 8
weekly reach 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
PODCASTS Radio Contact 5
14 across TV
and radio
L'Echo 3
7
in the last month La Première (RTBF) 6

14 Euronews 3
7
0%
2016 0 2017 2018 2019 2020
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRUST SOURCES OF NEWS Online (incl. social media)

TV DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20
News overall News I use Social media
45% (-4) 50% 100% 100%

Social media Tabl
=10th/40 82% 77% Online (incl. social media) Sma
Wallonia36% Wallonia42% 75% 70%
Flanders51% Flanders56% 63% Printed newspapers Com
55%
News in search News in social 50% 46% 50% TV 49%
45% 41%
39%
27% 18% 33%
20% 19%
Wallonia25% Wallonia19%
Flanders28% Flanders17% 0% 0%
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
TOP SOCIAL MEDIA AND MESSAGING BRAND TRUST SCORES BRAND TRUST SCORES
(FLEMISH) (FRENCH)
Rank Brand For For Trust Neither Don’t trust Trust Neither Don’t trust
News All
VRT Nieuws 78 15 7 RTBF News 74 19 7
Radio 1 75 19 6 Le Soir 69 23 8
1 Facebook 41% (-1) 67%
De Standaard 74 19 7 La Première 67 25 8
De Tijd 74 20 6 RTL 66 22 12
2 YouTube 16% (-1) 52% VTM Nieuws 74 17 9 France 2 65 27 8
Radio 2 74 19 7 Vivacité 65 24 11
3 Facebook Messenger 12% (-) 47% De Morgen 70 20 10 Bel-RTL 63 24 13

Het Nieuwsblad 70 21 9 TF1 62 25 13
Knack 68 23 9 Regional or local paper 60 30 10
4 WhatsApp 9% (-1) 41% Het Laatste Nieuws 67 20 13 DH 59 27 14
Regional or local paper 67 25 8 L'Avenir 59 29 12
5 Instagram 8% (+1) 28% Gazet van Antwerpen 66 24 10 Radio Contact 56 31 13

Qmusic 60 28 12 7sur7 53 33 14
Metro 60 28 12 Metro 52 35 13
6 Twitter 5% (+1) 13%
Joe FM 58 29 13 MSN News 41 37 22
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Trust = % scored 6-10 on 10-point scale, Don’t trust = 0-4, Neither = 5. Trust = % scored 6-10 on 10-point scale, Don’t trust = 0-4, Neither = 5.
Those that haven’t heard of each brand were excluded. Those that haven’t heard of each brand were excluded.
64 / 65
BULGARIA*
Population 7m
WEEKLY REACH NovaTV News 74

10 Nova TV News online 50
10
OFFLINE AND BTV News 10

70 BTV News online 10
47
ONLINE BNT News (Bulgarian National Television) 13

51 ABV News online 12
44
24 Chasa 20
33 novini.bg 18
37
Bulgaria on Air 10
24 24 Chasa online 17
33
TV Evropa News 10
23 dir.bg 14
30
BNR News (Bulgarian National Radio) 7

21 BNT News online 7
27
TOP BRANDS Telegraf 10
17 Blitz.bg 11
23
% Weekly usage Kanal 3 7
17 Dnevnik online 11
20
Weekly use Regional or local newspaper 10

16 Bivol.bg 10
19
TV, radio & print Trud 10
15 Petel.bg 9
17
More than 3 days per week Darik (Radio) 7
14 Trud online 8
14
TV, radio & print 7
10 7
13
Capital Capital online
Weekly use 5
9 5
13
CNN Darik
online brands
Monitor 6
8 BNR News online 5
13
online brands Standart 5
8 Bulgaria on Air online 5
12

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2018–20 Print 2018–20
Television remains an Social media
important source of news 100% 100%
in Bulgaria, with many of 88% 86% Social media Tab
84% 77%
78%
Online (incl. social media) 74% Sm
the main TV networks now 72% 71% 67% 66%
owned by businessmen Printed newspapers Co
with political connections. 50% 50% TV
Independent media still
operate in print and online 23% 24% 21%
17%
while social media news
0% 0%
use is amongst the highest 2018 2019 2020 2018 2019 2020
in Europe.

Many news organisations in OF TRUST
Bulgaria have become Bulgarian National Radio 72 16 12
reliant on funding from Bulgarian National Television 71 15 14
pro-government oligarchs News overall News I use Nova TV News 69 16 15
or foreign foundations. This BTV News 68 17 15
33% (-7) 37%

in turn may have reduced Novini 60 25 15
independence and trust – Capital 59 25 16
down seven percentage 24 Chasa 58 24 18
points this year. Public =25th/40 Trud 55 27 18
broadcasters BNT and BNR Dir 55 29 16
are less popular in terms of News in search News in social Dnevnik 55 28 17
reach than commercial Regional or local newspaper 55 28 17
32% 28%
rivals, but remain the Bivol 54 25 21
most trusted for news in ABV News 53 31 16
our survey. Sega 48 32 20

Blitz.bg 42 31 27
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
69% (-5)
35% (+1)
80%
70%
4 Viber
5 Instagram
17% (+1)
12% (+2)
58%
31%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 20% (-) 57% 6 Twitter 8% (+2) 16%
*Data are from more urban areas, rather than a fully nationally representative sample. These will tend to represent richer and more connected users.

CROATIA
Population 4.1m
WEEKLY REACH NovaTV News 59

15 Index.hr 20
61
OFFLINE AND HTV & HR News (public broadcaster) 15

59 24sata online 18
56
ONLINE RTL News 15

57 Jutarnji online 18
49
24sata 18
36 Dnevnik.hr 22
41
Jutarnji list 16
29 Net.hr 19
41
Otvoreni radio 9
23 Tportal.hr 19
38
Večernji list 10
18 Večernji online 16
36
TOP BRANDS Local radio news 7
16 Dnevno.hr 12
22
% Weekly usage Narodni radio 7
16 Telegram.hr 10
20
Weekly use N1 6
15 Slobodna Dalmacija online 8
19
TV, radio & print Antena radio 5
19
More than 3 days per week Slobodna Dalmacija 5
11 Direktno.hr 11
16
TV, radio & print 8
11 9
14
Regional or local newspaper HRT News online (public broadcaster)
Weekly use 5
9 6
11
Local television news HRTi
online brands
Al-Jazeera 5
8 Novilist.hr 4
10
online brands Novi list 3
7 N1 online 4
8

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
The Croatian media market Social media
is characterised by strong 100% 100%
91% Social media Ta
commercial television 88%
providers and a print sector 79% 76% Online (incl. social media) 78% Sm
72%
struggling to adapt to digital. Printed
64%newspapers 65% Co
56% 55%
Internet penetration in 50%
43% 50% TV
Croatia is now over 90% and 36%
this growing connectedness 17% 16%
is reflected in smartphone
0% 0%
use – 78% now use the 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
device for news weekly.

Trust in the news has been OF TRUST
pretty much unchanged for NovaTV 73 17 10
the last two years, despite RTL 71 18 11
a series of media exposés News overall News I use Otvoreni radio 62 26 12
of corruption by Jutarnji list 61 24 15
39% (-1) 42%

government ministers. In Local and regional newspaper 59 26 15
regard to media brands, the Večernji list 58 26 16
two online portals HTV News (public television) 57 21 22
identified with the =17th/40 HR News (public radio) 56 25 19
right-wing (Dnevno.hr) and Tportal.hr 55 29 16
left/liberal (Index.hr) have News in search News in social index.hr 55 21 24
the highest levels of Slobodna Dalmacija 54 31 15
32% 29%
distrust. Mainstream 24sata 52 25 23
television and daily papers Net.hr 51 29 20
engender most trust. Telegram 49 30 21

Dnevno.hr 48 27 25
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
7%
pay for
+1
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
55%
28%
(-1)
(-)
74%
74%
4 Viber
14% (+1)
11% (-1)
59%
52%
ONLINE NEWS 3 WhatsApp 16% (+2) 61% 6 Instagram 10% (-) 37%
66 / 67
CZECH REPUBLIC
Population 10.6m
WEEKLY REACH Czech Television News (incl. 1, ČT24) 60

10 Seznamz.cz/zpravy 44
12
OFFLINE AND TV Nova News 12

47 iDnes.cz 14
43
ONLINE Prima News 13

39 Novinky.cz 9
33
Mlada Fronta DNES 8

17 Aktualne.cz 14
32
Televize Seznam 8
16 CT (Czech Television) News online 8
24
Czech Radio News 5

15 TN.cz 8
21
Regional or local newspaper 9

14 iPrima.cz 9
18
TOP BRANDS Radio Impuls News 7
14 Blesk.cz 7
15
% Weekly usage Blesk 6
13 Denik.cz 8
15
Weekly use Metro 6

12 Super.cz 6
11
TV, radio & print Frekvence 1 News 4
10 Lidovky.cz 5
9
More than 3 days per week TV Barrandov News 4
9 iHned.cz 6
9 ALSO
TV, radio & print 4
9 5
7
Parlamentnilisty.cz15%
Evropa 2 News Extra.cz
Weekly use Prvnizpravy.cz.4%
Denik 6
9 Reflex.cz 5
7
online brands Sputnik3%
Reflex 4
6 DVTV.cz 3
7 Ac24.cz3%
online brands Lidove noviny 4
6 Tyden.cz 4
6 Aeronet.cz2%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20*
The Czech media market has Social media
experienced significant 100% 100%
ownership concentration in 91% Social media Tab
88%
85% 83% (incl. social media)
Online Sm
recent years with control 76%
70%
shifting towards domestic Printed newspapers 60% Co
tycoons. Offline sources such 50% 41% 49% 50% TV
as TV and print are becoming 37% 34%
less important over time, 24%
16% 13%
with the smartphone now a
0% 0%
key device for accessing 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
online news. *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.

The tendency towards OF TRUST
declining trust in news, Czech Television (public broadcaster) 62 19 19
recorded in previous years, Regional or local paper 61 29 10
has stalled, even if the News overall News I use Czech Radio (public broadcaster) 60 28 12
overall trust figures are still Hospodářské noviny 56 33 11
33% (-) 38%

comparatively low. Public iDnes.cz 56 28 16
broadcasters remain most Seznam.cz/zpravy 54 31 15
trusted alongside local and Aktualne.cz 53 34 13
regional news, while =25th/40 TV Prima 51 31 18
tabloids and some Mlada Fronta DNES 50 30 20
commercial TV stations are News in search News in social Novinky.cz 50 33 17
trusted least. Radio Impuls 48 36 16
29% 16%
Lidové noviny 48 36 16
Denik N 48 39 13
TV Nova 42 26 32
Blesk 16 21 63
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
45% (-5)
23% (-3)
71%
66%
4 WhatsApp
5 Instagram
13% (+3)
9% (+1) 26%
41%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 15% (-2) 50% 6 Twitter 4% (-) 8%

DENMARK
Population 5.7m
WEEKLY REACH DR News incl. P1, P3, P4 (main public broadcaster) 59

14 DR News online 35
9
OFFLINE AND TV2 Nyhederne (incl. TV2 News) 10

54 TV2 News online 7
29
ONLINE Regional news via TV2 (Nord, Fyn, Lorry) 8

25 Ekstra-Bladet online 7
29
Local free weekly newspaper 14

18 BT online 9
26
BT 4
11 Politiken online 7
14
Local or regional newspaper (eg Aarhus Stiftstidende, JyskeVestkysten) 5

11 Jyllandsposten online 5
12
Ekstrabladet 4
10 Local weekly website 7
11
TOP BRANDS Commerical radio news (eg Nova FM, Radio 100) 4
9 Berlingske online 4
10
% Weekly usage Jyllandsposten 3
7 Local/regional newspaper website 4
10
Weekly use Politiken 62 Børsen online 62

TV, radio & print Berlingske 2 5 Dagens online 4
6
More than 3 days per week BBC News 3 5 Altinget online 63
TV, radio & print
Børsen 2 4 Information online 4
6
Weekly use
CNN 2 4 Avisen online 4
6
online brands ALSO
Søndagsavisen 2 4 CNN.com 3 5 Den Korte Avis 4%
online brands Weekendavisen 2 4 BBC News online 2 4 Zetland3%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20
Danes are adjusting to Social media
reductions in funding to public 100% 100%
Social media Ta
service broadcasting which 85%
81% 80% Online (incl. social media) Sm
came into effect in 2020.
67%
Reach for public broadcasters 62% Printed newspapers
57%
Co
and for TV news has fallen 50% 49% 47% 50% TV 46%
43%
significantly since 2013. 31%
25% 29%
Meanwhile commercial print 21%
newspapers, many of whom
0% 0%
were already struggling, have 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
received some government
support following the
COVID-19 crisis.

Trust in the news overall OF TRUST
has fallen substantially in DR News (main public broadcaster) 78 15 7
the last year (down 11 TV2 Nyherderne 77 15 8
percentage points) but, News overall News I use Børsen 71 23 6
despite some decline, trust Politiken 69 22 9
46% (-11) 52%

in specific media brands Berlingske 69 23 8
remains relatively high Jyllands Posten 69 22 9
compared to other Local or regional newspaper 68 24 8
countries. Public 9th/40 Information 66 25 9
broadcasters DR and TV2 Kristeligt Dagblad 58 29 13
still carry the most trust, News in search News in social Radio 4 News 54 34 12
with popular tabloid Ekstra Søndagsavisen 53 35 12
21% 14%
Bladet trusted least. Avisen.dk 43 41 16
BT 42 29 29
Dagens.dk 40 38 22
Ekstra Bladet 32 26 42
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
17%
pay for
+2
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
37% (+1)
10% (+1)
74%
53%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
7% (+1)
5% (-)
37%
12%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 9% (+1) 55% 6 WhatsApp 2% (-1) 11%
68 / 69
FINLAND
Population 5.6m
WEEKLY REACH Yle News (public broadcaster) 67

13 Ilta-Sanomat online 59
13
OFFLINE AND MTV3 News 15

52 Iltalehti online 11
56
ONLINE Free city papers 21

30 Yle News online (incl news via Areena) 12
39
Ilta-Sanomat 8
21 Helsingin Sanomat online 9
31
Regional newspapers (eg Turun Sanomat, Karjalainen) 5

20 MTV News online (incl Katsomo news) 9
24
Local newspapers (eg Raahen Seutu, Suur-Keuruu) 12

20 Regional newspapers online 6
16
Helsingin Sanomat 6
18 Kauppalehti online 7
13
TOP BRANDS Iltalehti 7
18 Local newspapers online 6
12
% Weekly usage Commercial radio news 7
15 Taloussanomat online 8
12
Weekly use Talouselämä 4

6 Uusisuomi online 4
8
TV, radio & print Suomen Kuvalehti 4 5 Talouselämä online 5
8
More than 3 days per week Kauppalehti 3 5 Free city papers online 5
8
BBC News 3 5 MSN News 4
7
Weekly use Uusi MV-lehti 3%
CNN 3 Foreign newspapers online 4
6
online brands Nykysuomi2%
Other foreign TV news channels 3 BBC News online 3 5 Oikea Media 2%
online brands Maaseudun Tulevaisuus 3 Suomen Kuvalehti online 4 5 Kansalainen2%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2014–20
The news media is Social media
characterised by a strong 100% 100%
regional press, a strong public 90% 88% Social media Tab
80%
Online (incl. social media) Sm
broadcaster (YLE), one widely 75% 69%
read national daily (Helsingin 64% Printed newspapers Co
53% 58%
Sanomat), and two popular 50% 43% 50% TV
40% 41%
evening tabloids, both 37%
reaching over half of the adult 23% 22%
population. TV audiences
0% 0%
continue to fall, while online 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
the smartphone has overtaken
computers for accessing news
for the first time.

