Reuters has just published its latest Digital News Report which analyses how people access news media in different countries. INA offers a synthesis in French.
Every year the Reuters Institute and Oxford University publish a report based on a survey for which this year they polled nearly 100,000 people across 48 countries. For the first time it appears that “there is a huge increase in the use of generative AI as a source of news” and that a “majority of people get their news outside the TV-owned web-sites and apps.”
On this last point, the findings are striking: 54% of users get their news at least once a week via platforms and their algorithms, compared to 51% via traditional media (websites and apps). The report notes a significant generational gap, with 43% of those under 35 getting their news via social media and 15% via traditional media. For those over 35, these figures drop to 30% and 25% respectively.
Across the 48 countries polled, an increase in the use of AI chatbots for news gathering was observed. Nearly 10% of the public uses chatbots at least once a week, representing an annual increase of 3 percentage points. Their use has notably doubled in Greece (12%) and Spain (8%). There is also a generational gap, with 17% of users under 25 compared to 5% of those 55 and over.
The report also indicates that the practice of actively avoiding news (turning off notifications, ignoring certain topics, etc.) “reached a global record of 42% in 2026, compared to 29% in 2017.” INA specifies that this “rate peaks at over 60% in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, and Turkey.” France is below the average with 37%.
The report also notes that trust in broadcasting is weakening. “In countries with strong public broadcasting, public service media remain generally appreciated, showing on average a positive net popularity score. But,” INA emphasises, “this consensus is fracturing under the effect of political polarisation: France, Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia and Italy show negative net scores,”.
For more details, the report is available on line on the link.
Sources : Reuters Institute, INA
