Report: Trust in News Hits Record Low

Why It Matters

Eroding trust and a platform‑centric audience threaten traditional news revenue and amplify misinformation risks, forcing publishers to redesign distribution and engagement models.

Key Takeaways

• Global news trust fell to 37%, US trust 25%
• Social media/video now primary news source for 30% worldwide
• 77% watch online news video weekly, mainly on third‑party platforms
• AI chatbots deliver news to 10% of users, 16% under‑35
• Only 17% pay for online news, flat across tracked countries

Pulse Analysis

The sharp decline in news trust reported by the Reuters Institute signals a deeper crisis for the information ecosystem. With confidence in news brands dropping to a historic low, advertisers and policymakers worry about a less informed electorate and the fertile ground it creates for misinformation. The U.S. figure—just a quarter of respondents trusting most news—underscores the partisan divide, where right‑leaning audiences show even lower confidence. This erosion forces legacy outlets to double down on transparency, fact‑checking and audience‑centric storytelling to rebuild credibility.

At the same time, the way audiences discover news has been reshaped by social media and video platforms. For the first time, third‑party services such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram surpass traditional news websites and broadcast TV in global reach, accounting for 30% of primary news sources. Video consumption is now the norm, with 77% of respondents watching news video weekly, often for extended periods and even on smart‑TV apps. Independent creators complement rather than replace professional journalism, offering relatable formats that attract younger viewers. Broadcasters must therefore adapt their content pipelines, invest in short‑form video, and negotiate favorable placement on platform algorithms to retain relevance.

Emerging technologies add another layer of complexity. AI chatbots, used by 10% of global respondents for news and 16% among under‑35s, represent a nascent but growing channel that delivers concise summaries and links to original sources. However, trust in chatbot answers remains low at 20%, highlighting a gap that reputable news brands could fill by integrating AI‑driven news assistants that retain editorial standards. Meanwhile, the proportion of paying readers has stagnated at 17%, indicating that direct‑to‑consumer revenue models are hard to scale without compelling value propositions. Publishers are thus experimenting with hybrid approaches—premium video, creator collaborations, and AI‑enhanced newsletters—to convert engaged audiences into subscribers while navigating a fragmented, platform‑dominated landscape.