While still comparatively OF TRUST
very high, trust in news is Yle News 84 8 8
slowly declining. This may Local newspapers 81 14 5
be because of polarising News overall News I use Helsingin Sanomat 79 11 10
tendencies in this Kauppalehti 79 15 6
56% (-3) 69%

traditionally consensual Regional newspapers 78 16 6
society or because the Suomen Kuvalehti 78 16 6
debate about so called Talouselämä 77 17 6
‘fake news’ has undermined =1st/40 MTV News 77 13 10
trust overall. The national Taloussanomat 77 17 6
broadcasting company Yle News in search News in social Maaseudun Tulevaisuus 71 20 9
remains the most trusted Commercial radio news 66 21 13
26% 16%
news source in Finland Ilta-Sanomat 62 16 22
while the popular tabloids Uusisuomi 62 26 12
have highest levels of Free city papers 60 25 15
distrust. Iltalehti 59 17 24
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
19%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
32% (+2)
15% (+1)
68%
67%
4 Twitter
5 Instagram
8%
7% (+1)
(-)
40%
19%
ONLINE NEWS 3 WhatsApp 12% (+2) 66% 6 Facebook Messenger 5% (-1) 40%

FRANCE
Population 65m
WEEKLY REACH BFM TV News 38

12 20 Minutes online 19
8
OFFLINE AND France Télévisions (public broadcaster) 9

36 Le Monde online 7
14
ONLINE TF1 News (incl. TF1, LCI, TMC) 9

34 Regional or local newspaper website 6
14
M6 News 10
28 TF1 News online 5
13

18 Le Figaro online 6
12
Public radio (France Inter etc) 6

16 France Info (public broadcaster) 5
11
Commercial radio news (RTL etc) 5

15 M6 online 4
10
TOP BRANDS 20 Minutes 8
14 BFM TV online 3
10
% Weekly usage Cnews 5
12 Le HuffPost 6
10
Weekly use Ouest France 4

8 Yahoo! News 4
9
TV, radio & print Le Monde 4
8 Médiapart 5
8
More than 3 days per week Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France 4
7 Brut 4
7
TV, radio & print 5
ALSO
France 24 4
6 L'Express online 7
Weekly use Le Média 4%
Le Figaro 63 MSN News 4
7
online brands RT online 3%
Canal+ 2 5 Le Point online 3
6 Sputnik France 3%
online brands La Voix du Nord 3 5 Cnews online 63 Fdesouche2%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20
TV news reach continues to Social media
decline even if people still turn 100% 100%
Social media Ta
to this medium during 84%
moments of national crisis. The Online (incl. social media) Sm
68% 66%
Yellow Vests protests boosted 64%
Printed newspapers
59%
Co
use of social media for news in 50% 46% 50%
50% TV
39% 41%
2019 before falling back.
French people are now more 24%
18% 15% 16%
likely to access news from a 11%
0% 0%
smartphone than a computer. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Trust in news in France is OF TRUST
amongst the lowest (23%) Regional or local newspaper 62 28 10
in Europe – partly affected France Info 58 30 12
by the divisions that News overall News I use France Télévisions News 58 26 16
emerged around the Yellow Le Monde 57 30 13
23% (-1) 34%

Vests protests and the France Inter 55 32 13
media’s coverage of it. While France Bleu 52 37 11
public media such as France Le Figaro 49 35 16
Télévisions and France Info 39th/40 Mediapart 48 34 18
are most trusted, popular TF1 News 48 31 21
24-hour channel BFM has News in search News in social Le Parisien/Aujourd’hui en France 47 37 16
by far the highest levels of L'Express 47 37 16
18% 13%
distrust (34%). 20 Minutes 47 38 15
M6 News 47 36 17
BFM TV News 42 24 34
Le HuffPost 39 43 18
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
+1
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
43% (-3)
23% (-1)
63%
54%
4 Twitter
5 Instagram
9%
9% (+1)
(-)
27%
16%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 12% (-1) 39% 6 WhatsApp 9% (+1) 28%
70 / 71
GERMANY
Population 82m
WEEKLY REACH ARD News (Tagesschau, Tagesthemen) 55

15 Spiegel online 17
8
OFFLINE AND ZDF News (heute, heute-journal etc) 19

47 ARD News online (tagesschau.de etc) 6
15
ONLINE Regional or local newspaper 13

32 t-online 5
14
RTL News 10
25 Bild.de 5
14
Public regional radio news 8

22 Focus online 6
12
Public regional TV news 10

20 Web.de 4
12
n-tv 8
18 Gmx.de 4
12
TOP BRANDS N24 9
16 Regional or local news websites 4
11
% Weekly usage Commerical radio news 6
16 ZEIT online 6
10
Weekly use Sat.1 News 7

13 n-tv.de 4
10
TV, radio & print Der Spiegel 7
10 Sueddeutsche.de 4
9
More than 3 days per week Bild/Bild am Sonntag 4
9 Welt online 4
9 ALSO
TV, radio & print 5
7 4
8
Tichys Einblick 4%
Free city paper N24.de
Weekly use Junge Freiheit 3%
Commercial regional TV news 4
7 Stern.de 4
7
online brands Compact Online 2%
Focus 5
7 ZDF News online (heute.de etc) 4
7 PI News 2%
online brands Stern 5
7 FAZ.NET 4
6 Epoch Times 2%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20
Online has caught up with Social media
television to become jointly 100% 100%
the most widely used source Social media Tab
82%
of news in Germany in our 70% Online (incl. social media) Sm
66% 71%
January survey – though the 63% 70% Printed newspapers Co
58%
COVID-19 lockdown reversed 50% 50% TV 49%
37%
that position in April (see 33%
Executive Summary chart). 22% 22%
18%
Meanwhile the smartphone 10%
0% 0%
has overtaken the computer 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
as the main access point
for news.

Trust in news media OF TRUST
decreased further in 2020, ARD Tagesschau 70 17 13
though trust in the brands ZDF heute 68 18 14
people use themselves News overall News I use Local newspaper 64 25 11
remains relatively high. Die ZEIT 60 27 13
45% (-2) 59%

Public media such as ARD Süddeutsche Zeitung 60 27 13
and ZDF remain most n-tv 59 27 14
trusted, along with regional N24 59 27 14
and local newspapers. We =10th/40 FAZ 57 29 14
observe the highest level of Der Spiegel 57 25 18
distrust in commercial News in search News in social Focus 54 28 18
broadcaster RTL (30%) and Stern 51 28 21
24% 14%
tabloid newspaper Bild Sat.1 News 46 30 24
(58%), despite their RTL News 42 28 30
popularity with audiences. t-online 40 38 22

Bild 20 22 58
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
+2
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
22%
16%
(-)
(-)
49%
69%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
6%
6% (+1)
(-) 25%
13%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 14% (-5) 55% 6 Facebook Messenger 4% (-) 22%

GREECE*
Population 11m
WEEKLY REACH SKAI News (incl. radio) 55

17 Newsbomb.gr 34
18
OFFLINE AND ANT1 News 19

49 Dikaiologitika.gr 14
30
ONLINE Alpha News 19

45 In.gr 15
27
ERT (incl. ERT3 & ERA1) (public broadcaster) 15

36 News247.gr 15
27
Star News 16
35 Proto Thema online 13
26
Open News 15
30 Kathimerini online 14
25
Real News (print & radio) 11

18 SKAI online 14
24
TOP BRANDS A regional or local newspaper 13
18 Newsit.gr 14
23
% Weekly usage Kathimerini 12
17 CNN Greece online 12
21
Weekly use Proto Thema 10

15 Newsbeast.gr 13
20
TV, radio & print Ta Nea 10
13 mixanitouxronou.gr 11
19
More than 3 days per week To Vima 10
13 Zougla.gr 11
19
TV, radio & print 6
11 11
18
BBC News Lifo.gr
Weekly use 7
10 10
17
Ethnos Iefimerida.gr
online brands
CNN 5
10 Capital.gr 9
16
online brands Efimerida ton Syntakton 5
9 Naftemporiki online 9
16

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20
The media market in Greece is Social media
characterised by online 100%
100% 96% 92% Social media Ta
fragmentation, a changing
and polarised TV market, a 74% Online
72%(incl. social media) Sm
71% 68%
print sector in crisis and one 66% 67% Printed newspapers 62% Co
of the highest uses of social 50% 50% TV47%
media for news. Smartphones 31% 28%
are now used to access news 24% 24%
more often than computers
0% 0%
for the first time. 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

The media remain widely OF TRUST
distrusted by Greeks, with Dikaiologitika.gr 62 26 12
few outlets seen as Kathimerini 62 21 17
independent from political News overall News I use Alpha News 59 24 17
or business interests. Fewer Ant1 News 58 22 20
28% (+1) 30%

than a third (30%) trust the Real News 58 23 19
news they use themselves Regional or local newspaper 57 30 13
– amongst the lowest in our To Vima 56 25 19
survey. Many of the popular =32nd/40 in.gr 56 27 17
sources such as SKAI News ERT News (public broadcaster) 55 23 22
and Newsbomb are also the News in search News in social news247.gr 54 30 16
least trusted. Efimerida ton Sintakton 54 25 21
32% 21%
Star News 53 24 23
Proto Thema 52 23 25
SKAI News 51 18 31
Newsbomb.gr 48 28 24
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
11%
pay for
+4
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
57%
32% (-4)
(-1) 78%
77%
4 Viber
5 Instagram
17%
16% (+1)
(-) 57%
46%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 22% (-3) 62% 6 Twitter 13% (+1) 25%
72 / 73
HUNGARY
Population 9.7m
WEEKLY REACH RTL Klub 60

19 index.hu 44
20
OFFLINE AND TV2 17

39 24.hu 24
42
ONLINE ATV 12
28 origo.hu 17
34
Hír TV 12
21 hvg.hu 17
29
Blikk 15
20 rtlklub.hu 14
29
MTV (public television) 10

20 444.hu 16
29
Duna TV 11
19 blikk.hu 14
22
HVG 11
17 tv2.hu 9
21
Magyar Rádió (public radio news) 7

15 atv.hu 9
19
Weekly use Rádió 1 8

15 168ora.hu 9
13
TV, radio & print Regional or local paper 7
11 hirtv.hu 7
12
More than 3 days per week Bors 7
10 hirado.hu (public broadcaster) 7
12
TV, radio & print 6
9 7
10
Nemzeti Sport napi.hu
Weekly use 4
7 7
10
Regional or local TV/radio borsonline.hu
online brands
168 óra 5
7 Regional/local newspaper website 7
9
online brands Magyar Nemzet 4
6 portfolio.hu 5
8

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20*
Government allies have Social media
strengthened their grip on 100% 100%
the media market in recent 88% Social media Tab
84%
years through distribution Online
72% 67% 67%
of state advertising, control 64% 64% Printed newspapers
59%
Co
over public service media, 50% 50% TV
43%
and smear campaigns
27%
against critical journalists. 15% 12% 11%
But independent journalism
0% 0%
flourishes online, with 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
social media like Facebook *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.
and YouTube also widely
used for news.

Low trust has become a OF TRUST
constant feature of the HVG 63 22 15
Hungarian media scene, RTL Klub 61 21 18
while accusations of bias, News overall News I use Index.hu 57 25 18
distortion, and 24.hu 55 26 19
27% (-1) 53%

disinformation abound. 168 óra 54 28 18
The government often ATV 53 24 23
labels critical media 444.hu 48 28 24
outlets ‘fake-news’. Despite =35th/40 Regional or local newspaper 47 27 26
this, the public places most Népszava 46 30 24
trust in well-established News in search News in social Origo.hu 45 24 31
brands (HVG, RTL Klub, Hír TV 44 23 33
39% 25%
Index.hu), whereas Magyar Nemzet 43 28 29
pro-government brands MTV 41 20 39
(including the public TV2 38 21 41
service broadcaster, MTV) Blikk 29 29 42
tend to be less trusted. 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%


PAY
10%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
61%
27% (-2)
(-1) 82%
73%
4 Instagram
5 Viber
7%
5% (+1)
(-) 31%
29%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 13% (-3) 67% 6 Twitter 4% (-) 13%

IRELAND
Population 4.8m
WEEKLY REACH RTÉ News (public broadcaster) 16

61 RTÉ News online 33
12
OFFLINE AND Sky News 11

31 TheJournal.ie 13
31
ONLINE BBC News 12

29 Irish Independent online 12
31
Irish Independent/Sunday Independent 16

28 BreakingNews.ie 12
24
Today FM 10
17
Local radio news 7

17
Virgin Media TV News 8

19 Irish Times online 8
17
TOP BRANDS Newstalk 8
18 Local radio news online 6
13
% Weekly usage The Irish Times 10
18 Her.ie/ joe.ie 7
12
Weekly use ITV or Channel 4 News 6

12 Irish Mirror online 6
11
TV, radio & print Local/regional newspaper 8
11 Irish Examiner online 5
10
More than 3 days per week Irish Mirror 6
10 BuzzFeed News 6
9
TV, radio & print 6
10 4
9
Irish Daily Mail Yahoo! News
Weekly use 7
10 3
8
Irish Daily Sun MailOnline
online brands
Regional radio news 5
10 The Times (Ireland) online 4
8
online brands CNN 3
9 Guardian online 4
8

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20
Traditional sources of news Social media
such as television and print 100% 100%
Social media Ta
appear to be in structural 83%
decline, though industry data 76% 80% Online
69%
show television audiences 64% Printed newspapers Co
50%
increasing sharply during the 50% 50% 50% TV52% 46%
49%
COVID-19 lockdown. In line 32%
with international trends, the 22% 22%
use of smartphones has
0% 0%
continued to increase over the 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
past six years rising to 69%.

