Key findings from the Digital News Report 2026

The changing face of the news ecosystem: social media, video networks and AI take the lead

On 16 June 2026, the Reuters Institute published its yearly Digital News Report, analysing online news consumption across six continents and 48 markets. 

For the first time, social media and video networks are, on average across the markets covered, more popular than both TV and owned news websites and apps as sources of news. This report explores in detail the rise of creators and other emerging news producers, the role they play in this changing environment, and what audiences value about their content.

Key findings 

• Social media and video networks overtake news websites and apps: As reliance on traditional news platforms drops, audiences are increasingly turning to social media and video networks for their news intake, elevating their significance in today’s news landscape.

   

• AI chatbots as a new frontier in intermediated news consumption: AI chatbots are becoming more common for accessing news, though their adoption for news content is still behind other AI uses: 10% of people now use AI chatbots for news, rising from 7% last year.

   

• Online video prominence: For the first time, more than half of people in all 48 surveyed markets are watching news videos online each week, with 77% engaging in this way globally. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are showing the fastest growth in video-led news, while YouTube also plays a central role. Nevertheless, Facebook remains the leading platform overall for news consumption.
   

• Creators at the forefront: Approximately 27% of people worldwide report getting some news from individual news creators or influencers, and nearly 46% access news from any type of creator, highlighting the growing influence of personal brands in news delivery.

   

• Interest in news falling: Now, 25% of those surveyed are casual or passive news consumers - individuals who engage with news just once a week and express little to no interest in it. This represents an increase from 16% in 2021.

   

• Trust in news at a low: Over the past year, trust in news has decreased in 29 out of 48 markets, dropping overall to 37% - the lowest since 2015 when trust was first measured. This decline is closely linked to the diminished role of traditional news outlets. As highlighted in the graph below, news distributed via social media and AI chatbots tends to be trusted less than news from established sources.
   

Declining trust in media and society presents a key challenge which is likely to undermine the effectiveness of regulation. EPRA is addressing this pressing issue in its Work Programme 2026. Declining trust in media and society: consequences for the information environment and how media regulators can respond will be a plenary topic at the upcoming 64th EPRA meeting in October in Dublin.

Focus on national reports supported by media regulators: 

As usual, the Irish Coimisiún na Meán, the Commissariaat voor de Media from the Netherlands and Ofcom from the UK are partnering with the Reuters Digital News report and have helped produce more detailed national reports.

• Digital News Report Ireland 2026 (in partnership with FuJo):(Press release and report).
• Digital News Report Netherlands (Press Release and report [NL]).
• Digital News Report United Kingdom (To be released).

Access to the full overview and key findings of the 2026 Digital News Report

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report