It has been published Digital Journalism Report 2023 by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The 2023 report is based on a study of 46 markets around the world and presents findings that include data from more than 93,000 digital news users.
Here are the report's five key findings and implications.
- TikTok is no longer a side channel
The importance and power of TikTok, which originated in China, is clearly seen in the new report. Research shows that TikTok is the fastest growing social network.
A fifth (20%) of 18-24 year olds prefer this platform for news, while almost half of this demographic (44%) regularly use TikTok. This data provides strong evidence for media outlets looking to reach younger audiences that a presence on TikTok should be part of their portfolio.
Overall, TikTok is most widely used in parts of Asia, Latin America, and Africa, with the platform's popularity for news highest in Peru and Thailand (30% usage within a week). Kenya (29%) is right behind.
On the other hand, TikTok isn’t just focused on “entertainment news” and viral content. In some markets, it’s also used as a channel to report on politics, health news, and broader geopolitical events. Understanding these trends becomes even more important when you consider that newsrooms need to provide the right content to leverage TikTok’s potential.
- Disinformation on the internet is a big problem
More than half (56%) of study participants stated that they had difficulty distinguishing between fact and fiction online.
While there is rarely consensus on the best way to combat this “problem,” news organizations can play an important role in fact-checking, fact-checking, combating misinformation, and promoting the media literacy skills that internet users need to develop.
- In some countries, people's interest in news is declining
In addition to the US and the UK, interest in news is also declining in countries such as Argentina, France and Spain.
There may be several reasons for this situation. News avoidance can be caused by the tone and style of the news, its importance, and indifference to certain topics. Newsrooms that want to change the situation must deal with these challenges.
Countries that have seen a sharp decline in interest in the news are often "countries characterized by a high level of political polarization."
- Public media must win more hearts
“Public service broadcasting continues to face critical scrutiny and skepticism, whether from competitors in the private sector, some politicians, or a segment of the public,” the study says. “Reaching and serving the entire population is a challenging task, even when the public service mission is accompanied by substantial public funding.”
As many public service organisations face ever-increasing pressure from shrinking public purses, it is important that these organisations have a broad range of support across the country. It is not easy to inform everyone, but that is the nature of the public service model.
However, public service news providers will need to continue their efforts to diversify their content (in terms of style, products and journalists working for them) to avoid criticism and financial threats as they continue to find their place in the digital marketplace.
- Consumption of news podcasts appears to have stagnated
Podcast fans have access to an incredible variety of programming. At the same time, the platform is an extremely attractive environment for publishers and advertisers, as it is geared towards younger and more affluent consumers.
However, although the number of people listening to podcasts has increased in the last five or six years, the number of people using news podcasts seems to have remained fairly stable.
Given the investment many media outlets have made in podcasting and the volume of new news podcasts released over the past five years, the data shows that these efforts are not always helping news providers find new audiences.
This may be due to the abundance of non-news podcasts (remember, the number of people listening to all podcasts has increased). Factors associated with news avoidance (style, tone, relevance) may also apply here. Also, the sheer number of podcasts may not be interesting to some viewers.
As a result, newsrooms may need to do more, invest more in marketing, and diversify their audio offerings to bring new listeners into the world of podcasts.
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