Changing definitions of news in a digital environment: How the public defines news across six countries
In recent years, the ways in which people encounter and consume news have become increasingly diverse (Newman et al. 2025; Schneiders 2024). Sources once synonymous with news, like print and TV, are losing engagement and their dominance over the public agenda, as audiences, especially younger ones, are turning more and more to digital platforms to stay informed (Egan et al. 2026). Social and video networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok now make up a significant share of global news consumption, while newer formats such as vertical video and podcasts are gaining ground.
Related Knowledge Center: Inside the newsroom
As newsrooms struggle with rickety business models and precarious finances — as well as new technologies — they are deploying an array of editorial responses.
The Times and its critics | Washington Post mortem
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.