What Journalists Should Know About the 2024 Digital News Report
The 2024 Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is essential reading for any journalists genuinely interested in the current state of journalism and news media. The latest report spans 47 international markets and gained insights from around 95,000 news consumers. The DNR this year covered topics that may have been covered elsewhere, but added an extra level of data and case studies that can help newsrooms approach the problems that are currently permeating the industry.
Some of the issues brought up in this year’s report include the continuing rise of misinformation, ongoing news fatigue and avoidance, the rise of video news, and how different platforms’ strategies are changing, amongst other topics. There are a few Newsrooms can consider the report’s findings as they explore their future reporting opportunities.
Increasing News Avoidance
Much like last year’s report noted, selective news avoidance continues to rise and there looks to be a decline in general interest in political news, particularly among young people and women, who say they would most like to see news related to climate change, the environment, and the wellness of older groups. Many of the interviewees perceive news media as often being repetitive, relentless, and even boring.
The main deterrent to maximizing their engagement can be attributed to the often negative nature of the news and the sheer volume of news content adding tremendously to general feelings of anxiety and powerlessness. What newsrooms can gather from this data is that there is an explicit call from the public to slow down the influx of news updates. Still, 72% of interviewees said that it is important to focus on news that keeps them up to date; many just want to come across more news that makes them feel better about the world occasionally.
Concerns About Misinformation Remain
Misinformation and disinformation have soared to unprecedented heights. The report found that TikTok contributes the most to this environment, with 27% of their users saying they’ve struggled to detect trustworthy news on the social media platform. The use of artificial intelligence has only sparked further mistrust, lowering peoples’ confidence in their ability to identify untrustworthy news. The report also showed that in Europe, people were even less confident in their ability to identify trustworthy news than their U.S. counterparts.
The Role of Influencers Cannot Be Discounted
Many newsrooms might be turning their nose up at the role of influencers and the economy they’ve cultivated, but reporters should pay attention to how they are navigating the current media landscape. These days, a lot of the younger audience pushes away news that is produced in the orthodox way. The consensus among study participants is that traditional forms of news do not speak to them as much in terms of subject matter, methods of distribution, and style.
Newsrooms can take pointers from influencers’ use of partnerships and work with newer content creators while recognizing that many are partisan commentators rather than traditional journalists. While these influencers' work may lack journalistic rigor, analyzing why these creators attract large, trusted audiences can provide valuable insights for improving distribution and storytelling strategies.
Insights and strategies gained from the DNR are necessary for adaptation and innovation within the newsrooms. Newsrooms should be open to trying new ways of operating in their journalism approaches, taking risks and trying new approaches to business models and storytelling techniques. The DNR contains a lot of information that provides useful examples for media practitioners wishing to target broader audience bases, especially the youth, without losing their reputation amidst intensified digitalization.