Irish consumers’ levels of OF TRUST
trust in news has remained RTÉ News 76 13 11
stable over the past year, Irish Times 75 16 9
bucking international News overall News I use BBC News 75 15 10
trends. In both 2019 and Irish Independent 73 17 10
48% (-) 52%

2020 almost half (48%) Sky News 73 16 11
agreed they can trust most Local or regional newspaper 71 20 9
news most of the time. The The Sunday Times 69 20 11
public service broadcaster =7th/40 Newstalk 69 21 10
RTÉ remains the most Today FM 68 21 11
trusted news brand, closely News in search News in social Irish Examiner 68 22 10
followed by the Irish Times Virgin Media TV News 64 24 12
31% 18%
and the Irish Independent, Breakingnews.ie 62 25 13
now under foreign Journal.ie 61 25 14
ownership. Irish Daily Mail 50 25 25

her.ie/joe.ie 44 34 22
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
12%
pay for
-
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
39% (+2)
22% (+5)
65%
62%
4 Twitter
5 Instagram
14% (+2)
11% (+4)
24%
35%
ONLINE NEWS 3 WhatsApp 19% (+4) 62% 6 Facebook Messenger 9% (-) 44%
74 / 75
ITALY
Population 59m
WEEKLY REACH RAI TV News (Tg1, Tg2, Tg3, TgR) 44

14 TgCom24 online (Mediaset) 24
11
OFFLINE AND Mediaset TV News (Tg4, Tg5, Studio Aperto) 11

42 SkyTg24 online 9
20
ONLINE TgCom24 (Mediaset) 15

28 Fanpage 10
20
SkyTg24 10
26 ANSA online 9
18
RAI News24 11
22 La Repubblica online 9
18
Tg La7 9
21 Il Corriere della Sera online 8
16
Il Corriere della Sera 9

15 RAI News online 9
14
La Repubblica 9
15 Il Fatto Quotidiano online 7
13
Porta a Porta 10
14 Notizie Libero online 5
11
Weekly use Commercial radio news 7

14 Yahoo! News 7
11
TV, radio & print Piazza Pulita 10
13 Commercial radio news online 6
11
More than 3 days per week Regional or local newspaper 8
13 HuffPost 7
11
TV, radio & print 6
12 6
10
RAI radio news (Gr1, Gr2, Gr3) Il Sole 24 ore online
Weekly use 10
12 5
10
Non è l'Arena Local newspaper online
online brands
Dritto e Rovescio 7
9 TgLa7 online 5
10
online brands La Stampa 6
9 La Stampa online 5
8

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20*
Newspaper readership Social media
continues to fall steadily 100% 100%
while television news Social media Tab
viewership has been more 74% 73%
stable than in many other 59%
Printed newspapers
58% 63% Co
countries. The smartphone 50% 50% 50% TV
is now the main device used 38%
27% 22% 25%
to get online news with 17%
14%
around two-thirds (63%) of
0% 0%
our sample using it for news 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
each week. *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.

Trust in news is particularly OF TRUST
low. This long-standing ANSA 80 15 5
trend is mainly due to the SkyTG24 74 19 7
partisan nature of Italian News overall News I use Il Sole 24 ore 72 20 8
journalism and to the RAI News (public broadcaster) 70 20 10
29% (-11) 38%

strong influence of political Tg La7 67 22 11
and business interests on Il Corriere della Sera 65 24 11
news organisations. Brands Local or regional newspaper 64 26 10
that are most trusted are =30th/40 La Repubblica 61 23 16
generally those that are La Stampa 59 27 14
known for lower levels of News in search News in social Il Fatto Quotidiano 58 25 17
political partisanship. Least Mediaset News 57 22 21
30% 19%
trusted is the popular Il Giornale 51 27 22
digital-born website Fanpage. Porta a Porta 50 26 24

Libero Quotidiano 49 26 25
Fanpage 45 32 23
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
+1
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
56% (+2)
29% (+2)
75%
82%
4 Instagram
17% (+4)
9% (+1)
48%
41%

NETHERLANDS
Population 17m
WEEKLY REACH NOS News (public broadcaster) 60

13 NU.nl 42
13
OFFLINE AND RTL (incl. RTL Z and EditieNL) 12

33 Algemeen Dagblad online 10
29
ONLINE SBS news 9

25 NOS News online 10
29
Free local newspapers 16

22 De Telegraaf online 9
25
Local/regional newspaper 8
18
De Telegraaf 6
18 Regional/local TV news online 5
13
Algemeen Dagblad 6
12
TOP BRANDS Other NPO TV news programmes 7
17 SBS News online 5
9
% Weekly usage Regional TV news stations 7
15 de Volkskrant online 5
9
Weekly use Commercial radio news 5

15 MSN News 4
8
TV, radio & print Regional radio news stations 5
11 Geen Stijl 63
More than 3 days per week Metro 6
11 Linda News 3 5
TV, radio & print
de Volkskrant 5
9 NRC online 3 5
Weekly use
Non-daily regional/local newspaper 6
7 BBC News online 3 5
online brands
CNN 4
7 Metro online 3 5
online brands BBC News 4
7 Nederlands Dagblad online 3 5

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20*
Traditional forms of news such Social media
as TV and print have become 100% 100%
Social media Ta
less important in the last six
years (pre-coronavirus) while 77%
76% 64%
online news has remained 67% Printed newspapers 60% Co
broadly flat. The smartphone 50% 43% 50% TV
42% 43%
42% 39%
is now the most popular 33%
device for digital news while 25% 24%
the tablet is more important
0% 0%
than in many other countries. 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
*2018 computer figures were likely overstated due to an error in data collection.

Trust is still relatively high OF TRUST
in the Netherlands (4th NOS News 81 12 7
place) by international Local/regional newspaper 76 18 6
standards with more than News overall News I use RTL News 75 17 8
six in ten (61%) trusting the NU (Nu.nl) 74 20 6
52% (-1) 61%

sources they use AD (Algemeen Dagblad) 74 19 7
themselves. Public news NRC Handelsblad 70 23 7
broadcaster NOS leads the De Volkskrant 70 22 8
brand trust scores along 4th/40 Trouw 69 24 7
with regional and local Het Financieele Dagblad 69 23 8
papers. Some tabloids and News in search News in social Hart van Nederland (SBS News) 63 23 14
partisan brands have lower BNR news radio 63 28 9
31% 20%
trust scores. Metro 60 30 10
De Telegraaf 60 22 18
Linda News 44 34 22
GeenStijl 35 32 33
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
14%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
28%
20% (+2)
(-) 60%
73%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
9% (+3)
7% (-)
32%
14%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 15% (+1) 51% 6 Facebook Messenger 5% (+1) 28%
76 / 77
NORWAY
Population 5.4m
WEEKLY REACH NRK TV & radio (public broadcaster) 56

16 VG Nett 50
12
OFFLINE AND TV2 News 13

48 NRK News online 9
34
ONLINE Local or regional paper 10

23 Dagbladet online 10
32
VG (Verdens Gang) 11
28
P4 News (radio) 8
16 Nettavisen 12
26
Aftenposten 6
14 Aftenposten online 9
23
Local radio news 5

13 Local or regional websites 6
20
Dagbladet 7
12 ABC News online 5
12
Local TV news 6
11 Dagens Næringsliv online 4
10
Weekly use Radio Norge 6

10 Bergens Tidende online 4
10
TV, radio & print BBC News 4
8 BBC News online 4
7
More than 3 days per week CNN 4
7 Adresseavisen online 2
6
Dagens Næringsliv 63 CNN.com 63
Weekly use Resett 8%
Bergens Tidende 63 Dagsavisen online 4
6
online brands Document7%
Klassekampen 2 4 MSN News 2 5 Human Rights Service 5%
online brands Adresseavisa 2 4 P4 online 2 4 Radikalportal1%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20
The vast majority of Social media
Norwegians (88%) use 100% 100%
online news weekly, one of 88% Social media Tab
86%
the highest figures in our Online (incl. social media) Sm
72% 66% 72%
survey, while traditional 61% Printed
64% newspapers Co
54% 52% 52%
news sources – print and 50% 50% TV
41% 36%
television – are in decline.
25% 27%
Online patterns are shifting
from computers to
0% 0%
smartphones, which are 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
now by far the number one
device for news in Norway.

Trust in news remains lower OF TRUST
than some other Nordic NRK News 80 11 9
countries though still above Local or regional newspaper 76 15 9
international averages. News overall News I use Aftenposten 75 15 10
Trust remains strong in the TV2 News 75 14 11
45% (-1) 58%

main media brands Dagens Næringsliv 72 20 8
including public VG 63 18 19
broadcaster NRK, Dagbladet 62 19 19
commercial channel TV2, =10th/40 P4 62 26 12
and broadsheet and tabloid Radio Norge 60 28 12
newspapers and their News in search News in social Dagsavisen 59 27 14
online sites. Partisan and Nettavisen 54 25 21
28% 17%
alternative brands like Klassekampen 52 29 19
Document and Resett are ABC News 46 34 20
least trusted. Document.no 32 27 41

Resett 29 25 46
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
42%
pay for
+8
1 Facebook
2 Facebook Messenger 13%

37% (-8)
(-1)
78%
63%
4 Snapchat
5 Instagram
10%
8% (-2)
(-) 50%
46%

POLAND
Population 38m
WEEKLY REACH TVN News (incl. TVN 24) 50

10 Onet.pl 55
16
OFFLINE AND RMF FM 14

44 WP.pl 17
48
ONLINE Polsat News 11

34 TVN24.pl 13
40
TVP News (public broadcaster) 8

31 Interia.pl 13
33
Radio Zet 12
30 (Gazeta) Wyborcza.pl 12
23
Gazeta Wyborcza 13
22 RMF24.pl 12
23
Fakt 10
20 Fakt.pl 12
22
TOP BRANDS Eska 8
18 TVP.info 8
21
% Weekly usage Super Express 10
17 Gazeta.pl 9
18
Weekly use TTV 7

17 Polsatnews.pl 8
16
TV, radio & print Regional or local newspaper 11
17 Radiozet.pl 8
15
More than 3 days per week Regional or local radio 6
12 Newsweek.pl 8
13 ALSO
TV, radio & print 6
10 7
11
OKO.press13%
Rzeczpospolita NaszeMiasto.pl
Weekly use Pikio9%
Newsweek Polska 7
10
online brands Mariusz Max Kolonko 7%
Angora 6
9 Polityka.pl 6
9 PolskaNiepodlegla5%
online brands Polityka 6
9 PolskieRadio.pl 5
8 Prawicowy Internet 4%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20*
Online and television remain Social media
the most important sources of 100% 100%
Social media Ta
news, with popular portals like 84% 87%
81% 81% (incl. social media)
Online 79% Sm
Onet and WP a defining part of 75%
66% 69%
the Polish media landscape Printed newspapers Co
along with soaring social 50% 52% 52%
50% TV
media use (66% use for news).
28% 24%
The smartphone has 18% 17%
overtaken the computer as a
0% 0%
way of accessing news for the 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
first time. *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.

Trust in news has fallen by OF TRUST
three percentage points this RMF FM 72 18 10
year but people have more Radio Zet 69 20 11
trust in the brands they use News overall News I use Regional or local newspaper 66 24 10
themselves. Independent Polsat News 65 22 13
45% (-3) 55%

media tend to score higher Onet.pl 65 20 15
in terms of trust than the TVN News 63 19 18
public service broadcaster Interia 61 26 13
TVP which is often seen as =10th/40 Newsweek Polska 61 22 17
acting in the interests of WP.pl 61 23 16
the ruling party. News in search News in social Eska 60 29 11

Gazeta Wyborcza 58 19 23
46% 37%
Fakt 45 24 31
Super Express 44 26 30
Gazeta Polska 43 26 31
TVP News 43 18 39
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
20% +4
pay for
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
65% (+4)
36% (-3)
83%
75%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
12% (+3)
11% (+1)
34%
21%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 24% (+2) 63% 6 WhatsApp 10% (+1) 31%
78 / 79
PORTUGAL
Population 10m
WEEKLY REACH SIC News (incl. SIC Noticias) 72

18 Notícias ao Minuto 30
14
OFFLINE AND TVI News (incl. TVI 24) 20

59 Sapo 11
27
ONLINE RTP News (public broadcaster) 16

47 Correio da Manhã online 13
27
Correio da Manhã (newspaper) 16

30 SIC News online 10
23
Correio da Manhã TV 10
29 Jornal de Notícias online 11
22
Jornal de Notícias 14
25 Correio da Manhã TV online 11
22
RFM 10
25 TVI 24 online 9
20
Rádio Comercial 9
24 SIC News online 8
20
Público 10
16 Observador 9
19
Weekly use Expresso 12

16 Público online 9
17
TV, radio & print TSF 8
15 RTP News online 8
16
13 Expresso online 10
16
TV, radio & print 9
13 8
16
Diário de Notícias MSN News
Weekly use 6
12 9
15
A Bola Diário de Notícias online
online brands
Record 6
11 A Bola online 5
13
online brands Rádio Renascença 6
10 TVI News online 5
12

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20*
Television is increasingly Social media
challenged by online and 100% 100%
social media as the most Social media Tab
86%
80%
important source of news 85% 78% Online
70%
while print sales continue 61% 58%
Printed newspapers Co
56%
to fall – damaging revenues 50% 47% 50% TV
and the long-term 33% 34%
sustainability of the sector. 21% 17%
Smartphones have
0% 0%
overtaken computers and 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
laptops as the main access *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.
points for digital news.

