Reuters Institute releases 2026 Digital News Report

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report finds news organizations facing a more fragmented audience environment as social platforms, video networks, creators and AI chatbots reshape how people access news.

The annual report, published June 16, 2026, describes a period of growing volatility for news consumption, with audiences showing a mix of anxiety, disengagement and openness to new sources of information. The study is based on almost 100,000 interviews with online news consumers across 48 markets.

A central finding, according to the study’s executive summary, is the continued “platformization” of news, with social media and video networks now more widely used than television and publishers’ own websites and apps across the markets studied.

The shift is especially pronounced among younger users. More than half of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed said social media, video networks or AI are their main source of news. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, 44% said the same, reflecting double-digit increases over the past five years.

The report identifies WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram as platforms that have seen steady growth as news sources in recent years. Facebook, after years of decline, has seen a small increase in news use since 2025, while platforms including X, Facebook Messenger and Snapchat have shown little growth as news sources over the past decade.

Video also continues to play a larger role in digital news consumption, with audiences increasingly preferring to watch rather than read news online. That shift has helped expand the reach of news creators and other independent voices, some of whom are becoming more influential in the broader information ecosystem.

The Reuters Institute found that 27% of respondents globally get some news from news-focused individual creators or influencers, while 46% get some news from creators of any type.

AI chatbots are also emerging as a news access point, though the report describes the growth as fast rather than explosive. Weekly news use of AI chatbots rose from 7% to 10% globally, with younger users more likely to experiment with the tools.

Advertisement

Other emerging trends include shifts in online news video and so-called news creators. The report also examined why some news outlets are losing audiences, the future of impartiality and issues surrounding public service and the news.

The report warns that these changes are adding pressure to traditional publishers by weakening direct relationships with audiences. Social media, video networks and AI tools increasingly mediate how people encounter news, often reducing the role of publishers’ own platforms.

Trust remains a challenge. Fewer than four in 10 respondents said they trust the news they encounter, according to the report. Concerns about reliability are particularly acute on social platforms and in AI-mediated environments, where the source of information can be harder for users to assess.

At the same time, the report finds that audiences continue to value core principles of journalism, including impartiality and independence. The findings suggest that dissatisfaction with current news experiences has not eliminated public support for the broader role journalism can play.

Public service media received mixed but generally more favorable assessments in the 26 countries studied with public service media systems. Across those markets, 37% of respondents said public service media had a positive impact, compared with 22% who viewed its impact negatively.

The report also notes that views of public service media are often divided by political ideology, including in countries such as Germany, Spain, the U.S. and the U.K.

Overall, the 2026 report points to a news industry being pushed further away from older distribution models built around television, print and direct website traffic. Audience habits are increasingly shaped by platforms, personalities, video formats and automated tools, creating new opportunities for reach while making trust, attribution and direct audience relationships more difficult to sustain.

AI chatbots begin to emerge as a news access point

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report finds that AI chatbots are becoming a more visible part of how people access news, though their role remains secondary for most users.

Weekly use of AI chatbots for news rose from 7% in 2025 to 10% in 2026 globally, according to the report. The growth was driven largely by parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southern and Eastern Europe, where platform-based news consumption is already more established.

Only 1% of respondents said AI is their main source of news, suggesting that chatbots are functioning more as a supplemental tool than a replacement for other sources.

The report found that younger and more engaged news consumers are leading adoption. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 17% said they use AI chatbots for news weekly, compared with 5% of those 55 and older. Usage was also higher among people who access news frequently and those who describe themselves as highly interested in news.

Advertisement

Trust remains a limiting factor. Across the markets studied, 20% of respondents said they trust news from AI chatbots, compared with 37% who said they trust news more broadly. Among people who already use AI chatbots, however, trust in chatbot-delivered news was higher, at 44%.

The report found that users are not turning to chatbots only for headlines. Many use them to ask follow-up questions, summarize stories, explain news in simpler terms or evaluate sources. That suggests AI tools are taking on a role that combines access, interpretation and personalization.

