More People Are Skipping the Headlines These Days
According to a fresh Reuters Institute Digital News Report released this Tuesday (June 14), the number of folks who actively dodge major stories—think the COVID‑19 outbreak, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, or the nagging cost‑of‑living squeeze—is on the rise.
What the Numbers Show
- Right now, 38 % of respondents admit they jump over the news at least sometimes—up from 29 % back in 2017.
- Complexy 36 % (especially the under‑35 crowd) confess that scrolling through headlines can actually lower their mood.
- Trust is falling faster than the New York Times’ weekly circulation in many places. Overall, only 42 % of people say they trust mainstream news “most of the time.” That figure has dipped in almost half the surveyed countries.
- The U.S. tops the list of low‑trust zones, with America’s residents the most skeptical.
Why the Disconnection?
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, the institute’s director, notes that a large portion of the population feels the media is too cozy with politics—and only a minuscule minority think news outlets genuinely look out for the public’s best interest first.
For younger readers, a shift is happening fast:
- 78 % of 18‑ to 24‑year‑olds sift through news via apps, search engines, and social media.
- Forty percent of that age bracket use TikTok every week, and 15 % admit they turn to the platform to sniff out, discuss, or share news.
Digital Subscriptions Face a Stagnation
Even though many are willing to pay for online journalism, the trend is plateauing. In 20 countries where digital subscriptions are widespread, exactly 17 % of respondents have paid for any online news—no change from last year. Money tends to get funneled into a handful of national brands, and local news pay‑rates vary considerably from one market to another.
Where the Data Came From
All of this comes from an online survey of 93,432 people across 46 markets, with a margin of error hovering between 2‑3 percentage points.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism pulls its funding from the philanthropic arm of Thomson Reuters, the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
