Traditional news publishers are being sidelined as audiences lean into video news and online influencers, new RISJ report finds.

News consumers are increasingly veering towards social media and video platforms for their news over traditional news sources. 

This is one of the key findings of the latest Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s Digital News Report, published today.

The report reveals that 44 percent of 18-24 said that these networks were the main source of their news.

The 14th edition of the annual Report is based on an online survey of almost 100,000 people in 48 markets including the UK, US, Italy, Spain, South Korea, India, Thailand, Australia, Brazil, Peru and Kenya. 

It also finds that AI chatbots are increasingly being used as an alternative new source – particularly with the under 35s.

However, the findings show that – while audiences expect generative AI to make news cheaper to make - they remain sceptical about news they find in both social and AI platforms.

Other key findings include:

• Trust levels in the news overall remain stable for the third year in a row
• More people than ever avoid the news. Across markets, four in ten (40%) say they sometimes or often avoid the news – up from 29% in 2017 – and the joint highest figure ever recorded.
• Most people are not prepared to pay for news. Norway (42%) and Sweden (31%) have the highest proportion paying while a fifth (20%) pay in the US.
• Selective news avoidance is still at an all-time high, in the context of the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
• TikTok is the fastest growing social and video network in this year’s survey, adding a further four percentage points across markets for news (17%) and reaching 49% of the report’s online sample in Thailand (+10 points) and 40% in Malaysia (+9).
• Usage of X for news is stable or increasing across many markets, with the biggest uplift in the US (+8 points for news from last year to 23%), Australia (+6), and Poland (+6)
• Overall, over half surveyed (58%) say they remain concerned about their ability to tell what is true from what is false when it comes to news online, a similar proportion to last year.
• Prominent YouTubers, Instagrammers and TikTokers have found large audiences in India, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand, while in European countries there are fewer higher profile creators that have been able to cut through.

Lead author Nic Newman said: “The rise of social video and personality-driven news represents another significant challenge for traditional publishers that are struggling to adapt their content and tone to these very different environments. “Online video may be a good way to engage younger audiences, but there is very little commercial upside for publishers, with most news consumption mostly taking place via platforms rather than owned and operated news websites.”

The 2025 report was written by Nic Newman, Lead Author, RISJ Senior Research Associate and a consultant on digital media; Dr Amy Ross Arguedas, Research Fellow at RISJ; Dr Craig T Robertson, RISJ Research Fellow; Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Copenhagen and Senior Research Associate at RISJ; and Dr Richard Fletcher, RISJ Director of Research.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring the future of journalism worldwide.