Report: Trust in news hits record low
June 16, 2026



Reuters Institute’s fifteenth Digital News Report is characterised by marked volatility in many of the indicators tracked for over a decade. Interest in news is down in many markets, and trust in news is at the lowest level since we started measuring it in 2015.

The data points to a mix of anxiety, disengagement and cynicism from audiences, many of whom don’t like the way publishers are covering long-running news stories such as immigration, inflation and international conflict. But the report also finds openness to new sources and formats, and a belief in what news at its best can offer.


Although many people now get news through less trusted channels such as social media and video networks, trust in most news brands in most markets is proving resilient and support for the ideal of impartial news remains high and largely unaffected by underlying changes in news consumption.

The report highlights an apparent paradox. As traditional sources decline and platforms emerge as the default way of accessing news for many people, they are also more concerned about misinformation, less trusting of the news they encounter, and more worried about the societal impact of these platforms.

Despite concerns about accuracy, the use of AI chatbots for news is growing fast: 10 per cent of respondents globally now use AI chatbots for accessing news (+3 percentage points from 2025), with usage being significantly higher among those under 35 (16 per cent) and those most interested in news.

Online news video is increasingly popular, with a majority of respondents in all 48 markets now watching news online each week. In this context, independent news creators now play an important role in the news landscape in many markets, with a quarter of all audiences getting some content from creators who focus on news.

The report is based on an online survey of almost 100,000 people in 48 markets.

Seven key findings

1. More people access news through third-party platforms than from news websites and TV channels

The rise of news consumption on third-party platforms is one of the key themes in this year’s report. For the first time, due to the decline of traditional sources, social media and video networks are now ahead of news organisations’ own websites and apps and TV news at the global level as the most widely used way of accessing news. This shift has now happened in around two-thirds of markets we cover, with direct access still leading in West and Central Europe and in more affluent Asian markets.

Jim Egan, lead author of this year’s report, commented: “News audiences deal each day with relentless competition for their attention online. We shouldn’t be surprised that some choose to disengage, others opt to rely on whatever their feeds bring, and many are unsure what to trust. But people still believe in what news at its best can be and continue largely to trust news providers they are most familiar with – the mandate for news remains, even as the context of the news and information environment becomes more challenging.”

2. This shift is not just happening among young people

The proportion of people identifying social media and video networks as their main source of news also rose this year in 22 markets – including countries like Germany where use for news has been low historically (+4 percentage points to 18 per cent) as well as in places such as Indonesia where they have long been in the lead (+8 to 48 per cent). Globally, 30% of people now say social media and video networks are their main source of news, up from 22 per cent five years ago.

The shift is especially pronounced among younger audiences, but it is happening across all age groups. Fewer people across all ages prefer both television and owned news sites than they did five years ago in 2021, with the only exception being those aged 55 and over, where direct access to news sites and apps remains unchanged.

The findings also suggest younger audiences are unlikely ever to acquire the news habits of their parents. More than half (56 per cent) of 18-24 year-olds have never regularly read a newspaper. Their daily news habits bear little resemblance to the newspaper production cycles and broadcast schedules that shaped previous generations. If anything, older audiences are moving towards the habits of younger audiences rather than the other way around.

3. News audiences are turning to video platforms

If the first wave of social media disruption had a largely text-based impact on newspapers, a second wave of disruption is now driven by video platforms and is impacting established legacy broadcasters most directly.

Some 77 per cent of the global sample consume online news video every week, with a majority now watching online news video in every market covered in the report. Online news video is ahead of broadcast TV news in every market except Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

As news audiences pivot to online news video, they are not consuming more of it on news websites or apps but on third-party platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. On average, news organisations have seen video consumption on their own sites and apps fall by five percentage points from 2025, and by ten points since 2021.

The data suggests the rise of online news video is not only about short-form clips or mobile phones. A quarter of those who follow news on YouTube watch videos for more than 20 minutes, and a fifth go to this platform to watch live broadcasts.

TV news may be in decline, but some have found a new role for news on the television set: a quarter of the global sample (27 per cent) now watch on-demand news via apps like YouTube on their smart TVs.

4. Creators are reshaping discovery, but not replacing traditional journalism

Over a quarter (27 per cent) of respondents globally get some news from news-focused individual creators or influencers, and almost half (46 per cent) get some news from creators of any type. Creators mostly complement rather than replace traditional media: only 3 per cent globally say all their news needs are met by news-focused creators, with an additional 10 per cent saying most of their news needs are met by them.

Audiences often see creators as more entertaining, easier to understand, and more relatable than traditional news outlets, even if they rate them lower on trust and impartiality. The popularity of creators and online video is not evidence that people no longer want news, but it suggests they want news to feel more accessible, more understandable, and more relevant to their lives.

5. Trust in news is at its lowest point in a decade

Overall trust in news has dropped to 37 per cent, the lowest level since the report started measuring trust in 2015. Trust fell in 29 of the 48 markets we cover, with drops of five points or more in 19 markets and the highest falls registered in the Philippines (-10 percentage points), Ireland (-9), Thailand, Peru and Poland (all -8).

In the US only 25 per cent say they trust most news most of the time. This amounts to a five-point fall from 2025 and it’s even lower (15 per cent) among right-leaning Americans. Some news brands have experienced large drops in audience trust, with CBS News and Fox News both falling 10 points year-on-year and CNN falling by six.

6. The use of AI chatbots for news is growing, especially among younger audiences

The use of AI chatbots for news is growing fast but not explosively. Weekly use has risen from 7 per cent to 10 per cent globally, and now represents an important additional way of getting the news. This is especially true for younger age groups, with usage at 16 per cent among people under-35s.

Those accessing news through AI chatbots tend to be highly-engaged news consumers rather than disengaged users abandoning news brands. Trust in chatbots’ responses for news remains relatively low at 20 per cent globally, and much lower than trust in news overall. Asked about the reasons they click through from AI chatbot answers, around half of respondents say they do so to get more details, while just under half say it’s to verify the answer and to learn more about the source.

7. Payment for news remains flat as direct relationships become harder to build

The proportion paying for online news remains at 17 per cent across the 20 countries tracked. Most of those who pay do so for direct benefits (81 per cent), with 43 per cent mentioning access to content they can’t get any other way as one of the reasons. But values-based motivations also matter, with 46 per cent of payers saying they are motivated by factors such as supporting journalism because of its importance to society.