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The 2025 Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism provides a detailed look at how audiences around the world are engaging with news. This report is based at the Reuters Institute, which is part of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The Digital News Report is recognized for its annual global survey that tracks digital news consumption, trust in media, and the impact of technology on journalism. The report’s data is gathered from thousands of respondents across multiple countries, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind.
In 2025, the Digital News Report documents ongoing declines in traditional news consumption methods, such as print newspapers and broadcast television, across nearly all surveyed markets. This shift is quantified through survey results indicating that, in many countries, less than 15% of respondents now say they access news primarily through print. The immediate cause of this reduction is the accelerated uptake of digital and mobile news platforms, driven by both convenience and the widespread availability of smartphones.
Social media’s role in news consumption continues to expand. According to the report, in several major markets, more than 40% of people now say they use at least one social media platform as their main source of news each week. This trend is most pronounced among people under 35, who are twice as likely as those over 55 to get their news from social media or messaging apps rather than direct visits to news websites or television bulletins. The mechanism behind this generational shift is rooted in both lifestyle and technology: younger users spend more time on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp, where news is encountered incidentally while using these services for other purposes.
Trust in news media remains fragile. The 2025 report cites that, on average, only about 38% of respondents trust most news most of the time. This figure is slightly down from previous years, illustrating how persistent exposure to misinformation and political polarization has eroded confidence in journalism. The report attributes this drop in trust not only to the rise of false or misleading content spread via social media, but also to the perception that some news outlets are too closely aligned with particular political or commercial interests.
The report breaks down the most trusted and least trusted news brands in participating countries, naming outlets such as BBC News in the UK, ARD in Germany, and NHK in Japan as among those with the highest trust ratings in their respective markets. Meanwhile, brands associated with tabloid journalism or partisan commentary often score significantly lower. The consequence of this hierarchy is that audiences are fragmenting along lines of trust, with some clusters relying only on a small number of highly-trusted sources and others consuming a broader and less vetted mix.
One significant finding in the 2025 Digital News Report is the dramatic rise in the use of video for news consumption. In several countries, more than 30% of respondents say they prefer to watch news online rather than read it. This is the result of both technology—particularly autoplay video features on social platforms—and a strategic pivot by news organizations toward video content because it drives higher engagement and advertising revenue. The report notes that short-form video, especially on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, has become a major vector for news distribution.
Paying for online news remains a challenge for publishers. The 2025 report finds that the proportion of people paying for news subscriptions or memberships is largely flat, remaining below 20% in most countries. Nordic countries such as Norway and Sweden continue to lead, with over 30% of respondents reporting they pay for digital news, while countries like the UK and Germany remain below 15%. The mechanism behind this stagnation is a combination of widespread availability of free news, subscription fatigue, and a perception that most paid news offerings do not provide unique value.
The report highlights the increasing use of artificial intelligence in both the creation and dissemination of news. Newsrooms are deploying AI tools to generate headlines, identify trending topics, and even produce automated summaries. The immediate cause of this adoption is the need for efficiency and scale in an increasingly competitive digital market. However, the consequence is a growing public concern about the authenticity and reliability of automated news content, with some respondents expressing worry about the potential for AI-generated misinformation.
Podcasting and audio news formats continue to grow in popularity, with more than 25% of respondents in countries like the United States, Spain, and Brazil saying they listen to podcasts at least once a week. This shift is explained by the convenience of audio formats during commutes or daily tasks, as well as the appeal of in-depth discussion and storytelling not typically found in shorter news articles or videos.
The report documents a pronounced rise in news avoidance. In 2025, over 36% of respondents say they sometimes or often actively avoid the news. This is up from the previous year, and the mechanism behind it is multifaceted: respondents cite reasons such as news fatigue, the negative tone of coverage, and a sense of powerlessness in the face of major issues like climate change, war, or political scandal. The result is that even as news is more accessible than ever, a growing segment of the population is tuning out altogether.
The 2025 Digital News Report also tracks the impact of new content moderation policies on major social media platforms. Following pressure from governments and civil society groups, companies like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) have invested in more robust systems to flag or remove misinformation. According to the survey, this has led to a modest increase in user perceptions of platform safety, but the effectiveness of these measures is still widely debated, with respondents divided on whether the changes go far enough.
Regional differences remain stark. In countries like Finland and Denmark, trust in news and willingness to pay remain high, while in Greece and Slovakia, both metrics are at or near the bottom of the global rankings. The report attributes these differences to factors such as the strength of public broadcasters, media literacy education, and the recent history of government-media relations.
The report names Nic Newman as one of the principal authors of the 2025 Digital News Report. Newman is a Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute and has led the Digital News Project for multiple years. His role involves designing the survey, analyzing the data, and synthesizing the findings into actionable insights for journalists, policymakers, and technology companies.
Another key data point in the report is the prevalence of news users encountering political misinformation. In the United States, over 55% of respondents say they have seen fake or misleading news on at least one topic in the past week. The consequence is a heightened sense of skepticism and, in some cases, disengagement from news altogether.
Finally, the report records that, for the first time, more than 50% of global respondents say they access news through a mobile device as their primary method. This shift is powered by the near-universal adoption of smartphones, which allow people to check news notifications instantly, wherever they are, and has led to news organizations optimizing their content for mobile screens and push alerts.