Despite being equal first in OF TRUST
our survey, trust scores RTP News 80 15 5
show a slow but steady SIC News 80 14 6
decline. Last year’s News overall News I use Expresso 77 18 5
parliamentary election Jornal de Notícias 76 18 6
56% (-2) 59%

campaign led to a right- Diário de Notícias 75 19 6
wing populist MP taking up Público 74 20 6
a seat – a historic event in TSF 74 21 5
Portuguese democracy. In =1st/40 Rádio Renascença 73 21 6
an increasingly polarised TVI News 72 17 11
environment, journalists News in search News in social RDP Antena 1 70 24 6
face mounting pressure to Regional or local newspaper 65 28 7
43% 28%
fact-check political O Observador 63 28 9
statements and not fall prey Notícias ao Minuto 63 27 10
to attention-grabbing Sapo 62 29 9
tactics from populists. Correio da Manhã 50 21 29

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
50% (-3)
24% (-)
77%
68%
4 Facebook Messenger 16% (-4)
5 Instagram 14% (+2)

58%
47%
ONLINE NEWS 3 WhatsApp 18% (+3) 59% 6 Twitter 8% (+3) 15%

ROMANIA*
Population 19m
WEEKLY REACH Pro TV 64

13 Pro TV News online 32
9
OFFLINE AND Digi 24 13

44 Ziare.com 18
31
ONLINE Antena 1 13
39 Digi 24 online 8
30
Antena 3 9
31 Stiripesurse.ro 12
25
România TV 9
29 Yahoo! News 9
24
TVR (public broadcaster) 13

27 Adevărul online 15
24
B1 TV 8
22 HotNews 13
24
TOP BRANDS Kanal D 10
22 Libertatea online 14
23
% Weekly usage Radio Europa FM 8
21 Cancan 11
20
Weekly use Realitatea TV 8

21 Mediafax online 11
18
TV, radio & print Libertatea 12
18 Evenimentul Zilei online 10
17
18 Click online 10
16
TV, radio & print 12
18 9
15
Adevarul Ziarul Financiar online
Weekly use 6
16 5
15
Radio România (public broadcaster) Antena 3 online
online brands
Prima TV News 9
16 Antena 1 online 6
15
online brands Click 11
15 România TV online 6
14

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
TV and online remain the most Social media
important news sources in 100% 100%
88% Social media Ta
Romania, with printed 83%
newspaper and magazine 76% 72%
consumption (15%) amongst 65% Printed newspapers 67% Co
60% 56%
the lowest in our survey. The 50% 50% TV 52%
smartphone has extended its
lead over computers as the 22%
15% 17% 13%
main device for accessing
0% 0%
digital news. 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020

Polarisation and political OF TRUST
attacks on journalists are Pro TV 76 12 12
part of the reason for Digi 24 71 15 14
relatively low trust in the News overall News I use Ziarul Financiar 68 20 12
news. The most trusted Mediafax 66 21 13
38% (+3) 44%

brands try to offer a TVR (public broadcaster) 64 20 16
balanced picture on politics Adevarul 60 24 16
while more partisan brands HotNews 60 23 17
tend to rate lower along =19th/40 Ziare.com 58 24 18
with mass market media Antena 1 57 18 25
covering scandal, celebrities News in search News in social Regional or local news 57 26 17
and sports. Libertatea 55 25 20
41% 31%
stiripesurse.ro 55 24 21
Realitatea TV 52 23 25
România TV 49 21 30
Antena 3 47 18 35
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
16%
pay for
+6
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
67%
32%
(-1)
(-)
82%
72%
4 Facebook Messenger 20% (-2)
5 Instagram 12% (+2)

56%
35%
ONLINE NEWS 3 WhatsApp 21% (-2) 63% 6 LinkedIn 6% (-1) 19%
80 / 81
SLOVAKIA
Population 5.5m
WEEKLY REACH TV Markíza 58

15 aktuality.sk 45
17
OFFLINE AND TV JOJ 18

56 topky.sk 17
42
ONLINE RTVS (public broadcaster) 16

50 sme.sk 14
28
TA3 15
41 tvnoviny.sk 15
26
Rádio Expres 14
31 cas.sk 11
24
Nový Čas 17
25 pravda.sk 9
20
SME 11
16 pluska.sk 11
19
Plus 7 dní 9
13 noviny.sk 12
18
Fun rádio 6
12 ta3.com 8
17
Weekly use Pravda 7

11 dennikn.sk 7
14
TV, radio & print Rádio Europa 2 5
10 hlavnespravy.sk 6
12
10 hnonline.sk 6
11
TV, radio & print 5
10 5
9
Rádio Vlna refresher.sk
Weekly use 6
9 6
9
Plus Jeden Deň dnes24.sk
online brands
Rádio Jemné 5
8 webnoviny.sk 6
8
online brands Denník N 5
8 korzar.sme.sk 5
8

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
The ongoing trial of those Social media
accused of the murder of 100% 100%
investigative journalist Ján 86% Social media Tab
Kuciak has continued to 79% 76%
grip the nation with 58%
64%newspapers
Printed 58% Co
extensive coverage via top 50%
54% 50% TV 55%
41%
news sources. Smartphones 29%
(58%) have overtaken 22%
16% 14%
computers and laptops
0% 0%
(55%) for the first time this 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
year as the main way of
accessing digital news.

Trust in news overall OF TRUST
dropped significantly from RTVS 67 22 11
an already low level, TA3 66 21 13
reflecting the success of News overall News I use Hospodárske noviny 58 29 13
sustained critique of the Aktuality.sk 58 27 15
28% (-5) 40%

media ‘mainstream’ by Rádio Expres 56 31 13
partisan brands and the TV JOJ 56 24 20
difficulty of countering this Regional or local newspaper 54 33 13
critique without appearing =32nd/40 TV Markiza 53 24 23
censorial. Public service Pravda 53 30 17
broadcaster RTVS overtook News in search News in social SME 50 28 22
rolling news channel TA3 Denník N 42 32 26
29% 17%
as the most trusted brand Plus 7 dni 39 30 31
this year. Korzár 38 41 21

topky.sk 36 33 31
Nový čas 35 29 36
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
12%
pay for
+4
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
54%
24% (-2)
(-1) 72%
63%
4 Instagram
5 Pokec.sk
8%
6%
(-)
(-1)
25%
13%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 17% (-1) 51% 6 WhatsApp 5% (-) 23%

SPAIN
Population 46m
WEEKLY REACH Antena 3 News 48

13 El País online 23
11
OFFLINE AND LaSexta News 12

36 El Mundo online 8
18
ONLINE TVE News (public broadcaster) 12

35 20 Minutos online 8
17
Telecinco News 11
35 ElDiario.es 10
17
Cuatro News 12
23 Antena 3 online 6
15
El País 14
22 El Confidencial 8
14
Regional or local TV news 7

17 Marca online 5
13
TOP BRANDS El Mundo 8
15 OKDiario 6
12
% Weekly usage Cadena SER News 6
15 La Vanguardia online 6
12
Weekly use Regional or local newspaper 8

13 LaSexta online 6
12
TV, radio & print 20 Minutos 8
13 Telecinco online 4
11
More than 3 days per week Marca 6
12 RTVE News online (public broadcaster) 6
11
TV, radio & print 4
11 6
11
COPE News ABC online
Weekly use 6
9 6
10
El Periódico El Periódico online
online brands
ABC 5
9 Cadena SER online 4
9
online brands La Vanguardia 5
9 La Razón online 5
9

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20*
The steep decline in print sales Social media
has pushed more brands to 100% 100%
Social media Ta
start charging online including
El Mundo and many regional 72% 73%
papers. El País delayed its 61% 63% Printed newspapers Co
56% 56%
metered paywall until May 50% 50% TV
40%
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 34% 35%
28%
Eldiario.es jumped to 53,000 17%
13%
paying members after it
0% 0%
launched an SOS call in face 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
of a decline in ad sales. *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.

Trust has declined further OF TRUST
as coverage of elections in Antena 3 57 24 19
April, May and November Regional or local newspaper 56 30 14
2019 dominated the news, News overall News I use TVE (public television) 56 26 18
along with the polarising LaSexta 55 23 22
36% (-7) 42%

topic of a Supreme Court Cadena SER 54 28 18
ruling about Catalonia El País 54 26 20
separatist leaders and El Mundo 52 27 21
its turbulent aftermath. =23rd/40 La Vanguardia 49 30 21
Enric Hernández, former El Periódico 49 32 19
editor-in-chief of News in search News in social Eldiario.es 49 32 19
El Periódico, was appointed 20 Minutos 49 32 19
32% 23%
head of news at RTVE amid El Confidencial 46 35 19
ongoing interim leadership ABC 46 28 26
at the public broadcaster. COPE 46 24 30

Telecinco 44 26 30
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
12%
pay for
+2
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
44% (-3)
34% (-2)
69%
81%
4 Twitter
5 Instagram
20% (+4)
17% (+5)
35%
47%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 25% (-1) 69% 6 Facebook Messenger 6% (-1) 26%
82 / 83
SWEDEN
Population 10m
WEEKLY REACH SVT News (public television) 54

14 Aftonbladet online 42
9
OFFLINE AND TV4 news 15

50 Expressen online 10
32
ONLINE SR News (SR radio) 9

34 SVT News online 11
31

16
Aftonbladet 7
17 Regional/local newspaper website 6
16
Expressen 6
12 Dagens Nyheter online 6
14
Dagens Nyheter 4
9 Nyheter 24 (News 24) 9
13
BBC News 5
8 SR News online 5
12
Svenska Dagbladet 3
8 Svenska Dagbladet online 6
12
Weekly use CNN 63 Göteborgs-Posten online 4

9 ALSO
TV, radio & print Göteborgs-Posten 2 5 Dagens Industri online 4
8 Nyheter Idag 12%
More than 3 days per week Media from outside country 2 4 BBC News online 3
7 Fria Tider 11%
TV, radio & print Samhällsnytt9%
Dagens Industri 2 4 CNN.com 4
7
Weekly use Ledarsidorna8%
Sydsvenska Dagbladet 2 4 MSN News 2 5
online brands Samtiden7%
Metro 2 Sydsvenska Dagbladet online 2 5 Nya Tider 6%
online brands Uppsala Nya Tidning 2 BuzzFeed News 3 Det Goda Samhället 4%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20
TV and online news remain Social media
the most popular sources of 100% 100%
news while print has 89% Social media Tab
84%
dropped by 15 percentage Online (incl. social media) Sm
72% 69% 71%
points in the last five years. 64% Printed
64% newspapers Co
56% 51%
Domestic newspapers have 50% 50% 50% TV
43%
lost much of their 34%
28% 25%
advertising revenue, with
many hoping that
0% 0%
increasing digital 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
subscription will make up
some of the gap.

Around four out of ten OF TRUST
Swedes express a general Sveriges Television (SVT) Nyheter 68 12 20
trust in the news, similar to Sveriges Radio (SR) Nyheter 67 14 19
previous years, though trust News overall News I use Local/regional newspaper 66 21 13
is much higher for the news Dagens Industri 65 22 13
38% (-1) 47%

sources people regularly BBC News 64 23 13
turn to. Public broadcasters Svenska Dagbladet 61 21 18
are the most trusted bands Dagens Nyheter 58 19 23
along with local newspapers =19th/40 TV4 News 56 24 20
while partisan brands and Aftonbladet 47 20 33
tabloids have the highest News in search News in social Expressen 46 22 32
level of mistrust. Nyheter Idag 41 34 25
25% 13%
Nyheter 24 39 32 29
Metro 38 32 30
News 55 30 42 28
Fria Tider 27 27 46
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
27%
pay for
-
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
32%
16% (+2)
(-) 70%
62%
5 Twitter
9%
8%
(-1)
(-)
52%
17%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Instagram 10% (+1) 49% 6 WhatsApp 3% (-) 20%

SWITZERLAND
Population 8.6m
WEEKLY REACH TV, RADIO AND PRINT (GERMAN) ONLINE (GERMAN)

OFFLINE AND ONLINE SRF News (public broadcaster) 69
20 20 Minuten online 55
13
20 Minuten 16
53 Blick and Blick am Abend online 30
10
German private TV news 10

25 SRF News online 22
12
TOP BRANDS German public TV news 12
24 Bluewin News 19
6
% Weekly usage Private TV news 9
23 Watson 18
8
Weekly use Blick 9

22 gmx 13
6
TV, radio & print Regional or local newspaper 9
19 Teletext online 13
6
More than 3 days per week Private radio news 9
18 Tages-Anzeiger online 11
5
TV, radio & print
Tages-Anzeiger 7
13 nau.ch 10
5
Weekly use NZZ online 10
5
7
Sonntagsblick 10
online brands
Luzerner Zeitung 4
8 Regional or local newspaper online 9
4
online brands CNN 4
8 MSN News 9
4

PAY
13%
RTS News (public broadcaster) 22
71 20 Minutes online 55
10
20 Minutes 18
60 RTS News online 16
31
(+2) French private TV news 14
36
100%
Le Matin online (incl. Sunday) 13
25 Tab
pay for ONLINE NEWS French public TV news 14
31 Bluewin.ch 8
21 Sm
12
24
70% 8
21
French 17% (+2) | German 12% (+3)
24 heures 24 heures.ch
58% Co
Private radio news 11
20 Teletext online 8
17 57%
50%
32%
Le Matin Dimanche 13
19 39%
MSN News 6
11
Le Temps 8
14 Yahoo! News 6
9
20% 19%
13 Le Temps online 4
8
listened to Tribune de Genève 6
12 0%Le Nouvelliste online 82
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
PODCASTS 6
Private TV news 10 Tribune de Genève online 4
8
in the last month 4
La Liberté 10 Le Monde online 4
7

TV DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20*
44% (-2) 52% 100% 100%

Social media Tab
=14th/40 82%
French37% French47% 69% 69%
German46% German55% 63% 61% newspapers
Printed Com
59% 60% 55%
50% 47% 48% 50% TV
News in search News in social 44%
29% 19% 29%

