How trust, TikTok and AI are reshaping global news consumption

The critical intel for strategic communicators came, this week, from the Reuters Institute’s latest Digital News Report (DNR), which reveals some big shifts in the way UK and global audiences are engaging with news. As someone who spent more than a decade in various BBC newsrooms, this report - for me and some of my SEC Newgate colleagues - is personal as much as it is professional.

Credible news and analysis are needed more than ever and the DNR provides incredible insights from 48 global markets into today’s mega news trends, including which new editorial formats are getting high engagement in a multi-platform environment. 

With one or two exceptions where specialist media are growing (examples include the FT, which saw record revenue last year, and Joshi Hermann’s Mill Media local news operation now published across six UK cities), budgets continue to be squeezed with job losses as the norm. It’s not only about getting the story right but how it’s packaged - with technology and AI playing a growing role in news delivery. 

But this week’s DNR makes it clear it is not all bad news. Here’s my take with a few nuggets I found most interesting.

• Traditional media - such as TV, print, and news websites - is losing its influence as audiences tap into to an alternative news ecosystem such as social media, video platforms, and online aggregators. A paradox is that public broadcasters such as the BBC, Channel 4, and ITV remain the most trusted news brands along with the FT. 
• The smartphone revolution is now complete: UK (37%) and US (39%) enjoy strong markets for mobile news as a first encounter of the news each day, displacing traditional morning TV, radio and newspaper routines.
   
• News influencers are emerging as a primary source of news - personalities such as popular podcaster Joe Rogan in the US who was the go-to source for one-in-five Americans after the inauguration. America is leading the way with these types of news personalities, but the UK and Europe are catching up.
   
• Sky News executive chairman David Rhodes and Observer digital editor Basia Cummings both spoke about the benefits of having personalities as part of a news brand. Examples at Sky would be Beth Rigby, Sam Coates and Trevor Philips, where content is built around them. What interests me here is that trust is built around key journalists who have enough influence to shape perceptions, not just outlets.
   
• Changing platform strategies mean that video continues to grow in importance as a source of news. Increasing numbers of people want to watch the news rather than read it and while many in the UK enjoy reading text-based news (e.g. newsletters or written analysis), video is on the rise. This underlines the opportunity for organisations and brands to create credible and compelling content.
   
• TikTok is the fastest growing social and video network. Even the French President and German Chancellor use it to reach younger audiences. But here again is the paradox, according to the DNR: “At the same time people… see the network as one of the biggest threats when it comes to false or misleading information, along with Facebook, long a source of widespread public concern.”
   
• AI chatbots and interfaces are emerging as a source of news as search engines and other platforms integrate real-time news. The numbers are still relatively small overall (7% use it for news each week) but much higher with under-25s. However, audiences in most countries remain sceptical about the use of AI in the news and are more comfortable with use cases where humans remain in the loop. 

While it’s a gloomy time in many newsrooms, there is one relatively positive sign for hacks, which is that overall trust in the news has remained stable at 40% for the third year in a row. The news business is clearly in the middle of a seismic shift but what is clear is that reporters and news ‘influencers’ who garner trust remain valuable to engage with to shape reputation.