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Articles by: "Suzanne S. LaPierre – Independent Media Reporter"

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Industry-Research

It’s time to recognize and change the media’s costly Africa bias

Even when unintentional, media bias can do measurable economic harm to entire nations, new research indicates. The economies of African countries are negatively impacted by media bias to the tune of 4.2 billion U.S. dollars in inflated interest payments annually, according to The Cost of Media Stereotypes to Africa. The study by Africa No Filter and Africa Practice reveals that by reinforcing negative stereotypes, ignoring positive stories, and misrepresenting African issues through ethnocentrism, media bias could be costing Africa billions per year in high borrowing costs.

In the financial world, negative media coverage heightens perceived risk, which impacts investor sentiment and sovereign bond yields. The research findings indicate that news coverage of African elections focuses disproportionately on negative issues such as violence and election fraud when compared to non-African countries with similar risk profiles. For example, the term “violence” was found to be highly associated with Africa in media headlines – especially in election coverage – even when the content of the article didn’t warrant it. Western media also tends to perpetuate misunderstandings and oversimplifications, such as referring to Africa as a monolith, neglecting to convey the complexities of individual African countries and events.

Global Africa media bias revealed

The study included a comparison of news coverage from seven global media giants: Al Jazeera, the BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Financial Time, Reuters, and The Economist, all of which are commonly used by foreign investors to keep abreast of international economic and political news. The material covering African countries was compared to that of non-African countries with similar risk profiles.

Negative sentiment in global media reports was found to be more prevalent in articles about African countries during elections when contrasted with comparable Asian countries during elections, even among countries with similar political risk scores.

  • An astonishing 88% of content about Kenya and 69% about Nigeria demonstrated negative bias, compared with 48% of content on Malasia, which has a similar medium risk profile.
  • Egypt’s coverage was more than twice as likely to be negative (66%) than Thailand’s (32%), even though both countries are classified as high-risk.

Overall negative bias was still present but reduced when a greater variety of media outlets were added to the equation, highlighting the importance of a diverse media landscape.

Election headlines and buzz words

Media headlines pertaining to African elections were often found to contain negative words, even when the text of the article didn’t align with the negativity of the headline, clearly demonstrating an Africa bias. The word “violence” or “violent” appeared much more often in headlines about Kenyan elections (5.8%), and Nigerian elections (4.4%) than in coverage of elections in Malaysia (.1%), Thailand (0%) and Denmark (0%).

The report found a significant increase in negative bias when covering elections in African countries, compared to elections in non-African countries with similar political risk profiles. For example:

  • Use of the word “rigged”, or “rigging” appeared in 16% of the articles about Kenyan elections, but in 2% of those about Malaysia and 0% of those about Denmark.
  • The word “corruption” or “corrupt” was found in 43% of the articles about South African elections and 28% of the articles covering Nigerian elections, compared with only 2% of those about Denmark’s elections and 20% about Thailand’s elections.

News around election periods was analyzed because that content is most likely to be covered by global media outlets.

The financial cost of media bias

Media representation impacts investor sentiment and perceptions of risk, influencing investment decisions and borrower interest rates.  Comparing differences in bond yields and media representation between countries with similar political risk profiles reveals the disadvantage that negative media slant confers upon African countries. For example, while both Egypt and Thailand are considered high-risk, Egypt’s bond yields tend to be around 15% compared with Thailand’s 2.5%. The difference translates into significantly higher repayment costs.

Bond yields were disproportionately high even for low-risk African countries compared to their non-African counterparts. For example, South Africa and Denmark both rank as low in political risk, yet South Africa’s average quarterly bond yields range between 8.3% and 8.5% while Denmark’s range from 0.5% to negative 0.2%. Report authors calculate that if the difference in negative media sentiment was adjusted, South African bond yields would decrease by 0.05 %, resulting in big savings on interest repayments for the country.