24%
French26% French15%
German30% German20% 0% 0%
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
*2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.
(FRENCH) (GERMAN)
News All
RTS News 76 17 7 SRF News 76 15 9
Regional or local newspaper 73 18 9 Regional or local newspaper 69 23 8
1 Facebook 30% (-2) 57%
Le Temps 70 21 9 NZZ 66 24 10
24 heures 68 22 10 Tages-Anzeiger 65 25 10
2 WhatsApp 26% (-) 73% Tribune de Genève 63 28 9 NZZ am Sonntag 65 26 9
Le Matin 63 22 15 SonntagsZeitung 59 28 13
3 YouTube 24% (-2) 61% La Liberté 60 31 9 Private radio news 59 29 12

Private TV news 59 30 11 Aargauer Zeitung 56 33 11
Le Nouvelliste 59 32 9 Tele Züri 56 31 13
4 Instagram 11% (+1) 33% 20 minutes 59 21 20 20 Minuten 53 25 22
Private Radio news 57 32 11 Bluewin 46 36 18
5 Facebook Messenger 9% (+1) 31% Arcinfo 51 36 13 Watson 44 35 21

Bluewin 47 35 18 gmx 35 40 25
MSN News 31 38 31 Blick 34 27 39
6 LinkedIn 6% (-) 18%
Yahoo! News 31 36 33 MSN News 34 41 25
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
84 / 85
TURKEY*
Population 83m
WEEKLY REACH FOX TV News 55

13 CNN Türk online 39
15
OFFLINE AND CNN Türk 16

42 NTV online 15
31
ONLINE Hürriyet 19
38 Sondakika.com 14
31
TRT News (public broadcaster) 14

37 Hürriyet online 14
30
Sözcü 14
35 TRT news online 14
30
Habertürk TV 13
32 Sözcü online 10
29
Kanal D News 13
32 Haberler.com 15
27
Show TV 13
32 Milliyet online 13
26
NTV 13
32 Habertürk online 13
25
Weekly use Milliyet 16

31 Mynet 11
24
TV, radio & print Cumhuriyet 15
31 AA (Anadolu Ajansı) 10
23
More than 3 days per week ATV News 12
30 Cumhuriyet online 11
23
TV, radio & print 12
28 10
21
Star TV İnternethaber
Weekly use 16
27 11
21
Sabah Sabah online
online brands
Posta 12
21
online brands A Haber 8
19 Ensonhaber 9
19

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2015–20 Print 2015–20*
Although online news is Social media
widely used by our urban- 100% 100%
based sample, across Social media Tab
88% 85%
Turkey as a whole television 75% Online (incl. social media) Sm
72%
67% 68% 65%
remains the most important 58%
Printed newspapers Co
57%
source of news. Print 50% 50% 50% TV
42% 40%
newspapers also continue
to be well read by 24%
20%
international standards,
0% 0%
though use is declining. 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Smartphones are now easily *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.
the most important device
for accessing online news.

Overall levels of trust in the OF TRUST
news increased by nine FOX TV News 77 10 13
percentage points although NTV News 74 12 14
there doesn’t seem to be any News overall News I use Sözcü 73 12 15
obvious explanation for such Habertürk 73 11 16
55% (+9) 61%

a change. TV news sources Cumhuriyet 73 12 15
like Fox and NTV – along CNN Türk 72 11 17
with critical voices like TRT News 67 10 23
Cumhuriyet and Sözcü – 3rd/40 AA (Anadolu Ajansı) 65 8 27
tend to be most highly rated Kanal D News 65 13 22
for trust. Pro-government News in search News in social Hürriyet 64 13 23
media tend to be trusted Milliyet 64 15 21
57% 51%
less, though they have Show TV News 63 14 23
higher scores from those Odatv 61 18 21
that use them regularly. Sabah 59 12 29

Ahaber 56 10 34
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
57%
1 Facebook 49% (+2) 67% 4 WhatsApp 31% (-2) 67%

SHARE NEWS by 2 YouTube 45% (-4) 71% 5 Twitter 30% (-3) 44%
social media, email,
or messaging 3 Instagram 41% (+8) 66% 6 Facebook Messenger 10% (-) 32%

86 / 87
S E C T I O N 3

Americas
AMERICAS
3.25 United States 88
3.26 Argentina 89
3.27 Brazil 90
3.28 Canada 91
3.29 Chile 92
3.30 Mexico 93

UNITED STATES
Population 329m
WEEKLY REACH Fox News 29

8 CNN.com 20
7
OFFLINE AND Local televison news 8

28 Yahoo! News 9
20
ONLINE CNN 9
24 New York Times online 9
18
NBC/MSNBC News 9
24 Fox News online 6
18
CBS News 10
23 HuffPost 10
16
ABC News 9
22 Washington Post online 7
15

18 Local television news sites online 5
14
TOP BRANDS Local radio news 7
16 BuzzFeed News 9
14
% Weekly usage New York Times 7
12 NBC/MSNBC News online 6
14
Weekly use BBC News 6

12
TV, radio & print NPR News 4
11 MSN News 6
12
More than 3 days per week PBS News 5
9 NPR News online 5
11 ALSO
TV, radio & print 4
9 5
10
Breitbart7%
City paper (eg Boston Globe) ABC News online
Weekly use The Blaze 6%
USA Today 5
9 CBS News online 5
10
online brands The Daily Caller 5%
Washington Post 4
9 Occupy Democrats 4%
online brands Wall Street Journal 63 USA Today online 6
9 Info Wars 3%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20
The bump in news Social media
consumption is clearly visible 100% 100%
Social media Ta
in 2017 after the election of
Donald Trump and we know 75% Online (incl. social media) Sm
72% 72% 71%
that the COVID-19 lockdowns 59% Printed newspapers
58%
Co
(not shown on this chart) also 50% 47% 48% 50% TV 50%
caused TV and online traffic to
27% 28%
surge for a time. Meanwhile 20% 20%
16%
the smartphone (58%) has
0% 0%
overtaken computers and 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
laptops (50%) in terms of
weekly news.

The climate of heightened OF TRUST
hostility towards much of Local television news 60 23 17
the media under Donald BBC News 56 26 18
Trump shows no signs of News overall News I use Wall Street Journal 52 26 22
abating as attention turns CBS News 51 21 28
29% (-3) 45%

to the 2020 election. The ABC News 51 21 28
relentless attacks and New York Times 50 19 31
polarised politics appear to NBC/MSNBC News 49 17 34
be exacerbating already low =30th/40 NPR News 49 25 26
levels of media trust. Some Washington Post 48 22 30
of the most strongly News in search News in social CNN 47 16 37
distrusted news brands USA Today 45 29 26
22% 14%
(Fox/CNN) are also the Fox News 42 17 41
most viewed on television HuffPost 40 26 34
and online. Yahoo! News 36 35 29

BuzzFeed News 33 32 35
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
20% +4
pay for
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
35% (-4)
24% (+4)
63%
61%
5 Instagram
9%
8% (+1)
(-) 39%
30%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Twitter 17% (+2) 29% 6 WhatsApp 4% (-) 13%
88 / 89
ARGENTINA*
Population 45m
WEEKLY REACH TN (Todo Noticias) 39

10 Infobae 40
15
OFFLINE AND Telefe News 11

36 TN online 11
36
ONLINE Canal 13 News 11

32 Clarín online 12
29
C5N 9
31 10
22
La Nación online
25
Minuto Uno 8
15
Clarín 13
20
Regional or local newspaper website 6
13
Crónica TV News 10
19
Public TV and radio online news 7
13
América TV News 8
19
Olé 5
12
A24 7
18
Página/12 5
12
Weekly use Canal 9 News 8
16
La Voz 5
9
TV, radio & print TV pública news (public broadcaster) 8
15
More than 3 days per week Cadena 3 online 3
8
La Nación 8
13
TV, radio & print 4
12 Yahoo! News 4
8
Regional or local TV news
Weekly use 4
12 Diario Uno 4
8
Radio Mitre News
online brands
Canal 26 News 7
11 El Intransigente 5
8
La 100 4
9 Primicias Ya 5
8
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
Social media have Social media
overtaken TV news amongst 100% 100%
92% Social media Tab
our online sample for the 86%
81% Online (incl. social media) 80% Sm
first time, while weekly 74% 71%
print consumption has 67% 62% newspapers
Printed Co
62%
fallen from 45% to just 23% 50%
45% 50% TV
over the last three years. 38%
Eight out of ten (80%) 23% 17%
respondents say they now 9%
0% 0%
use the smartphone to 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
access news each week.

Trust in media has OF TRUST
significantly decreased Telefé News 57 29 14
across all media categories: Infobae 53 30 17
only one-third of respondents News overall News I use TN (Todo Noticias) 50 25 25
trusts news overall, down Olé 50 33 17
33% (-6) 44%

from 39% in 2019. Trust in La Nación 49 30 21
news I use is also lower, at Canal 13 News 49 28 23
44%, compared to 47% a Regional or local newspaper 48 37 15
year earlier. High levels of =25th/40 A24 44 34 22
political polarisation have Clarín 43 27 30
affected the media industry News in search News in social TV pública 42 37 21
in Argentina, with many C5N 42 25 33
36% 28%
well-known brands attracting Minuto Uno 41 38 21
strong levels of distrust. Página/12 40 32 28

La voz 39 40 21
Perfil 36 39 25
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
11%
pay for
+3
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
65% (+2)
38% (-1)
82%
83%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
23% (+5)
14% (-1)
55%
22%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 26% (+1) 71% 6 Facebook Messenger 10% (-1) 38%

BRAZIL*
Population 211m
WEEKLY REACH Globo TV (incl. Jornal Nacional) 56

13 Globo News online (incl. G1) 51
13
OFFLINE AND Record TV 15

43 UOL online 19
47
ONLINE TV SBT (incl. SBT Brasil) 13

37 Record News online (incl. R7.com) 13
39
GloboNews (24-hour channel) 15

37 O Globo online 18
33
BandNews (all news radio) 14

34 Yahoo! News 13
29
O Globo 13
30 MSN News 11
24
TV Band News 12
26 Band News online 11
23
TOP BRANDS Regional or local newspaper 12
23 Folha de S. Paulo online 12
21
% Weekly usage Folha de S. Paulo 10
19 O Estado de S. Paulo online 9
15
Weekly use CNN 7

15
TV, radio & print Commercial radio news 7
14
More than 3 days per week Rede TV (incl. Rede TV Notícias) 8
14 Rede TV News online 7
12
TV, radio & print 6
13 6
12
ALSO
O Estado de S. Paulo Commercial radio news website
Weekly use O Antagonista 22%
Jornal Extra 7
12 BuzzFeed News 4
11
online brands Rede Brasil Atual 16%
TV Brasil (public broadcaster) 6
12 Free city newspaper websites 7
11 Diário do Centro do Mundo 11%
BBC News 6
12 Jornal Extra online 6
10 Brasil 247 10%
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20*
For the first time since the Social media
survey started, social media 100% 100%
90% Social media Ta
overtook television in terms of 87% 83%
media consumption for news. 75% Online (incl. social media) 76% Sm
67%
Smartphone news use is 66% Printed newspapers Co
stable, while the use of 50%
50% 50% TV
47% 43%
computers declined. Print
readership has halved since 23% 23%
14% 10%
2013 and the COVID-19 crisis is
0% 0%
likely to hit the sector hard. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Trust in news overall OF TRUST
improved slightly after a Band News 76 14 10
significant contraction last Jornal do SBT 75 15 10
year amid an atmosphere News overall News I use Record News 74 14 12
of political polarisation Local or regional newspaper 68 22 10
51% (+3) 54%

following the election of O Estado de S Paulo 66 19 15
far-right president Jair UOL 66 21 13
Bolsonaro in 2018. Tensions Globo News 64 13 23
between the president 5th/40 O Globo 63 15 22
and the press remain high, Folha de S. Paulo 63 18 19
with a recent National News in search News in social Valor Econômico 62 26 12
Federation of Journalists Rede TV News 62 24 14
53% 38%
(Fenaj) report showing that Yahoo! News 59 27 14
he made 116 verbal attacks Revista Veja 59 19 22
on journalists last year. Jornal Extra 59 28 13

iG. Online 56 30 14
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
27%
pay for
+5
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
54%
48% (-5)
(-) 76%
83%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
30% (+4)
17% (+2)
61%
32%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 45% (+3) 82% 6 Facebook Messenger 13% (-2) 44%
90 / 91
CANADA
Population 37m
WEEKLY REACH TV, RADIO AND PRINT (ENGLISH) ONLINE (ENGLISH)

OFFLINE AND ONLINE CTV News 35
12 CBC News online 25
7
Global News 12
32 CTV News online 9
22
CBC News (public broadcaster) 10

29 CNN.com 7
19
TOP BRANDS CNN 10
27 Global News online 9
19
% Weekly usage Local radio news 6
22 MSN News 7
15
Weekly use CityTV News 8

18 HuffPost 10
15
TV, radio & print Community newspaper 11
16 Globe and Mail online 8
14
More than 3 days per week CP24 4
15 BuzzFeed News 9
14
TV, radio & print
BBC News 6
14 Yahoo! News 6
14
Weekly use 8
13
Toronto Star BBC News online 6
14
online brands
Local daily newspaper (eg Calgary Sun) 8
13 Toronto Star online 6
12
online brands 6
Globe and Mail 10 6
New York Times online 10
13%
PAY TVA/LCN Nouvelles 60
11 TVA Nouvelles online 32
9
Radio-Canada/ICI RDI (public broadcaster) 14

50 Radio-Canada/ICI RDI Nouvelles online 9
29
Journal de Montréal ou Québec 15

32 La Presse online 8
23
pay for ONLINE NEWS Regional or local newspaper 11

16 Journal de Montréal ou Québec online 11
22
Local radio news 4

13 MSN News 8
21
English 14% | French 13% Métro 6
11 Yahoo! News 6
9
3
9 5
9
33%
TV5 Nouvelles HuffPost
24 Heures 5
9 Le Devoir online 6
9
Le Devoir 6
9 5
L'actualité online 8
Le Soleil or regional daily 5

9 Local radio online 3
7
listened to CNN 3
7 Canoe.ca 4
7
PODCASTS L'actualité 5
7 Le Soleil or regional daily online 3 6
in the last month

TV DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20*
44% (-8) 52% 100% 100% Computer:

Social
English:media
53%
Tablet:
English: 24%
Smartphone:
English: 56% Tabl
=14th/40 French: 52% French: 24% French: 53%
75% 78% Online (incl. social media) Sma

