For years, news organisations have worried about declining readership, falling trust, shrinking subscriptions and the rise of social media. Yet the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 suggests the problem may not be that audiences have abandoned journalism. Instead, journalism is increasingly struggling to keep pace with where audiences now choose to consume it.
The report, released by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, documents a profound shift in global news consumption habits. For the first time, social media platforms and video networks have overtaken both television and news websites as the most widely used sources of news across the world. The findings point to a future where journalism remains relevant, but the traditional routes through which audiences accessed it are rapidly changing.
The End of the Homepage Era
One of the most striking findings is that social media, video platforms and AI-driven discovery tools now represent the primary source of news for younger audiences. Among people aged 18–24, more than half identify social media, video networks and AI as their main source of news, while only one in five rely primarily on news websites and apps. Even among audiences aged 35–44, social platforms now lead traditional news sites.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the report notes that no age group now prefers news websites and apps as their primary source of news. For publishers, this represents more than a technological shift. It signals the gradual decline of the homepage as the centre of audience engagement. The website increasingly serves as an archive, reference library and subscription destination. Discovery now happens elsewhere.
Journalism Has Moved to Platforms
The report finds that 54 percent of respondents globally access news through social media and video networks, compared with 51 percent who use news websites and apps. Television news stands at 52 percent/ These figures illustrate a reality many editors have sensed for years. Audiences increasingly encounter journalism while scrolling through feeds, watching videos, chatting on messaging apps or interacting with recommendation algorithms. News organisations are no longer competing only against other publishers. They are competing for attention against entertainment platforms, influencers, creators and algorithmically curated content streams.
The Rise of Video
If there is one trend that dominates the report, it is the growing importance of video. Globally, 77 percent of respondents now consume online news video every week. At the same time, video consumption on publishers’ own websites and apps continues to decline. The growth is occurring almost entirely on third-party platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
The implication is clear: audiences still want journalism, but they increasingly prefer to watch it rather than read it. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Traditional reporting must now coexist with explainers, short-form videos, live streams and platform-native storytelling.
A Generation That Never Knew Traditional News Habits
The report’s examination of younger audiences offers a glimpse into the future. Among younger Americans, social media and video platforms are now considered the preferred way to follow major international stories. Significant numbers report they have never regularly watched television news or routinely visited news websites.
This suggests that younger audiences are not merely changing their preferences. Many are growing up without the traditional news habits that shaped previous generations. For publishers hoping that younger audiences will eventually return to television broadcasts or newspaper-style websites as they age, the data offers little comfort.
AI Is Emerging, But Not Replacing Journalism
Artificial intelligence has become a dominant topic across the media industry, yet the report presents a more measured picture. Globally, 10 percent of respondents now use AI chatbots for news, up from 7 percent a year ago. Usage is highest among younger audiences and among highly engaged news consumers. More revealing than the numbers themselves are the reasons people use AI.
Users value the ability to ask follow-up questions, obtain summaries, receive explanations and combine information from multiple sources. In other words, audiences are not turning to AI simply for headlines. They are seeking context. That insight may prove reassuring for serious journalism. While AI can organise and summarise information, the original reporting, verification and accountability functions of journalism remain essential.
The Creator Economy Arrives in News
Another notable trend is the growing influence of creators and independent news personalities. The report finds that 27 percent of respondents obtain at least some news from creators focused primarily on current affairs, while nearly half encounter news from creators of some kind.
Audiences describe creators as more relatable, engaging and easier to understand than traditional media organisations, though they generally view them as less trustworthy and less impartial. Importantly, the report suggests creators are not replacing journalism altogether. Most people consume creator content alongside traditional reporting. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that trust is increasingly attached not only to institutions but also to individual voices.
Trust Is Falling. Journalism Still Matters.
The report records another concerning milestone. Trust in news has fallen to 37 percent globally, the lowest level measured since Reuters Institute began tracking the figure in 2015. At the same time, concern about misinformation continues to rise. Yet the report also offers a paradox. While trust in news overall is declining, audiences continue to support core journalistic principles such as fairness, verification and impartiality. Many respondents still believe journalism should not take sides and should help citizens understand complex events.
The problem, therefore, may not be journalism itself. The challenge is that audiences increasingly encounter news in environments where trust is lower, attention spans are shorter and competition for engagement is relentless.
Journalism’s Challenge Is Adaptation
The Reuters Institute report ultimately delivers a message that is both sobering and encouraging. Audiences have not stopped seeking information. They have not abandoned public affairs. Nor have they entirely rejected journalism. What has changed is where, how and from whom they consume it.
The future of journalism may not belong to organisations that simply publish stories. It may belong to those capable of meeting audiences wherever they are — on social platforms, video networks, AI interfaces and emerging digital ecosystems — without sacrificing the standards that make journalism valuable in the first place.
The audience has not left journalism. Journalism must follow the audience.
