The much awaited Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020 is out.
Among its many findings: the use of Online & social media rose substantially in most countries around the world.
WhatsApp saw the biggest growth in general with increases of around 10 percentage points in some countries. Over half of those surveyed (51%) used some kind of open or closed Online group to connect, share information, or take part in a local support network, the study found.
As of April 2020, trust in the media’s coverage of COVID-19 was relatively high in all countries, at a similar level to national governments, & significantly higher than for individual politicians. Media trust was more than twice the level for social networks, video platforms, or messaging services when it came to information about COVID-19.
Despite this, the Reuters Institute survey showed that the majority (60%) still preferred news that had no particular point of view, & that only a minority (28%) preferred news that shared or reinforced their views.
The other good news was that there was a “significant increase” in payment for Online news in a number of countries including the United States 20% (+4) & Norway 42% (+8), with smaller rises in a range of other markets. It is important to note that across all countries most people were still not paying for Online news, even if some publishers have since reported a ‘coronavirus bump’.
Overall, the most important factor for those who subscribe is the distinctiveness & quality of the Content. Subscribers believe they are getting better information. However, the report said a large number of people were perfectly content with the news they could access for free. It also found that a very high proportion of non-subscribers (40% in the USA & 50% in the UK) said nothing could persuade them to pay.
Click here to read the report.
Image credit: Reuters Institute
