The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has published its annual Digital News Report 2026, which is considered the most comprehensive study of news consumption in the world. Current data indicates the end of a period of relative stability and the onset of increased volatility in the media market. The report's authors state that while previous years showed stability in measured indicators, this year's results reflect growing uncertainty, information fatigue, and significant changes in user preferences.
A critical milestone described in the report is a historic shift in the popularity of information sources. For the first time ever, digital platforms are globally more popular than television broadcasting and the websites and apps of news organizations themselves. Lead author of the report Jim Egan points out that traditional media like television, newspapers, and radio are consistently losing their audience to other digital forms of content distribution. Users spend an average of four to five hours a day on their smartphones, which creates extreme pressure on attention and leads to feelings of information overload and subsequent cynicism or complete disconnection from news for some of the population.
A large part of the analysis is devoted to the role of artificial intelligence and new content creators. Researchers examined how people use AI chatbots to search for current information and what impact this has on traditional journalism. An interesting finding is the behavior in South Korea, where the relatively highest proportion of users (8%) state that they click back to the original source of information from chatbot-generated answers. In parallel, the influence of independent news creators is growing, significantly impacting political discourses worldwide and changing the face of video news, which dominates particularly in markets such as Thailand, Indonesia, or Peru.
Trust in media remains at critically low levels in many countries. For example, in the United States, only a quarter (25%) of respondents expressed trust in news. The report also points to increasing polarization in countries such as Malaysia, Mexico, and Nigeria, where users prefer sources that confirm their own opinions. According to Reuters Institute Director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, the study also focuses on how people perceive impartiality and what importance they attribute to public service media in the digital age.
“The data shows greater volatility, reflecting a heightened sense of uncertainty. We see a range of reactions: anxiety, detachment and cynicism, but also an openness to new sources and formats.”
Despite negative trends, the report's authors emphasize that a portion of the audience retains faith in the benefits of quality news. The 2026 research covers key markets across all continents, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and offers a comprehensive view of how the relationship between publishers and their audience is changing in an environment dominated by technological platforms.