English44% English52% 71%
French49% French59% 64% newspapers
Printed Com
60% 55%
50% 53% 50% TV 52%
News in search News in social 48%
39%
31% 19%
36%
25% 24% 23%
English31% English18%
French34% French20% 0% 0%
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
(ENGLISH) (FRENCH)
News All
CTV News 73 17 10 ICI Radio-Canada Info/ICI RDI 80 14 6
Global News 73 17 10 TVA Nouvelles/LCN 77 13 10

1 Facebook 41% (+1) 69%
Regional or local newspaper 72 20 8 La Presse 74 19 7
CBC News/Newsworld 71 16 13 Regional or local newspaper 71 21 8

2 YouTube 27% (+2) 66% BBC News 68 21 11 La Presse Canadienne 71 22 7
CityTV News 68 22 10 Journal de Montréal ou Québec 69 19 12
3 Facebook Messenger 13% (+1) 49% Globe and Mail 66 22 12 Le Devoir 69 23 8

National Post 62 26 12 L’actualité 64 27 9
Toronto Star 60 25 15 TV5 Nouvelles 62 30 8
4 Twitter 13% (+2) 25% NBC/MSNBC 55 27 18 CTV News 61 30 9
24 Hours 52 34 14 24 Heures 55 35 10
5 Instagram 10% (+2) 35% HuffPost 51 28 21 MSN News 54 29 17

MSN News 51 29 20 Canoe.ca 53 33 14
Yahoo! News 41 35 24 HuffPost 52 35 13
6 WhatsApp 6% (+2) 21%
Fox News 39 21 40 Métro 52 37 11
0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

CHILE*
Population 18m
WEEKLY REACH Chilevisión News 40

12 Emol.com 27
14
OFFLINE AND MEGA News 10

39 Biobiochile online 9
26
ONLINE Canal 13 News 13

37 Lun.com 9
24
24 Horas 14
34 24horas online 9
24
TVN news (public broadcaster) 12

30 ahoranoticias.cl (MEGA) 6
23
CNN 12
29 Elmostrador online 11
20
Bío Bío Chile 8

23 Latercera.com 12
18
TOP BRANDS Las Últimas Noticias 12
20 t13.cl 7
17
% Weekly usage Free city newspaper 9
16 Cooperativa online 6
16
Weekly use Cooperativa 6

13 Elmercurio online 9
14
TV, radio & print El Mercurio 8
13 Elciudadano.cl 9
14
More than 3 days per week City newspaper 8
12 Theclinic.cl 6
13
TV, radio & print 8
12 6
13
La Tercera CNN.com
Weekly use 7
11 5
12
Regional or local newspaper Chvnoticias.cl
online brands
La Cuarta 6
10 Lacuarta.com 7
12
ADN 5
10 Eldinamo.cl 8
12
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
Television remains the most Social media
important traditional news 100% 100%
93% Social media Ta
source in Chile, beating radio 86% 83%
80% Online
and newspapers. But for the 76% 73% 74%(incl. social media) Sm
first-time social media (73%) 66% Printed newspapers Co
have overtaken TV (66%) as a 50% 46% 50% TV 51%
source of news. Instagram (+8) 31%
is increasingly used by 24%
18%
publishers as a way of drawing 9%
0% 0%
attention to content. 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020

Trust has fallen OF TRUST
substantially in the last year Bío Bío Chile 54 24 22
(-15) following protests CNN 54 24 22
about falling living News overall News I use Cooperativa 54 27 19
standards and inequality. In Regional or local newspaper 49 31 20
30% (-15) 37%

a country with the most Emol.com 41 28 31
concentrated media Chilevisión 40 26 34
ownership in Latin America, 24 Horas 40 25 35
journalists are seen as part =28th/40 MEGA News 39 24 37
of an unrepresentative La Tercera 39 28 33
political class and there is News in search News in social El Mercurio 39 23 38
resentment on the streets Canal 13 39 25 36
36% 34%
about news coverage on TV Las Últimas Noticias 37 28 35
and in the press. T13 Radio 36 28 36

Lun.com 35 29 36
TVN News (public broadcaster) 34 26 40
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
9%
pay for
+2
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
63%
40%
(-1)
(-)
80%
80%
4 YouTube
5 Twitter
27% (-4)
22% (+6)
73%
31%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Instagram 28% (+8) 55% 6 Facebook Messenger 14% (-) 43%
92 / 93
MEXICO*
Population 132m
WEEKLY REACH TV Azteca News 49

12 El Universal online 30
15
OFFLINE AND Televisa News 11

43 TV Azteca News online 8
27
ONLINE Regional or local newspaper 20

30 UnoTV online 10
24
El Universal 15
26 Aristegui News 10
24
Imagen News 9
25 Televisa News online 7
21
Milenio News 9
22 CNN.com 8
19
CNN 9
20 Website of a city newspaper 9
19
Radio Fórmula News 6

14 Yahoo! News 9
19
Reforma 9
14 Imagen News online 8
18
Weekly use La Jornada 9

13 Reforma por Internet 11
17
TV, radio & print El Sol de México 7
12 Animal Político 8
16
More than 3 days per week Local television news 6
11 La Jornada por Internet 8
14
TV, radio & print 7
11 9
14
Canal 22 News (public broadcaster) Regional or local newspaper website
Weekly use 8
11 7
12
Excelsior El Financiero online
online brands
Local radio news 5
10 Radio Fórmula Noticias por Internet 7
12
El Financiero 5
8 BBC News online 6
10
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
Online and social media Social media
remain the most popular 100% 100%
sources of news in Mexico 91% Social media Tab
86% 81%
with our predominantly Online (incl. social media) Sm
72% 70%
65% 70%
urban sample. TV and Printed newspapers Co
radio remain important to 50% 51% 48% 50% TV45%
reach the millions of
people who are not online. 26% 24% 20%
13%
The majority of internet
0% 0%
news access is now via 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
smartphones (81%) rather
than computers or tablets.

The new government and a OF TRUST
deeply polarised political CNN 74 15 11
environment have had a Aristegui News 70 15 15
negative impact on trust in News overall News I use El Universal 68 18 14
the news (-11) over the last Milenio News 66 19 15
39% (-11) 45%

year. Television is a popular Imagen News 66 20 14
medium with both El Financiero 64 22 14
audiences and advertisers, Canal 22 64 22 14
but domestic TV =17th/40 Radio Fórmula News 64 21 15
broadcasters often have Reforma 63 20 17
lower trust scores in our News in search News in social UnoTV 61 22 17
survey than foreign TV Azteca News 61 19 20
43% 37%
broadcasters (CNN) and Regional or local newspaper 59 24 17
some digital-born brands. Animal Político 58 24 18

Yahoo! News 57 25 18
Televisa News 52 19 29
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
17%
pay for
+1
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
70% (+3)
44% (+2)
83%
78%
4 Facebook Messenger 20% (+1)
5 Twitter 15% (-8)

53%
26%
ONLINE NEWS 3 WhatsApp 39% (-2) 76% 6 Instagram 13% (-2) 39%

94 / 95
S E C T I O N 3

Asia Pacific
ASIA PACIFIC
3.31 Australia 96
3.32 Hong Kong 97
3.33 Japan 98
3.34 Malaysia 99
3.35 Philippines 100
3.36 Singapore 101
3.37 South Korea 102
3.38 Taiwan 103

AUSTRALIA
Population 25m
WEEKLY REACH ABC News - TV and radio (public broadcaster) 41

12 News.com.au 23
9
OFFLINE AND Channel 7 News 12

38 ABC News online 8
23
ONLINE Channel 9 News 14

38 nine.com.au 7
18
Channel TEN News 10

22 7News.com 6
14

12
SBS News 7
15 Guardian online 5
12
Herald Sun 7
12 Sydney Morning Herald 6
12
TOP BRANDS Sky News 5
9
% Weekly usage Commercial FM radio news 5
11 Daily Telegraph online 5
9
Weekly use Daily Telegraph 6

10 BuzzFeed News 5
9
10 The Australian 4
8
More than 3 days per week The Australian 4
9 The Age online 4
8
TV, radio & print 5
9 4
8
Prime7 Herald Sun online
Weekly use 4
8 4
8
WIN Television CNN.com
online brands
Sydney Morning Herald 4
7
CNN 3
7 New York Times online 63
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20
TV news remains strong and Social media
steady and continues to be a 100% 100%
Social media Ta
significant source of news,
especially for the COVID-19 78% 76% Online (incl. social media) Sm
and bushfire crises, while 65% 63% Printed
60%newspapers Co
58%
newspapers continue to fall, 52% 52% 50% TV 51%
50% 48%
and social media stagnate. 38%
25% 27%
Online, increasing numbers 21%
of Australians are using their
0% 0%
mobile phones to access news, 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
widening the gap between
mobiles and computers.

This year’s findings need to OF TRUST
be seen through the prism ABC News 72 16 12
of the bushfire crisis that was SBS News 71 19 10
ongoing when this survey News overall News I use BBC News 66 24 10
was taken. Trust in news and Regional or local newspaper 63 26 11
38% (-6) 46%

trust in news I use dropped Channel 7 News 62 22 16
over the past 12 months and Channel 9 News 60 23 17
the number of people who The Australian 56 27 17
say they do not trust the =19th/40 Nine.com 56 27 17
news also rose. The fall is The Age 54 32 14
bigger among people who News in search News in social News.com 54 29 17
rely mainly on traditional Sydney Morning Herald 53 31 16
30% 17%
news compared to those who Sky News 53 27 20
rely mainly on online news. Herald Sun 49 31 20

Guardian online 49 34 17
Daily Telegraph 47 32 21
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
14%
pay for
-
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
39% (+3)
21% (+2)
71%
59%
4 Twitter
5 Instagram
10% (+1)
9% (+2)
19%
35%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 12% (+2) 51% 6 WhatsApp 8% (+2) 26%
96 / 97
HONG KONG
Population 7.5m
WEEKLY REACH TVB News 63

11 TVB News online 39
8
OFFLINE AND RTHK News (public broadcaster) 12

38 Yahoo! News 9
30
ONLINE Headline Daily 12

34 Apple Daily online 7
30
NowTV News 8
31 RTHK News online 9
28
Apple Daily 8
23 Now TV News online 9
27
Oriental Daily News 8

18 Hk01.com 9
26
AM730 7
18 Stand News 8
25
Sky Post 7
15 Headline Daily online 8
24
i-CABLE 7
15 Oriental Daily News online 6
19
Weekly use Commercial radio 4

14 AM730 online 5
12
10 i-CABLE online 4
11
More than 3 days per week Sing Tao Daily 4
8 Sky Post online 5
10
TV, radio & print 4
8 6
10
Metro Daily Bastillepost
Weekly use 4
8 4
10
CNN Commercial radio news online
online brands
Ming Pao 4
8 BBC News online 3
8
online brands Hong Kong Economic Times 62 Ming Pao online 4
8

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
A series of street protests Social media
triggered by a government 100% 100%
extradition bill captured Social media Tab
84% 85%
media attention, with TV Sm
74% 71% 70%
66% 67%newspapers
growth online via social 60% Printed Co
media use in particular. 50% 48% 50% Online (incl. social media)
Encrypted messaging 37% 35%
31%
service WhatsApp is used by 26%
19%
84% overall and 50% for
0% 0%
news (+9). Usage of 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
YouTube and Instagram for
news was also up.

The months-long anti- OF TRUST
extradition protests Now TV News 67 22 11
appeared to have influenced RTHK News 63 18 19
overall trust (-16) as well as News overall News I use i-CABLE News 61 28 11
the trust in individual Commercial radio news 55 29 16
30% (-16) 39%

brands. Television and radio Ming Pao 54 30 16
broadcasters continue to be Stand News 53 25 22
most trusted but online Yahoo! News 52 33 15
brand Stand News gained =28th/40 Headline Daily 51 31 18
significant attention and AM730 51 33 16
approval for its coverage. In News in search News in social Sing Tao Daily 49 29 22
early 2019 it was the second Apple Daily 48 19 33
24% 18%
least trusted outlet. A year Oriental Daily News 47 27 26
later it has become the TVB News 44 36 20
sixth most trusted. HK01 44 32 24

Bastillepost 39 37 24
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
29% +12
pay for
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
58% (+6)
50% (+9)
79%
84%
4 WeChat
5 Instagram
16%
16% (+3)
(-) 48%
39%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 39% (+8) 71% 6 Facebook Messenger 10% (-) 35%

JAPAN
Population 127m
WEEKLY REACH NHK News (public broadcaster) 48

10 Yahoo! News 58
7
OFFLINE AND Nippon TV News (NTV) 15

45 NHK News 5
11
ONLINE Asahi TV News 14

41 Nippon TV News online 5
10
Fuji TV News 13
38 Asahi TV News online 4
8
TBS News 15
38 Fuji TV News online 4
8

22 TBS News online 3
7
TV Tokyo News 8
17 Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun; Japan Economic Daily) 2
7
TOP BRANDS Yomiuri Shimbun 4
14 Asahi Shimbun online 4
7
% Weekly usage Commercial radio news 6
13 Yomiuri online 62
Weekly use Asahi Shimbun 2
10 MSN News 2 5
TV, radio & print Nikkei (Japan Economic Daily) 2
7 TV Tokyo News online 3 5
More than 3 days per week CNN 2 4 Local newspaper website 4
TV, radio & print
Mainichi Shimbun 1 4 Abema TV News online 4
Weekly use
Weekly Bunshun 3 4 Sankei News online 4
online brands
Sankei Shimbun 2 4 Nikkei Business online 4 ALSO
online brands BBC News 1 3 Mainichi online 3 HuffPost Japan 2%

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2013–20 Print 2013–20*
Traditional forms of media Social media
such as TV and print have 100% 100%
Social media Ta
declined rapidly over the last 85%
seven years. Newspaper Online (incl. social media) Sm
69% 68% newspapers
readership has almost halved. 63% 62% Printed Co
60% 52%
Japanese engage with online 50% 50% TV 47%
news primarily through 27%
aggregators like Yahoo! News. 17% 25% 19%
They also tend to use social 6% 10%
0% 0%
networks less, and have taken 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
longer to fully embrace *2018 computer figures are likely to be overstated, and smartphone
understated due to an issue with data collection.
smartphones.