For publishers, the shift presents both editorial and business challenges. Chatbots can meet audience demand for simpler explanations and quick summaries, but they also raise questions about referral traffic if users get answers without clicking through to original sources.

News video moves further from broadcast to platforms

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 report finds that news video consumption continues to move away from traditional broadcast television and toward social platforms, video networks and connected TV environments.

Broadcast television remains important in many markets, but its reach continues to decline as more audiences shift to online and on-demand video. The change is especially pronounced among younger users and in parts of the Global South, where social media and video platforms have become central to news discovery.

YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are now major parts of the news video ecosystem. The report notes that short-form video has become a dominant format on several platforms, shaped by algorithmic distribution and creator-driven production styles.

At the same time, the report points to a continuing appetite for longer-form video, especially on YouTube. That creates a mixed picture for news organizations: short vertical video remains important for reach, while longer explainers, interviews and documentary-style formats may still have room to grow.

The shift does not mean audiences are abandoning television sets as devices. Instead, more viewers are using smart TVs and connected devices to watch video through streaming apps rather than traditional linear broadcasts.

That creates a more competitive environment for news publishers, with entertainment platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ dominating much of the connected TV experience. The report suggests that news organizations will need to consider how their own apps and video products fit into that broader streaming landscape.

The findings point to a video market in transition, where broadcast habits are weakening but audience interest in video news remains significant. The challenge for publishers is less about whether people want video and more about how to compete in spaces shaped by platforms, creators and entertainment brands.

Advertisement

News creators become a larger layer in the information ecosystem

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 report finds that news creators are becoming a more important part of how audiences encounter, interpret and discuss news, though they are not replacing traditional media outright.

The report identifies several types of creator ecosystems around the world. In some countries, creators are closely tied to political polarization and serve audiences looking for opinion, reaction and ideological framing. In others, creators operate as alternative voices in environments where press freedom is under pressure.

A third model centers on younger audiences, with creators building formats that make news feel more accessible, conversational and easier to understand. In some smaller or older media markets, creator influence remains more limited, with many prominent figures still connected to traditional news organizations.

The report found that news creators often play a supplemental role. They help audiences explain, critique or react to the news rather than serving as the original source of reporting. Even in markets where reliance on creators is higher, only a minority of respondents said creators meet most or all of their news needs.

Creators are especially effective at reaching younger users. The report notes that young audiences often see creator-led news formats as more entertaining, easier to follow and, in some cases, more trustworthy than traditional news.

For legacy media, the growth of creators presents both competition and a possible model for adaptation. Some journalists and presenters are already adopting creator-style techniques, including direct address, personal tone, vertical video and humor, while remaining tied to established news brands.

The report suggests that creators now form a growing layer between platforms, audiences and traditional media. Their influence varies by country, but their role in shaping public debate is becoming harder for publishers and policymakers to ignore.

Traditional news platforms face different kinds of audience decline

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 report finds that television, newspapers and radio have all lost news audiences over the past decade, but the reasons for those declines differ by medium.

Across the markets studied, printed newspapers, radio and television have each seen double-digit declines since 2013 in the share of people who use them weekly for news. Online news websites and apps have also seen more modest declines, while social media and video networks have become the most widely used source in many markets.

For newspapers, the report describes a structural problem driven by both low adoption and low retention. Many younger users never developed a newspaper habit, while many earlier readers have stopped using newspapers for news.

Radio faces a somewhat different challenge. Its decline is tied more strongly to low adoption, particularly among younger users who may never have relied on radio as a regular news source.

Television news has a retention problem. Many people have used TV news at some point, but younger adults are less likely to maintain the habit. The report found that TV news has been better at reaching people historically than keeping them as regular users.

The findings suggest that younger audiences are unlikely to simply age into the media habits of older generations. Instead, they appear to have been socialized into different patterns of news consumption, shaped by digital platforms, video networks and smaller news repertoires.

The report also warns that declining use of traditional sources does not always mean people are replacing them with new ones. Some users may reduce the number of news sources they follow, while a smaller group may opt out of news altogether.

News video shifts from broadcast habits to platform viewing

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report finds that news video is being reshaped by the same forces changing the broader media business, with audiences moving away from traditional broadcast schedules and toward streaming, social platforms and on-demand viewing.

