Media at a Crossroads: Digital News Landscape Faces Multiple Challenges in Election Year

In a year when half the world’s population is heading to the polls and conflicts continue in Ukraine and Gaza, the role of accurate, independent journalism remains vital. However, the latest annual survey of global news consumption reveals an industry increasingly challenged by misinformation, waning trust, political attacks, and economic uncertainty.

The research, based on data from 47 markets across six continents, paints a picture of news media grappling with layoffs, closures, and budget cuts. The crisis stems from rising operational costs, declining advertising revenue, and sharp drops in social media traffic, making it harder for news outlets to resist pressure from powerful business interests and governments seeking to control narratives.

Many of these challenges are compounded by shifting strategies among tech giants. Social media platforms, search engines, and video sites are increasingly deprioritizing news content, focusing instead on “creators” and engaging formats—particularly video—designed to keep users within their ecosystems. While these companies have no obligation to the news, their decisions impact both the journalism industry and society at large.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence adds further uncertainty, with AI-driven search interfaces and chatbots potentially reducing traffic to news websites and reshaping information environments.

Video Dominates as Platforms Fragment

The research documents a significant shift toward video consumption across multiple platforms. YouTube is now used for news by nearly a third (31%) of the global sample each week, WhatsApp by about 20%, while TikTok (13%) has overtaken Twitter/X (10%) for the first time.

Short-form news videos are accessed by two-thirds (66%) of respondents weekly, with longer formats attracting about half. However, most video consumption occurs on platforms (72%) rather than publisher websites (22%), creating challenges for monetization and audience connection.

“The convenience of having news served to you on a platform where you already spend time, which knows your interests, is a major draw,” commented one 39-year-old American respondent.

In regions like Thailand, Kenya, and Indonesia, TikTok has become a significant news source, with over a third of users in some countries accessing news through the platform weekly. By contrast, usage remains much lower in countries like the UK (4%) and Denmark (3%).

The research also reveals that while mainstream media and journalists lead conversations on platforms like X and Facebook, they struggle to gain attention on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, where alternative sources, influencers, and celebrities often dominate.

In the United States, partisan commentators attract significant attention, but the landscape also features emerging voices like France’s Hugo Décrypte, who has built a massive following among young French consumers with explanatory political videos.

Trust Concerns in the Age of AI

Amid this transformation, concerns about distinguishing real from fake information have increased by 3 percentage points over the past year, with around 60% of respondents expressing worry. Countries holding elections showed particularly high concern, including South Africa (81%), the United States (72%), and the UK (70%).

TikTok users express the most difficulty identifying trustworthy news content, with 27% saying they struggle to detect reliable information—the highest among all networks surveyed. X/Twitter follows closely with 24% reporting similar challenges.

Political affiliation significantly influences these perceptions, especially in the United States, where those on the political left express much greater suspicion about content on X and YouTube compared to those on the right.

The emergence of AI-generated “deepfakes” has further complicated the information landscape. Though many respondents haven’t personally encountered synthetic media, younger heavy social media users report seeing them regularly, with concerns that within five years, they “will be indistinguishable” from real content.

As news organizations themselves adopt AI technologies, audience reaction remains cautious. Across 28 countries, respondents expressed discomfort with content created primarily by AI, even with human oversight. However, they were more accepting of AI used to assist journalists in tasks like transcription or research.

The research shows that comfort with AI varies by subject matter, with lower acceptance for AI-generated news on politics and crime compared to sports, arts, or entertainment. Trust concerns are prominent, with one American respondent noting that if any news organization “was caught using fake images or videos in any way… I’d lose trust with them, even if they were being transparent.”

Platform Dependency Remains High

Despite shifting platform dynamics, most people continue to rely on intermediaries for news access. Only about 22% of respondents identify news websites or apps as their main source of online news—a 10-percentage point drop since 2018.

Search engines and news aggregators together (33%) form a more important gateway to news than social media (29%) and direct access (22%). The prominence of search engines across all age groups makes potential changes to these gateways particularly concerning for publishers, as consumers increasingly find news through AI-powered interfaces rather than publisher homepages.

Regional differences are significant, with portal sites and aggregators playing crucial roles in parts of Asia. In Japan, Yahoo! News and Line News remain dominant, while local tech giants Naver and Daum serve as key access points in South Korea.

Subscription Growth Stalls

In the face of economic headwinds, many publishers have turned to subscription models, but growth appears to have stalled. Across 20 countries where digital subscriptions are being pushed, just 17% of respondents paid for online news in the past year.

Nordic countries lead the way, with Norway (40%) and Sweden (31%) showing the highest proportion of subscribers, while Japan (9%) and the United Kingdom (8%) lag behind. The “winner-takes-most” dynamic persists, with a few upmarket national brands capturing a disproportionate share of subscriptions.

Heavy discounting remains common in many markets, with around 41% of subscribers paying less than full price. In the U.S., more than half of digital news subscribers report paying less than the median cost of a main subscription ($16), often much less. By contrast, in Norway, a larger number pay closer to the median price of $25.

The future growth potential appears limited, with 55% of non-subscribers saying they would pay nothing for online news. In countries like the UK and Germany, this figure rises to nearly 70%.

Trust Stability and Audience Fatigue

Despite ongoing concerns about misinformation, trust in news has remained stable at about 40% across markets. Finland maintains the highest level of trust (69%), while Greece and Hungary share the lowest (23%).

When asked about the factors that influence trust, respondents cited high standards, transparency, lack of bias, and fair representation as most important—consistent priorities across countries, ages, and political viewpoints. Interestingly, an overly negative approach to reporting, often cited by politicians as problematic, was considered least important.

However, the research points to growing news fatigue, with 39% of respondents saying they selectively avoid news—up 10 percentage points since 2017. The same proportion report feeling “worn out” by the amount of news, up from 28% in 2019, particularly regarding coverage of wars, disasters, and politics.

“The sheer volume of information is overwhelming. We can be left feeling helpless in the face of another remote disaster, leaving you feeling guilty and impotent,” commented one 71-year-old British respondent.

To address these challenges, the report suggests publishers focus less on constant updates and more on providing context, perspective, personal utility, and hopeful stories. It also highlights subject-matter gaps, with audiences feeling well-served in politics and sports but underserved in education, environment, mental health, and social justice.

In a media landscape transformed by technology and shifting consumer behavior, publishers that can demonstrate accuracy, fairness, and transparency—while maintaining human control over content—may be best positioned to rebuild audience trust and engagement in the digital age.