Fewer than four in ten OF TRUST
(37%) trust the news in NHK News 60 29 11
Japan – a fall of around ten Nippon TV (NTV) 53 36 11
percentage points in the News overall News I use Nikkei (Japan Economic Daily) 51 39 10
Local newspaper 51 40 9
last five years. Public
37% (-2) 36%

TBS News 51 37 12
broadcaster NHK remains
TV Asahi 50 36 14
the most trusted news
Fuji TV News 50 37 13
brand while popular
magazines (Weekly Shincho, 22nd/40 Yomiuri Shimbun 48 40 12
Weekly Bunshun) which have Mainichi Shimbun 45 40 15
a reputation for gossip and News in search News in social Asahi Shimbun 44 37 19
sensationalism are least Sankei Shimbun 44 44 12
23% 20%
trusted – along with some HuffPost Japan 28 58 14
digital-born brands. Weekly Shincho 27 49 24
Weekly Bunshun 26 43 31
BuzzFeed Japan 25 58 17
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
8%
pay for
+1
1 YouTube
2 Line
19% (+3)
16% (+2)
54%
41%
4 Facebook
5 Instagram
6% (+1)
3% (+1)
20%
21%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Twitter 15% (+5) 30% 6 Niconico 2% (-) 10%
98 / 99
MALAYSIA*
Population 32m
WEEKLY REACH TV3 News 52

13 Malaysiakini 45
21
OFFLINE AND Astro Awani (24 hour news) 13

32 Astro Awani online 16
35
ONLINE Harian Metro 15

28 The Star online 10
30
Berita Harian 13
25 Berita Harian online 10
25
The Star 10
24 Harian Metro online 9
24
Sinar Harian 12
21 Sinar Harian 8
20
Radio Televisyen Malaysia (public broadcaster) 10

21 Malaysia Today 10
16
TV9 News 11
20 Yahoo! News 8
16
NTV7 News 8
16 Free Malaysia Today 8
15
Weekly use 8TV News 6

13 Bernama.com 10
15
TV, radio & print CNN 6
13 CNN.com 7
15
More than 3 days per week Al-Hijrah 7
14
TV, radio & print 5
11 7
10
BBC News The Malaysian Insight
Weekly use 6
11 5
10
New Straits Times NST online
online brands
Bernama News Channel 6
10 Malay Mail online 4
8
The Sun Daily 4
8 BuzzFeed News 5
8
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
Online and social media Social media
remain the predominant 100% 100%
sources of news for our Social media Tab
86% 86% 81%
online sample of Malaysian Online (incl. social media) Sm
67% 70%
news users. TV and print 65% newspapers
Printed Co
57%
continue to play an 50%
45%
50% 50% TV
45%
important role for those not 40%
30%
online. Smartphones are 18%
13%
the main access point for
0% 0%
digital news, with access 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
from computers and tablets
falling over time.

Overall trust in the media OF TRUST
is amongst the lowest in Astro Awani 62 27 11
our survey, with just a Radio Televisyen Malaysia 58 29 13
quarter (25%) saying they News overall News I use The Star 56 30 14
trust most news most of Local or regional newspaper 56 33 11
25% (-6) 31%

the time. 24-hour TV news The New Straits Times 56 31 13
channel Astro Awani leads NTV7 55 32 13
in the area of brand trust,
taking a sometimes-critical 37th/40 Malaysiakini 53 30 17
TV3 News 53 29 18
approach to discussing
news and current affairs. News in search News in social
The Malaysian Insight 50 37 13
25% 17%
Malay Mail online 49 35 16
Harian Metro 48 33 19
Borneo Post 47 39 14
Free Malaysia Today 45 38 17

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
17%
pay for
+1
1 Facebook
2 WhatsApp
57% (-3)
51% (+1)
77%
81%
4 Instagram
5 Twitter
20%
15% (+1)
(-1) 47%
25%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 33% (+1) 71% 6 Facebook Messenger 11% (-) 36%

PHILIPPINES*
Population 110m
WEEKLY REACH ABS-CBN (TV Patrol, Ang Bandila, ANC) 61

9 ABS-CBN News online 54
12
OFFLINE AND GMA Network (24 Oras, Saksi, GMA News TV) 10
53 GMA News online 11
47
ONLINE Philippine Daily Inquirer 22

35 Yahoo! News 18
36
Philippine Star 19
30 Philippine Daily Inquirer online (INQUIRER.net) 18
35
CNN Philippines 12
29 Rappler 15
31
Manila Bulletin 17
27 CNN.com 11
25
Regional or local TV or radio news 10

22 Philippine Star online (Philstar.com) 14
23
TOP BRANDS TV5 (Aksyon, One Balita) 10
21 BuzzFeed News 11
19
% Weekly usage 10
20 12
19
DZMM (Radyo Patrol) Manila Bulletin online
Weekly use Super Radyo DZBB (Super Balita) 7
17
TV, radio & print PTV News 5
11 PEP.ph 10
17
More than 3 days per week DZRH News 5
9 CNN Philippines online 7
15
TV, radio & print 6
Regional or local newspaper 9 MSN News 7
12
Weekly use 7
9 7
12
Balita BBC News online
online brands
Abante 5
7 SunStar online 7
11
online brands A city-based paper 4
6 Manila Times online 7
11
SOURCES OF NEWS DEVICES FOR NEWS
TV Online (including social media) Computer Smartphone
66% 85% 39% 75%

Print Social media Tablet
22% 68% 14%

TYPES
Journalists have been Trust Neither Don’t trust
OF TRUST
labelled ‘prostitutes’, GMA Network 73 17 10
‘fake news’, and ‘lowlifes’ TV5 68 22 10
by President Duterte in his News overall News I use Manila Bulletin 68 21 11
battle with media critics. Philippine Star 68 21 11
27% 34%
Trust in ABS-CBN, which has Philippine Daily Inquirer 67 19 14
DZMM Radyo Patrol 67 21 12
been fighting a government
DZRH 66 23 11
shutdown order, scored 61% =35th/40 Super Balita DZBB 64 24 12
in the survey, 12 points lower
Regional or local newspaper 64 27 9
than the GMA Network,
News in search News in social ABS-CBN 61 18 21
which has a reputation for PTV 61 26 13
more cautious decision-
31% 22%
Radyo Pilipinas 59 29 12
making. Rappler, which is Abante 50 32 18
fighting multiple court cases, Rappler 49 23 28
has a score of 49%. Bulgar 43 34 23
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
19%
pay for
1 Facebook
2 YouTube
73%
49%
86%
78%
4 Twitter
5 Instagram
16%
12%
30%
36%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook Messenger 33% 70% 6 LinkedIn 6% 18%
100 / 101
SINGAPORE
Population 5.9m
WEEKLY REACH The Straits Times 40

15 Channel News Asia online 48
15
OFFLINE AND MediaCorp Channel News Asia 11

36 Straits Times online 14
41
ONLINE MediaCorp Channel 8 News 11

28 Mothership.sg 17
40
MediaCorp Channel 5 News 12

26 Yahoo! News 12
29
The New Paper 7

17 Today online 10
22
CNN 7
16 STOMP 9
19
MediaCorp Radio News 5

13 The Online Citizen 10
17
BBC News 5
11 CNN.com 8
16
Lianhe Zaobao 5
9 BBC News online 8
16
Weekly use Lianhe Wanbao 4

7 All Singapore Stuff 10
16
TV, radio & print Shin Min Daily 63 AsiaOne.com 6
13
More than 3 days per week MediaCorp Suria Berita 63 States Times Review 6
10
TV, radio & print 6
9
Other foreign media 2 4 The Independent
Weekly use 6
9
Berita Harian 2 4 BuzzFeed News
online brands
MediaCorp Tamil Seithi 2 TNP online 4
7
Tamil Murasu 1 Zaobao online 3
7
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
Print consumption has Social media
declined significantly over 100% 100%
the last few years while Social media Tab
85% 87% 81%
online and social media Online (incl. social media) Sm
72%
continue to dominate. In 61% 63% Printed newspapers Co
57%
this high-tech city state, 50% 53% 50% TV52%
44% 43%
mobile news consumption
29%
dominates with the vast 21% 16%
majority (81%) now
0% 0%
accessing news via 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
smartphone.

The new fake news law has OF TRUST
not helped trust levels in MediaCorp Channel News Asia 76 18 6
the news (down six The Straits Times 73 18 9
percentage points) or trust News overall News I use MediaCorp Channel 5 News 73 20 7
in the news found in social BBC News 73 22 5
36% (-6) 41%

media (down two). MediaCorp Channel 8 News 71 22 7
Established traditional CNN 71 23 6
media companies tend to MediaCorp Radio News 70 24 6
be trusted most – along =23rd/40 Today online 67 27 6
with international brands Lianhe Zaobao 63 28 9
like the BBC and CNN. News in search News in social The New Paper 61 28 11
Popular digital brands like Yahoo! News 57 33 10
26% 17%
Mothership.sg have not yet Shin Min Daily 54 33 13
built credibility with many Mothership.sg 48 36 16
news users. The Online Citizen 39 41 20

All Singapore Stuff 37 43 20
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
14%
pay for
-2
1 WhatsApp
2 Facebook
47% (+6)
46% (-2)
86%
73%
4 Instagram
5 Telegram
16% (+1)
11% (+4)
51%
30%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 24% (-3) 73% 6 Facebook Messenger 8% (-1) 33%

SOUTH KOREA
Population 51m
WEEKLY REACH KBS (public broadcaster) 50

16 Naver 62
12
OFFLINE AND JTBC 16

44 Daum 8
32
ONLINE MBC News 16

43 KBS News online 10
26
YTN News 14
40 JTBC News online 9
23
SBS News 13
39 YTN News online 9
23
Yonhap TV News 12
28 MBC News online 8
19
TV Chosun News 9
23 SBS News online 8
19
TOP BRANDS Chosun Ilbo 11
18 Yonhap News TV online 8
17
% Weekly usage MBN News 9
18 Chosun Ilbo online 7
15
Weekly use Channel A News 8

18 TV Chosun online 6
15
TV, radio & print Joongang Ilbo 10
16 Joongang Ilbo online 7
13
More than 3 days per week Dong-a Ilbo 8
12 Yonhap News online 6
10
TV, radio & print 7
11 4
10
Hankyoreh Shinmun Channel A News online
Weekly use 7
11 4
9
Maeil Business Newspaper MBN News online
online brands
8 Hankyoreh Shinmun online 5
9
Korea Economic Daily 4
7 Dong-a Ilbo online 5
9
online brands

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2016–20 Print 2016–20*
Audiences for traditional TV Social media
news have started to dip, 100% 100%
Social media Ta
partly due to more 86% 83%
competition from long- and Online (incl. social media) Sm
71% 66% newspapers
short-form video online. 63% Printed 63% Co
60%
YouTube is being increasingly 50% 50% TV 51%
44%
used for news (+7) and this 32%
partly explains the surge in 28%
18% 12%
social media use. Readership 11%
0% 0%
of newspapers is significantly 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
down since 2016 and is likely *2018 figures for computer use were likely overstated due to an error in polling.
to be hit further in the
aftermath of COVID-19.

Trust in the news in OF TRUST
South Korea is consistently JTBC News 54 24 22
amongst the lowest in our MBC News 53 26 21
survey, though confidence in News overall News I use YTN News 51 29 20
individual news brands is KBS News 50 28 22
21% (-1) 27%

much higher. TV news SBS News 49 28 23
brands such as JTBC, MBC, Yonhap News 46 29 25
and YTN tend to be trusted Naver 45 31 24
most, with popular 40th/40 Daum 43 35 22
newspapers least trusted in MBN News 39 32 29
general – even if they are News in search News in social Channel A News 38 28 34
often better trusted by those TV Chosun 36 23 41
19% 16%
that use the brands regularly. Donga Ilbo 35 30 35
Joongang Ilbo 34 30 36
Chosun Ilbo 33 25 42
Regional or local newspaper 31 38 31
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
10%
pay for
-
1 YouTube
2 Kakao Talk
45% (+7)
27% (-1)
72%
73%
4 Instagram
5 Kakao Story
9% (+1)
8% (+1)
38%
26%
ONLINE NEWS 3 Facebook 19% (-3) 43% 6 Twitter 6% (-1) 17%
102 / 103
TAIWAN
Population 24m
WEEKLY REACH TVBS News 46

13 Yahoo! News 45
15
OFFLINE AND Eastern Broadcasting News 13

36 ETtoday online 16
40
ONLINE Chung Tien News 12

34 TVBS News online 13
33
Sanlih E-Television News 13

34 Line News 10
32
Formosa TV News 11
29 Sanlih E-Television News online 12
27
Apple Daily 14
27 EBS News online 9
24
Liberty Times 12
22 ChungTien News online 8
23
China TV News 9
20 Apple Daily online 13
23
Taiwan Television News 9

20 United Daily online 10
19
Weekly use ERA News 8

19 Liberty Times online 8
17
TV, radio & print Next TV 6
17 Storm Media 11
16
More than 3 days per week United Daily News 9
17 Taiwan Television News online 7
14
TV, radio & print 7
15 6
12
Chinese Television System News China TV News online
Weekly use 6
14 6
10
Unique Satellite TV News China Times online
online brands
Public Television Service News 6
12 cnYes.com 4
10
online brands China Times 7
12 Common Wealth Magazine online 7
10

TV
DEVICES FOR NEWS
2017–20 Print 2017–20
Traditional media sources Social media
such as television and print are 100% 100%
becoming less important while Social media Tab
88%
digital and social media have 74%
62% 65% newspapers
become more widely used. 57%
Printed Co
59% 55%
Yahoo! News remains the most 50% 50% TV
41% 41%
popular online (45% weekly
reach) aggregating multiple 21% 20% 16%
providers. Taiwanese love their
0% 0%
smartphones, which are used 2017 2018 2019 2020 2017 2018 2019 2020
by three-quarters (74%) of our
survey sample for news.