The media can improve it’s Africa coverage

The New Global Media Index for Africa, produced by Africa No Filter, The Africa Center, and University of Cape Town, investigated a thousand news articles from twenty leading global media outlets. The researchers found that many of shortcomings noted in the report can be mitigated by acting on the following goals:

  • Broader Representation: Interview more diverse sources, including ordinary African citizens, women, and people from marginalized groups. Current coverage focuses on powerful men and elites.
  • Geographic Scope: Encompass a wider range of African countries. Many organizations treat the African continent as a monolith, hindering understanding of individual countries and narratives.
  • Topic Diversity: Provide greater balance by covering the arts, culture, innovation, technology, and positive development.
  • Depth of coverage: Delve deeper into narratives to better inform audiences about Africa’s complexities.
  • Critical Self-Examination: Regularly assess news practices and content to foster more accurate and nuanced coverage of African countries.

How to improve election coverage

Due to heightened news bias around elections, Africa No Filter released How to Write About an African Election: A Guide. The guide encourages media organizations to engage in more complex and nuanced coverage around elections by exploring unique angles, including stories of human interest and grassroots mobilization. Key take-aways:

  • Move away from the old “war room” approach to election coverage, which relies too heavily on official announcements and pre-scheduled events. Instead, notice stories of civic activity, peaceful government transitions, and democratic advancements.
  • Practice solutions journalism by highlighting positive initiatives, innovations, and successes.
  • Engage with the youth. Africa has the youngest population in the world. 78% of new voter registrations in South Africa are people aged 16 to 29, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), debunking the idea that young people are disengaged from politics. The guide suggests amplifying the voices of young citizens, as well as engaging them with platforms and formats they prefer.

The takeaway

The good news is that coverage of African countries has improved over the past 20 years, according to The Cost of Media Stereotypes to Africa, trending towards more positive tone and content. However, global media still tend to emphasize articles about poverty, problematic leadership, disease, corruption, and conflicts when reporting on events in African countries.

Considering the new data, it’s critical for media leaders to raise awareness of the tendency toward negative bias when it comes to coverage of African countries. In addition to the impact on bond yields, it is likely that negative press also has an impact on African tourism, development funding, foreign direct investment, and other potential revenue.

Industry-Research | Policy

Government control of media on the rise globally

Government control of media outlets around the world is on the rise, according to the State Media Monitor 2024 report. The portion of editorially independent media among all state-controlled and public media around the globe dropped from 20% in 2021 to 16% in 2024. According to the data, only 96 of the state and public media outlets included in the study can be defined as editorially autonomous – decreasing from 93 the previous year. The decline is especially significant considering the 2024 analysis included 13 countries added since the prior year’s analysis: Cape Verde, Mali, Sierra Leone, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Andorra, Kyrgyzstan, and Maldives.

Over 84% of the 601 state-administered media entities in 107 countries studied by State Media Monitor showed a lack of editorial independence. This represents a 1% increase from the previous year, highlighting the persistence of state control over media.

State Media Monitor defines state-controlled media as media outlets “that are wholly owned and operated by the government, which has a big say in their editorial agenda.” On the opposite end of the scale, Independent public media are defined as public service media whose funding and governing mechanisms are designed to insulate them from government interference. In between those extremes are media outlets operating under various levels of government influence, ranging from independent state funded or managed media to captured public or private media outlets.

The analysis indicates many countries are competing for control of the global news ecosystem. The US, the UK, France, China, Russia, and Turkey, are expanding media empires beyond their own borders, vying for international news dominance. Some countries such as China are funding or otherwise supporting news media outlets beyond their borders, making their overall influence difficult to trace and measure.

Key findings of the State Media Monitor report

State-controlled media grows

About 65% of monitored outlets fall under the state-controlled model, where the government directly influences editorial agendas.

In 2024, 31 outlets in Europe operate under complete state control, an increase from 24 in the prior year.

Independent media declines

The percentage of privately owned media outlets captured by the government increased in 2024 for Europe (19%) and Middle East and North Africa (14%).
Public broadcasting in Slovakia, Thailand, South Korea, and several regions in Spain have lost editorial independence.

Political influence

Right-wing political groups in Europe, including those in Austria and the UK, pose ongoing threats to independent media. Meanwhile, media outlets in countries such as Thailand and South Korea operate under significant government censorship.

State-run media in authoritarian regimes such as those in China and Russia are extending operations internationally, significantly influencing global narratives.

