Report: Ireland continues to trust major news brands
June 17, 2026



Irish people continue to trust major news brands but are losing trust in news more generally according to the annual Digital News Report Ireland 2026 from Coimisiún na Meán.

The Report shows that 42 per cent of Irish people say they can trust most news most of the time, down from 51 per cent last year. Trust in news is lowest (33 per cent) among the 18–24-year-old age demographic, and highest (52 per cent) among those 65+. Trust in news in Ireland remains relatively high compared to the UK at 31 per cent, the US at 26 per cent and the European average at 36 per cent.


Despite this decline in trust in news, Irish people continue to trust major news brands. RTÉ News and local radio news emerge as the most trusted brands, with 71 per cent of those surveyed saying these are trustworthy sources of news. They are followed closely by local newspapers (69 per cent), the Irish Times (69 per cent) and the Irish Independent (68 per cent).

An increase in news avoidance has emerged as another key trend in this year’s Irish Report and is at its highest ever recorded rate in this survey. When asked if you find yourself actively trying to avoid news, almost half (47 per cent) of those surveyed said that they did. This is up from 41 per cent last year.

Rónán Ó Domhnaill, Media Development Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán, commented: “Each year, the Digital News Report Ireland gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on Ireland’s media landscape, and to better understand from the Irish public how they read, watch, listen, stream and engage with news. This year’s Report offers a fascinating insight into the dynamics at play in a complex, fragmented news ecosystem. While Irish audiences remain interested in news, there has been a significant decline in their trust in news generally, while trust in major news brands has remained steady. We are encouraged by the positive views that Irish people express towards public service media, with some 42 per cent saying it has a positive impact on life in the country. This is twelve percentage points higher than in the UK (30 per cent), and six percentage points above the European average (36 per cent).

“The ambition of Coimisiún na Meán is to develop and maintain a media landscape that consumers can trust. We do not take the Irish public’s continued interest in news for granted, and the findings underline the need for ongoing attention to the sustainability of the media sector, media literacy, and the evolving role of platforms and technologies in shaping the news media environment. For our part, An Coimisiún will continue to support Ireland’s media landscape through investing in high-quality news reporting through our Journalism Schemes and with our support for media literacy initiatives,” added Ó Domhnaill.

Research for the Digital News Report is undertaken by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford and analysis of the Irish data is provided by the DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo).

Key findings from this year’s Report include:

Interest in news – Interest in news in Ireland has held steady when compared with last year’s Report. Some 54 per cent of Irish people say they are ‘extremely or very interested’ in news, down from 70 per cent in the Covid-era of 2021. In comparison, the rates of people who say they are ‘extremely or very interest’ in news is 48 per cent in the US, 44 per cent as the European average, and just 37 per cent in the UK.

Trust in news – Overall, Irish audiences trust news more when compared to other countries. When asked if they trust the news most of the time, 42 per cent of respondents in Ireland agreed, compared to 31 per cent in the UK, 26 per cent in the US and the European average at 36 per cent. Separately, when considering news sources, 51 per cent say they can trust the news they personally consume. 42 per cent trust ‘most news’, 31 per cent trust news from search engines, 16 per cent trust news from social media and 14 per cent trust news from AI chatbots.

Trust in brands – Traditional news outlets perform strongly when Irish audiences are asked about their trust in brands. RTÉ News (71 per cent), local or regional radio (71 per cent), and local or regional newspapers (69 per cent) are the most trusted brands. A significant 69 per cent of respondents described the Irish Times as trustworthy, followed by 68 per cent for the Irish Independent.

News Avoidance – News avoidance is at an all-time high among Irish people. This year’s Report shows 47 per cent of Irish people say they find themselves actively trying to avoid news, up six points on last year. Those who say they never avoid news is at 22 per cent, down from 28 per cent in 2025.

Public Service Media – When asked if they think that news provided by public service broadcasters has a positive or negative effect on life in your country – 42 per cent of Irish respondents said it has a positive effect, with just 20 per cent saying it had a negative effect. The youngest age categories were most supportive of public service media, with 49 per cent of 18–24-year-olds and 50% of 25–34-year-olds saying it had a positive effect.

Source of News – When asked which platform is their main source of news, 31 per cent of Irish respondents said TV with the same percentage citing online (excluding social media). Newer news sources such as podcasts (2 per cent) and AI chatbots (1 per cent) are far less likely to be cited as a main source of news.

Paying for News – The Report shows that 22 per cent of people in Ireland are now paying for news, up from 9 per cent ten years ago in 2016. When Irish respondents were asked why they paid for online news, 39 per cent said to get useful content they can’t access any other way, with 38% saying it was to support journalism because they think it is important to society.

News Discovery – When asked which, if any social media platform they have used for finding, reading, watching, sharing or discussing news in the last week, Facebook was cited by 33 per cent of Irish respondents, followed by WhatsApp at 27 per cent, YouTube at 26 per cent, Instagram with 23 per cent, TikTok at 15 per cent and X at 11 per cent.

Disinformation and Misinformation – When asked for their thoughts about online news, 71 per cent of Irish respondents say they are concerned about what is real and what is fake online, an increase from 68 per cent last year.

Prof Jane Suiter, Director of DCU Institute for Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo), commented: “Despite the worrying trend of declining trust in news, this year’s survey finds that Irish people continue to trust major brands, including our national state broadcaster. The strong trust in local outlets also speaks to the importance of a continuing robust regional news offering in the country. At DCU FuJo, we work with national and international partners to investigate how to counter digital harms, enhance public participation and secure the future of high-quality news, themes that are becoming increasingly important in the modern world. It is concerning that news avoidance continues to increase, and is now at its highest ever recorded rate with almost half of those surveyed saying they find themselves actively trying to avoid news.”