How people consume news and information no longer follows a clear pattern. Professional news organizations still produce much of the original reporting that informs the public, but audiences now encounter that information through an increasingly complex mix of platforms, creators, and intermediaries. News organizations, editors, and journalists no longer fully control how information reaches the public, as social platforms, independent creators, and traditional outlets now operate alongside one another. Audiences move across several sources and platforms each day, creating a more fragmented and layered news ecosystem. 

Understanding how different generations navigate this ecosystem has become increasingly important for media organizations. Media Insight Project’s (MIP) latest report examines how consumers access news and information across five age groups, from teens to adults over 65. The findings describe a shared news environment where people use many of the same platforms but enter and move through them differently. 

Across the population, news consumption spans several platforms each day. Nearly half of Americans get news from television or streaming daily, while 41% use digital news sites and 37% use social media. Within these patterns, however, there are clear generational differences. Fifty-seven percent of teens get news from social media daily, while that share declines across older groups. 

Television follows the opposite pattern. Among adults age 65 and older, 74% get news from television each day, with use increasing steadily across age groups. Adults ages 35 to 64 tend to use a mix of platforms rather than relying on one. At the same time, about half of Americans never use newspapers or podcasts for news, and two thirds never use AI tools. 

Topic engagement reflects generational priorities 

Differences in platform use align with differences in topic engagement. Americans follow an average of four topics, though 20% say they do not follow any consistently. National politics ranks highest, with 50% following it, followed by local politics, weather, and crime at about 40%. Engagement with hard news topics increases steadily with age, while younger audiences show stronger interest in lifestyle and entertainment content. 

Differences in platform use also connect closely to topic interest and trust. Among teens, 48% qualify as avid consumers of lifestyle topics, while 81% get news from creators at least sometimes. In contrast, older adults show stronger engagement with politics and public affairs. About 35% of adults age 65 and older qualify as avid consumers of hard news topics, and 74% get news from television daily. 

These behaviors also align with broader trust patterns. Local news ranks highest in usefulness and trust across age groups, even as audiences reach it through different pathways. Younger audiences are more likely to encounter local information through creators and social platforms, while older audiences rely more directly on local outlets. Together, the findings describe a news environment shaped less by replacement than by layering. New forms of discovery continue to grow alongside older habits rather than fully displacing them. 

Creators play a growing role in news discovery 

The role of influencers and independent creators extends across all age groups, though use declines with age. Overall, 57% of Americans get news from creators at least sometimes. That share reaches 81% among teens and remains above half for most adult groups. 

Creators serve multiple roles across topics. About 44% of Americans use them for national news, 41% for entertainment, and 38% for health information. They also appear in local news use, with 35% of Americans getting local news from creators or influencers. 

Trust is differentiated, not uniform 

Trust in news information remains limited overall, but it varies by source and audience. Fewer than half of Americans express strong confidence in any type of news. Local news ranks highest, followed by national outlets, independent creators, and AI tools. 

Views on misinformation follow a similar structure. About 66% assign responsibility to politicians, while 55% point to social media companies and 54% to users. Only 35% assign the same level of responsibility to local news, compared with 43% for independent creators. 

A layered and evolving information landscape 

AI tools remain limited in both use and trust. Two thirds of Americans say they never use AI for news. And only about 10% view AI as more trustworthy than other sources. 

MIP’s findings illustrate a news environment shaped by accumulation rather than replacement. Audiences rely on a mix of traditional and emerging sources, with different balances across age groups. Rather than replacing older habits, new platforms and creators continue to layer onto existing behaviors, creating multiple pathways through the same information ecosystem.