People worldwide are increasingly abandoning traditional news websites and apps in favor of social media and video networks, according to the 2026 Digital News Report.

Worldwide, including Spain, South Korea, U.K., U.S., Asia, Africa, Latin America, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, Kenya, Netherlands, Germany, Nigeria, Finland, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Thailand, Peru

Who

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ), Andrew Deck, Laura Hazard Owen, Neel Dhanesha, Hanaa’ Tameez, Sophie Culpepper, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Jim Egan

What

When

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 23:02:00 GMT · 3h 52m ago

Where

Why

Social media and video networks offer content directly to users, and chatbots provide interactive features and summarized information, reducing the need to visit publishers' sites.

The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

The shift in news consumption away from publishers' platforms towards social media and AI chatbots fundamentally changes news distribution and audience engagement, posing financial and strategic challenges for traditional news organizations.

Story chain

2 events in this thread

Currently Reading3h 52m ago
People worldwide are increasingly abandoning traditional news websites and apps in favor of social media and video networks, according to the 2026 Digital News Report.
Culture & Industry3h 52m ago
People worldwide are increasingly abandoning traditional news sites and apps in favor of social media and video networks, with 18- to 34-year-olds ditching publishers' platforms even faster than TV news.
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Verified Sources & Citations

Nieman Lab
https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/news-sites-are-the-new-newspapers-people-are-abandoning-them-for-social-media/
HIGH

Credibility ratings reflect the AI ingestion pipeline's assessment of source provenance.