The report notes that television remains an important source of news in many markets, particularly among older audiences. But its reach has continued to decline as more people, especially younger users, turn to online video platforms for news clips, explainers, interviews and live coverage.

The shift is not simply from television to publisher websites. Instead, much of the growth in news video is happening on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, where distribution is shaped by algorithms, creators and platform-native formats.

Short-form vertical video has become an increasingly important way for audiences to encounter news, particularly on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. These formats often reward speed, personality and visual clarity, creating pressure on news organizations to adapt stories for platform-specific consumption.

At the same time, the report finds continued demand for longer-form video, especially on YouTube, where audiences are more likely to watch explainers, interviews, documentaries and extended analysis. That creates opportunities for newsrooms to build deeper engagement beyond short clips, though competition remains intense.

Streaming has also changed how audiences use the television set. Viewers may still watch news on large screens, but they are increasingly doing so through apps, smart TVs and connected devices rather than traditional linear broadcasts.

That shift places news organizations in a broader streaming environment dominated by entertainment services, sports rights and platform interfaces. For broadcasters, the challenge is no longer limited to competing against other TV news outlets, but also finding visibility inside crowded digital and connected TV ecosystems.

The report suggests that platform-based video consumption is changing audience expectations around tone, format and presentation. News video is increasingly expected to be available on demand, easy to share and suited to the viewing habits of each platform.

For traditional broadcasters, the findings point to a more complex video strategy. Linear television remains valuable, but future growth is likely to depend on stronger streaming products, clearer platform strategies and formats designed for audiences who may never develop a regular broadcast news habit.

Demand for impartial news remains, despite platform shifts

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 report finds that public demand for impartial news remains strong, even as social platforms, partisan media and opinion-driven creators gain influence.

Across the markets studied, 45% of respondents said they prefer news from sources that do not have a particular point of view. That was about twice the share who said they prefer news from sources that share their own point of view, at 22%. Another 15% said they prefer sources that challenge their views.

The report notes that these are stated preferences, not observed behavior. Some people who say they want impartial news may still use opinionated or partisan sources. Even so, the findings show continued public support for the idea of news that does not adopt an explicit editorial position.

The preference has also remained relatively stable. In the 40 markets where the question was asked in both 2020 and 2026, the report found little overall change, despite broader shifts in platform use and political discourse.

Younger audiences and people with lower levels of formal education were somewhat less likely to express a preference for impartial news, but a plurality in both groups still said they prefer sources without a particular point of view.

The report also found that people who prefer news aligned with their own views are a minority, but one that can be highly engaged, vocal and commercially valuable. That creates incentives for some publishers, creators and media brands to adopt more clearly partisan or opinionated positioning.

The findings suggest that impartiality remains a durable public value, but one that faces pressure from platform dynamics, polarization and the need for media outlets to stand out in crowded information environments.

Public service news is viewed positively, but with clear limits

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 report finds that public service news is viewed positively overall in the 26 markets where the study asked about its impact, though views vary widely by country.

Across those markets, 37% of respondents said news from public service media has a very or somewhat positive effect on life in their country. Another 22% said it has a negative effect, while 35% took a neutral or mixed view.

The report found large differences between markets. Norway had one of the strongest positive assessments, while Serbia had one of the most negative. The findings reflect different media systems, funding models, political environments and levels of trust in public institutions.

The study focused on perceptions of public service news, not broader views of public service media organizations. It also treated public service media differently by market, where some countries have a single prominent provider and others have a broader public service media ecosystem.

Among people with negative views, the most common concern was perceived influence by political or other interests. The report found that 71% of those who were negative about the social impact of public service news identified influence as a concern.

Other common criticisms included concerns that public service news does not reflect a broad enough range of opinions, focuses too much on certain issues or groups, is out of touch with ordinary people, or does not provide trustworthy news.

The findings point to a challenge for public service media in fragmented and polarized environments. The report suggests that maintaining support will require more than reach or trust alone, with relevance, independence and connection to everyday audience concerns becoming increasingly important.