Every year the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford undertakes a mammoth study of 75,000 people across 38 countries looking at consumption of news. This year, it makes gloomy reading.
Over 70% of Brits are concerned over mis-information in news reporting - 'fake news' - with only 42% trusting what they read.
The report points the finger at our 'tortuous' exit from Europe, with over a third if Brits avoiding the news entirely.
Print circulations continue to fall, with the Daily Mirror losing 13% of its readers in the past 12 months alone.
The BBC comes under particular fire for publishing too much 'soft news' and neglecting its prime offerings in favour of its Sounds app. Its decision to scrap free licences for over 75s will not help.
Yet there are some glimmers of hope: the Guardian made a profit for the first time in living memory with over a million people donating. New media outfits have emerged - the slow news Tortoise being one good example (its subscribers can join its reporters in the newsroom and at special events).
It appears that our entertainment spend - for that is what news increasingly is - is being redirected to Netflix.
The report is well worth a read and can be found here - http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/
This year's report reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a YouGov survey of over 75,000 online news consumers in 38 countries including South Africa for the first time. The report focuses on the progress on new paid online business models, trust and misinformation, the impact of populism, the shift to private messaging apps, and the rise of podcasts.
unknownx500