Trust in news is down four OF TRUST
percentage points and Public Television Service 53 37 10
remains one of the lowest in Common Wealth Magazine 48 42 10
our survey – with Taiwanese News overall News I use Business Weekly 46 42 12
frequently exposed to Economic Daily 44 48 8
24% (-4) 31%

misinformation through TVBS News 42 44 14
both mainstream and social Ettoday.net 40 46 14
media. Public service United Daily 37 46 17
television is the most 38th/40 Formosa TV News 34 41 25
trusted in our survey, China Television Service 33 53 14
though not competitive in News in search News in social Central News Agency 33 51 16
terms of audience. Liberty Times 32 43 25
24% 16%
Networks with strong links Apple Daily 30 46 24
to the mainland tend to be Chung Tien News 30 38 32
trusted less. Storm Media 27 52 21

The Reporter 21 64 15
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

PAY
15%
pay for
+3
1 Line
2 Facebook
49% (-8)
47% (-7)
67%
70%
4 PTT (bulletin board)
8% (-4)
8% (-)
17%
30%
ONLINE NEWS 3 YouTube 41% (-2) 68% 6 Instagram 8% (+1) 28%

104 / 105
S E C T I O N 3

Africa
AFRICA
3.39 Kenya 106
3.40 South Africa 107

KENYA*
Population 54m
WEEKLY REACH Citizen TV 72

14 Daily Nation 22
61
OFFLINE AND Daily Nation 34

70 Kenyans.co.ke 26
54
ONLINE NTV 19
56 Citizen TV 12
54
The Standard 29
52 The Standard 19
46
KTN News 18
51 NTV online 12
37
KTN Home 16
48 KTN News 11
36
K-24 17
35 KTN Home 9
31
TOP BRANDS
% Weekly usage Citizen Radio 15
31 Nairobi News 19
28
The Star 14
23 Yahoo! News 13
25
Weekly use
Classic FM 11
23
TV, radio & print
The Nairobian 16
23 CNN.com 9
22
TV, radio & print Radio Maisha 10
22 The Star 12
22
Weekly use Radio Jambo 9

19 Al-Jazeera online 8
19
online brands KBC (public broadcaster) 10
19 K-24 8
19
More than 3 days per week Milele 9
17 Nairobian 10
18
online brands 11
17 8
17
The People Daily (free daily) Citizen Radio
74% 90% 55% 83%

47% 77% 11%

TYPES
Kenya has relatively high OF TRUST Trust Neither Don’t trust
levels of trust in the media, KTN News 90 5 5

with half (50%) saying they Citizen TV 89 5 6
trust most news most of News overall News I use NTV 89 6 5
the time. Lively commercial Daily Nation 89 6 5
TV networks pull in big

50% 57%
The Standard 89 6 5
Citizen Radio 87 7 6
audiences for news and are
The Business Daily 84 9 7
highly trusted. The public 6th/40
K-24 TV 81 10 9
broadcaster KBC is trusted
Taifa Leo 80 13 7
less, with tabloid newspapers News in search News in social Radio Maisha 80 12 8
least trusted in our survey. Radio Jambo 80 11 9
51% 34% KBC (public broadcaster)

The People Daily 72
78
15
16
11 11
13
The Star 69 15
The Nairobian 56 21 23
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
63%
1 WhatsApp 67% 90% 4 Twitter 40% 56%

SHARE NEWS by 2 Facebook 66% 82% 5 Instagram 26% 56%
or messaging 3 YouTube 51% 83% 6 Facebook Messenger 21% 48%
* Sample in Kenya only includes those aged 18-54.

Data are from more urban areas, rather than a fully nationally representative sample. These will tend to represent richer and more connected users.
106 / 107
SOUTH AFRICA*
Population 59m
WEEKLY REACH SABC News (incl. SABC 1,2,3) 12

51 News24 20
72
OFFLINE AND eNCA 12

40 SABC News online 13
45
ONLINE SABC radio news 11

32 eNCA 10
30
BBC News 13
24
Local radio news 12

29 CNN.com 11
23
CNN 12
27 Daily Sun online 11
22
The Sunday Times 19

26 Netwerk24 8
17
TOP BRANDS
% Weekly usage Daily Sun 13
24 Eyewitness News (EWN) 8
16

19 City Press 10
16
Weekly use
City Press 11
16 IOL 8
16
TV, radio & print
The Citizen 9
14 Regional or local newspaper online 11
15
TV, radio & print Community newspaper 9
14 TimesLive 8
15
Weekly use Sowetan 9

14 Mail & Guardian online 9
15
online brands SAFM 6
13 Yahoo! News 8
15
More than 3 days per week Mail & Guardian 7
11 The Citizen online 9
14
online brands 7
11 6
13
The Star MyBroadband
68% 90% 52% 82%

(-) (-) (-6) (+6)
37% 73% 17%

(-3) (+1) (-2)

TYPES
South African media have OF TRUST Trust Neither Don’t trust
a strong reputation for News24 85 9 6
independence but political BBC News 84 10 6
and business interference News overall News I use eNCA 78 14 8
is an increasing concern. SABC News 77 11 12
The website News24 has

48% (-1) 56%
Mail & Guardian 76 16 8
Sunday Times 76 15 9
built credibility on the back
Local or regional newspaper 74 17 9
of investments in breaking =7th/40
EWN (Eye Witness News) 72 19 9
news. Tabloid newspapers
TimesLive 72 19 9
like the Daily Sun are widely News in search News in social City Press 67 22 11
used but less well trusted. The Star 65 22 13
49% 28% IOL

Daily Maverick
62
60
25
26
24
13
14
Sowetan 60 16
Daily Sun 49 24 27
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
61%
1 Facebook 57% (-2) 79% 4 Twitter 23% (+3) 38%

SHARE NEWS by 2 WhatsApp 49% (-) 88% 5 Instagram 17% (+3) 43%
or messaging 3 YouTube 39% (+4) 75% 6 Facebook Messenger 13% (-1) 46%

108 / 109
S E C T I O N 4
References and
Selected Publications
The authors welcome feedback on this report
and suggestions on how to improve our work
via reuters.institute@politics.ox.ac.uk as well
as potential partnerships and support for our
ongoing work.

References
Flamingo. 2019. How Young People Consume News and the

Implications for Mainstream Media, Oxford: Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/
our-research/how-young-people-consume-news-and-implications-
mainstream-media
Fletcher, R. 2016. ‘The Public and News about the Environment’, in

J. Painter (ed.), Something Old, Something New: Digital Media and the
Coverage of Climate Change, Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study
of Journalism. 24–36.
Fletcher, R., Newman, N., Schulz, A. 2020. A Mile Wide, an Inch Deep:
Online News and Media Use in the 2019 UK General Election. Oxford:
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.
politics.ox.ac.uk/mile-wide-inch-deep-online-news-and-media-use-
2019-uk-general-election
Hallin, D., Mancini, P. 2004. Comparing Media Systems: Three Models

of Press and Politics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jack, A. 2016. Editorial Email Newsletters: The Medium is Not the Only
Message, Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-
research?string=editorial%20email
Jenkins, J., Nielsen, R.K. 2020. ‘Preservation and Evolution: Local

Newspapers as Ambidextrous Organizations’, Journalism. Advance
online publication. Doi:10.1177/1464884919886421.
Möhring, W., Keldenich, F. 2018. ‘Lokaler Journalismus im Internet’,

in C. Nuernbergk and C. Neuberger (eds), Journalismus im Internet,
Wiesbaden: Springer, 183–208.
Newman, N. 2018. The Future of Voice and the Implications for News,
Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/future-voice-and-
implications-news
Newman, N., Gallo, N. 2019. News Podcasts and the Opportunities

for Publishers, Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/publications/2019/news-
podcasts-opportunities-publishers/
Nielsen, R.K., Fletcher, R., Newman, N., Brennen, J.S., Howard, P.N.
2020. Navigating the ‘Infodemic’: How People in Six Countries Access
and Rate News and Information about Coronavirus, Oxford: Reuters
Institute for the Study of Journalism. https://reutersinstitute.
politics.ox.ac.uk/infodemic-how-people-six-countries-access-and-
rate-news-and-information-about-coronavirus
Schäfer, M.S., Schlichting, I. 2014. ‘Media Representation

od Climate Change: A Meta-analysis of the Research Field’,
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Recent Reuters
Institute Publications
Anne Schulz, Richard Fletcher, and Marina Popescu, Are News J. Scott Brennen, Anne Schulz, Philip N. Howard, and Rasmus
Outlets Viewed in the Same Way by Experts and the Public? Kleis Nielsen, Industry, Expert, or Industry Experts? Academic
A Comparison across 23 European Countries (May 2020) Sourcing in News Coverage of AI (Dec. 2019)
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Richard Fletcher, Nic Newman, J. Scott Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Robert Gorwa, Madeleine de Cock Buning,
Brennen, and Philip N. Howard, Navigating the ‘Infodemic’: What Can be Done? Digital Media Policy Options for Strengthening
How People in Six Countries Access and Rate News and Information European Democracy (Nov. 2019)
about Coronavirus (Apr. 2020)
Julie Posetti, Felix Simon, Nabeelah Shabbir, What if Scale Breaks
J. Scott Brennen, Felix M. Simon, Philip N. Howard, and Rasmus Community? Rebooting Audience Engagement When Journalism is
Kleis Nielsen, Types, Sources, and Claims of COVID-19 Misinformation Under Fire (Oct. 19)
(Apr. 2020)
Anne Schulz, David A. L. Levy, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Old,
Simge Andı, Meera Selva, and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Women Educated, and Politically Diverse: The Audience of Public Service News
and Leadership in the News Media (Mar. 2020) (Sept. 2019)
Richard Fletcher, Nic Newman, and Anne Schulz, A Mile Wide, Lucas Galan, Jordan Osserman, Tim Parker, Matt Taylor, How Young
an Inch Deep: Online News and Media Use in the 2019 UK General People Consume News and the Implications for Mainstream Media
Election (Feb. 2020) (Sept. 2019)
Meera Selva, Fighting Words: Journalism Under Assault in Central Silvia Majó-Vázquez, Subhayan Mukerjee, Taberez Ahmed Neyazi,
and Eastern Europe (Jan. 2020) Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, The Role of Legacy and Digital-Born Outlets in
India and the Distribution of Their Online Audiences (June 2019)
Nic Newman, Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and
Predictions 2020 (Jan. 2020)
Nic Newman and Nathan Gallo, News Podcasts and the

Opportunities for Publishers (Dec. 2019)
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring

the future of journalism worldwide through debate, engagement, and
research. It is part of the Department of Politics and International
Relations at the University of Oxford, and affiliated with Green Templeton
College. Core funding comes from the Thomson Reuters Foundation with
additional support from a wide range of other funders including academic
funding bodies, foundations, non-profits, and industry partners.
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
e: reuters.institute@politics.ox.ac.uk
w: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
w: www.digitalnewsreport.org
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Digital News Report 2020

© Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

Foreword by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen 5 3.15 Netherlands 76

SECTION 1 3.19 Romania 80

Executive Summary and Key Findings by Nic Newman 9 3.20 Slovakia 81

SECTION 2 3.22 Sweden 83

Further Analysis and International Comparison 33 3.23 Switzerland 84

2.2 The Resurgence and Importance of Email Newsletters 38 AMERICAS

2.4 Global Turmoil in the Neighbourhood: 3.26 Argentina 89

Country/market Sample Internet Country/market Sample Internet Country/market Sample Internet

Authorship and research

Dr Richard Fletcher is a Senior Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute

Dr Anne Schulz is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Reuters

Dr Simge Andı is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Reuters

Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen is Director of the Reuters Institute

Market-level commentary and additional insight around media

• Access to news continues to become more distributed. 25%

UK 79% 71% 47% 35% 18%

UK TRAFFIC DOUBLES TO BBC NEWS WEBSITE JAN- APRIL 2020

UK TRAFFIC DOUBLES TO BBC NEWS WEBSITE JAN-APRIL 2020

SOCIAL DISTANCING AND LOCKDOWN

News organisations 59% 18%

The national government 59% 23%

Individual politicians 35% 35%

ATTITUDES TOWARDS NEWS MEDIA COVERAGE OF

At around the peak of the lockdowns, trust in news organisations

And in terms of trust for information about coronavirus, national

The implications for trust are harder to predict. In most countries

Meanwhile Instagram and Snapchat have become popular with

Social media may be helping to spread false and misleading

PROPORTION THAT TRUST BBC NEWS BY LEVEL Slide 18

Centrist Partisan More Partisan 6 N

I'm tired of hearing fake news from the dishonest 69 70

Because CNN, MSNBC tell the truth whereas Fox News

Interpreting notions of objectivity is not an easy task at a time of

14% activists PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY ARE MOST CONCERNED

13% ordinary people R

More in... Japan, Taiwan, South Korea UK USA NETHERLANDS

10% foreign governments 50%

We see a slightly different pattern in parts of Asia where 17

CHANNELS OF MISINFORMATION MOST CONCERNING PLATFORM FOR FALSE AND

40% 20% 14% 10%

Breaking the social data down further, across all countries

USA 9 country average

subscriptions or donations. But the crisis has also raised new

PROPORTION WITH ACCESS TO PAID NEWS THAT HAVE ACCESS

PROPORTION OF READERS WHO WOULD MISS THEIR LOCAL

54% 49% 39% 25% 8 7

– and the extent to which local politics matters.

MOBILE AGGREGATORS PUBLISHERS FIGHT BACK WITH EMAIL AND OTHER

PROPORTION THAT USED EACH MOBILE AGGREGATOR 10% 10%

Google News Apple News Upday Flipboard 25% Mobile notifications

PROPORTION THAT USED A PODCAST IN THE LAST MONTH – SELECTED COUNTRIES

Podbean 4 Read news Watch news Listen to news Don’t know

Spotify’s move into Low education 41 41 9 9

content, is bringing audio

PROPORTION THAT ACCESSED ONLINE NEWS VIDEO

TUR 95 Facebook 52% Facebook 15%

Each year we track the importance of different social networks Slide 54

Usage is often highest in parts of the Global South such as Kenya

PROPORTION THAT USED EACH SOCIAL NETWORK FOR NEWS

Facebook Facebook Messenger Twitter Instagram

Foreword by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen 5 3.15 Netherlands 76

SECTION 1 3.19 Romania 80

Executive Summary and Key Findings by Nic Newman 9 3.20 Slovakia 81

SECTION 2 3.22 Sweden 83

Further Analysis and International Comparison 33 3.23 Switzerland 84

2.2 The Resurgence and Importance of Email Newsletters 38 AMERICAS

2.4 Global Turmoil in the Neighbourhood: 3.26 Argentina 89

These include an overview of consumption in each market, EUROPE AMERICAS