Audiences wary of AI in journalism

The 2024 Digital News Report out now, documenting scale and scope of 'platform resets' and much more. It is a team effort by lead author Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, Craig Robertson, Amy Ross, and myself, working with our country partners. The report covers 47 market accounting for more than half of the world’s population, and is made possible by our 19 funders. A real pleasure to chair the panel discussion at the global launch at Reuters News this morning, featuring Rozina Breen (editor-in-chief, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism), Anna Bateson (CEO of the Guardian Media Group), Rachel Corp (CEO of ITN), and Matthew Keen (Head of Operations and Strategy, Reuters). A key theme this year are the platform resets shaping how people access news and the environment publishers operate in – even as the percentage who say they get news via Facebook continues to decline, a range of other social, video, and messaging platforms are growing in importance for discovery, many focused on on-site video, visuals, and more private experiences. Generally, many of our respondents say they find it at least somewhat easy to tell trustworthy and untrustworthy news and information apart on various platforms, but there are real differences, with more people concerned about how to navigate information on e.g. TikTok, X, Facebook. That and much more in the full report, available here: https://lnkd.in/e7-zcMsH

A nice read to start the week Video is an increasingly important source of news Facebook use is down, esp outside Europe & the US Traditional news brands & journalists still play a role on X & Facebook Concern over what’s real vs fake is high in South Africa (81%) & US (72%) #news #journalism #socialmedia #disinformation https://lnkd.in/eYk5qBXH

Enlightening report as always from Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. It shows we now have almost four in ten people (39% across 47 countries) saying they sometimes or often actively avoid the news. Compared with 29% in 2017. Frankly I don't blame people for switching off. It's integral to our work in Social Impact communications to follow global news, but I certainly have to take breaks from what can be a relentless onslaught of misery. I caught report author Nic Newman on Radio 4 this morning talking about the issue by using different frames for news, including more stories on solutions and progress. It's a debate as old as news itself, but it always seems like common sense to me - why wouldn't people want to be occasionally inspired by an extraordinary story of human agency and heroism, especially in the face of a seemingly intractable tragedy? It doesn't have to be about a 'good news' agenda, or 'and finally' stories about rescued cats - it can be part of a more textured approach to complex crises playing out in the world today. Always interested to hear others' reflections on which news organisations are doing this well and where strong stories about heroes and helpers have managed to cut through? #DNR24

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism just published the 2024 Digital News Report. For anyone with an interest in communication, it is a really important read. Here are some of the main takeaways for Europe 🇪🇺 👇 📱Video platforms are becoming more important news sources, with YouTube emerging as an active news channel for many people in Europe. Short form videos are also becoming more popular among younger European audiences, with many Europeans looking to TikTok and Instagram for news. 🗣️ The report documents the rise of a new generation of news creators. A good example is Hugo Travers, a French content creator, who produces explainer videos on TikTok and YouTube - more French citizens reported following him than Le Monde and Le Figaro combined! 🔈 Podcasts continue to be a significant news source in Europe, with the highest proportion of users in Slovakia (48%), Czechia (44%), Sweden (43%), Ireland (43%) and Portugal (42%). 💻 Suspicion of AI is higher in Europe than in the US, with Europeans being less comfortable with the use of AI tools by media outlets. The full report ⬇️

The Reuters Digital News Report is out with lots of information and great insights. Some which stood out for me include: Only 22% of people are starting their news journey on a website or app (down 10% since 2018). Journeys start on social or search, although a few ‘smaller Northern European countries are bucking this trend’. People prefer to read the news rather than watch or listen, but news video consumption is growing across the board and happening on third party platforms such as YouTube. News podcasting resonates with younger and more educated audiences  TikTok reaches 44% of 18-24s across markets and 20% for news. Overall, we, as news publishers need to find ways to grow trust in news and deepen relationships with our audiences through distinctive journalism in a range of formats including text, audio and video to keep them on publisher apps.    https://lnkd.in/eHs-wCvD

Public unease with AI-powered newsrooms is a revelation, yet predictable, even understandable. As perceived by normal people, perhaps AI should belong to fact-check and forensic desks, not to the interpretation and delivery of those facts. The damage to public trust in news is deep. News is begging to be reinvented and it doesn't look like machines are quite going to cut it. Would it not be logical that those human audiences might be seeking to trust more informed human logic with a moral compass, not market logic that's numerically mined and regenerated by machines? But then, that's probably the extent to which machines function as of now.

A few takeaways from Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism 2024 Digital News Report, just published: 🌍 Decline in Facebook for News: Significant drop in Facebook usage for news, especially outside Europe and the US. Shift towards private messaging apps and video networks. 📱 Fragmented News Platforms: Six networks now reach 10%+ of respondents, compared to just two a decade ago. YouTube leads (31%), followed by WhatsApp (21%) and TikTok (13%). 🎥 Rise of Video News: Video becomes more and more important for younger audiences. Short news videos accessed by 66% weekly, primarily on online platforms (72%). 🔗 Shifting Main Gateways: Only 22% identify news websites/apps as their main source, down 10 points since 2018. Younger groups show weaker connection with news brands. 🗣️ Influencers and Partisan Commentators: Growing attention on influencers and young creators on YouTube and TikTok, though traditional news brands still prominent on Facebook and X. 🤖 AI and News: Skepticism towards AI in hard news; more comfort with AI in behind-the-scenes roles like transcription and translation. 💬 User Needs: Publishers spend not enough time on diverse perspectives and optimistic stories. 💸 News Subscriptions: 17% paid for online news last year (The Netherlands 15%), with a large proportion of digital subscriptions go to just a few upmarket national brands. 🎧 News Podcasts: Attract younger, educated audiences, with 35% accessing a podcast monthly, but still a minority activity overall. Many popular podcasts now feature on YouTube and TikTok. Read the whole report: https://lnkd.in/ehVfgbcC #DigitalNews #MediaTrends #SocialMedia #NewsConsumption #AIinNews #Reuters2024

It's 🎁 time: the new Digital News Report (2024) is out. An international 'smorgasbord' of news consumption patterns, decline and increase in reliance on different platforms, trust in news, and more. Thanks a million to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism team led by Nic Newman, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen and colleagues + partners https://lnkd.in/dSw8wWey

Global audiences suspicious of AI-powered newsrooms, report finds (Reuters): https://lnkd.in/eUpG_XDu Glimpse: As tech giants and companies like Google and OpenAI construct tools that can deliver summaries of information and siphon traffic from news websites, newsrooms around the world are attempting to meet a new problem using generative artificial intelligence, according to a research published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and titled Digital News Report. However, the study discovered that readers are dubious of artificial intelligence being used to produce news material, especially when it comes to touchy areas like politics. 52% of US respondents and 63% of UK respondents indicated in the study that they would feel uneasy reading news that was primarily generated by artificial intelligence. --- Free articles and analyses on counter-extremism, on countering hate, on AI, and on the theory of mis-/disinformation: counter-terrorism.org preventhate.org Recent LinkedIn Posts: https://lnkd.in/eBarZAew #policyinstitutenet #preventradicalization #preventextremism #preventhate #bullyingprevention #artificialintelligence #disinformation #misinformation