Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Digital News Report 2026 Read the full report
People are reading, watching, and following news in more places than ever. The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2026 surveyed 97,520 people across 48 markets and found a milestone: for the first time, social media and video platforms (54%) edged past news organizations’ own websites and apps (51%) as the most common way people get their news.
For brands, that means more surface area. The audiences you want to reach already spend time on these platforms, sometimes more time than they ever spent on a news homepage.
Where Attention Lives Now
Facebook is back as the biggest platform for news, used by 43% of respondents this year, after several years of decline.
Instagram has become the top news platform for 18- to 24-year-olds, reaching 42% of that age group, while TikTok, whose overall usage has grown from 15% to 37% of people worldwide since 2021, is now used for news by 20% globally.
YouTube plays a different role. It’s the platform people go to on purpose, not the one where news simply shows up in a feed.
Each platform gives brands a distinct way in:
- Directed viewing on YouTube
- Discovery on Instagram and TikTok
- Reach on Facebook
Growth is also picking up with AI chatbots, a small but fast-growing source of news, especially for people under 35. Weekly use climbed from 7% to 10% globally, and 16% of under-35s now use a chatbot for news.
When users do click through, they click through often: 42% of chatbot users say they “always” or “often” follow a chatbot answer back to the original outlet, a rate close to search (44%) and ahead of social media (36%). That’s real headroom for earned media to travel beyond the platform where it started.
Key Takeaway: A placement in a credible outlet still carries authority well beyond its original page. Brands that package a story for search, social, and AI alike get more mileage out of every placement.
News Still Carries Credibility
Even as algorithms increasingly favor biased content, audiences haven’t lost their appetite for balanced coverage. Nearly half, 45%, say they prefer news without a stated point of view. That is more than double the 20% who prefer news that reinforces their existing beliefs.
The data also debunks a long-held assumption that younger audiences opt out of news. In reality, they’re opting into new formats to consume news: 52% of 18- to 24-year-olds now name social media, video platforms, or AI chatbots as their main news source, 32 points ahead of the next most popular source.
For brands trying to reach the next generation of customers, that’s a wide-open, highly active channel, particularly on Instagram and TikTok.
Key Takeaway: This is good news for brands. Credible, evenhanded coverage still resonates, and the growing number of platforms carrying news offers new opportunities to connect with audiences.
What This Means for Your Public Relations Strategy
Media relations still matters, maybe more than ever.
It’s how a story earns its authority in the first place. The opportunity now is making sure that authority travels: built for the platforms where your prospective clients already spend their attention, not left waiting on a webpage. A press hit is just the starting point now, and that’s an exciting opportunity.
Winning attention today means treating press hit as source material for multiple formats: a blog synopsis, a video caption, a stat built for a social graphic, a version tight enough to survive an AI summary. One good story, reformatted well, can reach audiences on five or six platforms instead of one.
The real question worth asking: where does your brand’s story reach people today, and where could it reach even more of them?
Working with O&G means gaining a true partner invested in your long-term success. We can help improve your digital presence so custoners can find you, trust you, and choose you.
If you’d like a free digital snapshot of your brand’s story, contact us today.