News fragmentation a challenge for old mastheads

Established publishers face audience erosion as younger demographics shift toward social platforms and niche creators.

David Kennedy · Venture Insights21 June 2024Period: 20244 min read

25%↑

Australians citing social media as main news source (2024)

75%↑

Australians concerned about online misinformation (2024)

Locked

Companies covered:

Abstract

This report analyses the shifting landscape of news consumption in Australia based on the University of Canberra’s Digital News Report. It highlights a significant rise in news fragmentation, with 25% of Australians now citing social media as their main news source, up from 18% in 2016. The brief explores the diverging definitions of 'trust' across generations and the resulting challenges for traditional mastheads as they compete with social platforms and independent creators for audience attention and advertising revenue.

Key Takeaways

Trust in mainstream news is declining, with an 8 percentage point increase in Australians who distrust most news since 2016.
Social media has become the primary news source for 25% of Australians, rising from 18% over the last eight years.
Misinformation concerns are high at 75%, significantly exceeding the global average of 54%.

Create a free account to keep reading

stakeholder implications · PDF download

Frequently Asked Questions

Social media is now the primary news source for 25% of Australians, up from 18% in 2016. This eight-year upward trend indicates a structural move away from traditional broadcast and print gateways toward platform-mediated discovery.

Public skepticism is intensifying, evidenced by an 8 percentage point increase in Australians who distrust most news since 2016. While 81% of respondents still value high journalistic standards, the definition of credibility is bifurcating along generational lines.

Anxiety regarding online misinformation is exceptionally high at 75%, which is 21 percentage points higher than the global average of 54%. This heightened concern makes transparency a critical requirement for 80% of news consumers.

Mainstream news usage on X has declined to 49%, while news sourced from 'ordinary people' has risen to 47%. This near-parity suggests that independent creators are successfully challenging the authority of established mastheads in digital environments.

News fragmentation a challenge for old mastheads

Abstract

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

Unlock the full report

Free

Lite

Team