Political power and media in 2024

Elections were held in more than 50 nations in 2024, heating up competition for control of the political narrative. State Media Monitor reports that less than a quarter of countries which held elections in 2024 have independent state and public media with editorial freedom, substantially risking the integrity of election processes. Several global conflicts and wars intensified government involvement in media and fueled vying propaganda narratives. Private businesses and political actors also compete for media sway.

Troublingly, public service media is declining around the global. Europe, which typically boasts a plethora of independent outlets, is facing growing pressure from political parties aiming to undermine public service media. European state-controlled media outlets are on the rise, with private media outlets in Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey falling under significant government control. Meanwhile, no purely independent public media outlets were identified in Eurasia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), or Oceania.

State and public media under state control in 2024

The percentage of media outlets under absolute government control compared to the total number of state and public media outlets overall in the region were reported as follows.

  • Europe – 26%, an increase from 21% in 2023
  • Eurasia – 83%, an increase from 80% in 2023
  • Sub-Sahara Africa – 86%, a decrease from 87% in 2023
  • Middle East and North Africa – 62%, an increase from 60% in 2023
  • Asia – 74% – a decrease from 75% in 2023
  • Latin America and the Caribbean – 77%, the same as 2023
  • North American held steady at 0%, the same as 2023.

Consequences of state-owned media dominance

There is no getting around the dire consequences posed by government domination of media. The increase in government control indicated in the State Media Monitor report jeopardizes journalistic integrity, the objectivity of news reporting, and diversity in the media landscape. An increase in state-controlled media elevates dangerous propaganda throughout the world.

However, there are a few bright spots. The newly elected government in Poland released publisher Polska Press from state control. The Dominican Republic’s Corporación State de Radio y Televisión (CERTV) has also demonstrated significant improvement in independent editorial coverage over the past year. The Labour Party victory in the UK bodes well for the BBC. These changes suggest that shifts in political leadership can positively impact media independence.

It remains critical that independent media outlets help raise awareness of the need to protect news and information from government control. Media organizations can help advocate for reforms and protections for independent journalism. Safeguarding a diverse information landscape that fosters robust democratic discourse should be a priority for news organizations and a concerned public.

Industry-Research

As the election nears, news concerns intensify

As the US presidential election nears, the latest research continues to raise alarms about the state of the news landscape, both in the US and globally. Among recent findings: Meta may be less effective at curtailing misinformation than previously reported; adults increasingly rely on social media platforms for news; and international experts warn that politicians and social media platform owners are among the greatest amplifiers of misinformation. However, the same studies indicate proactive steps to promote a healthier news environment.

Debunking social media’s mitigation of misinformation

New academic research rebuts previous data suggesting that Meta’s algorithms were effective in limiting misinformation around the last US presidential election. In Social media algorithms can curb misinformation, but do they? scholars from University of Massachusetts Amherst, Indiana University, and University College Dublin reveal that prior research published in Science was conducted during a brief period when Meta had emergency measures in place to quell a dangerous surge of political misinformation. The new research indicates that much of the decrease in untrustworthy news content reported in the prior study was due to temporary “break glass” measures. These were short-lived and have since been lifted.

Authors of the report cite lack of transparency around social media algorithms as a key problem. Companies can potentially change their algorithms during the time they are being studied to improve appearances, and later remove those changes. This appears to have been the case during the previous study. New data shows that the bump in user exposure to news from trustworthy sources only lasted from November 3, 2020, to March 8, 2021- the dates covered by the prior study.

A silver lining: data shows adjustments to news feed algorithms are capable of curbing misinformation – if social media platform owners are incentivized to employ them and keep them in place. “There is a need for independent research of social media platforms and consistent, transparent disclosures about major changes to their algorithm,” the authors report.

More people get news from social media

The recent academic findings are especially concerning because other new surveys show the public relying increasingly on social media for news content. According to Morning Consult’s study, which is based on interviews with 2,2000 US adults:

  • Almost 2 out of 5 adults consume news from social media multiple times a day.
  • Gen Z cites social media as their most trusted news source.
  • Social media news influencers are now among the top three news source for young people- although their credibility is scant compared to traditional news outlets.
  • The percentage of TikTok users who rely on the app for news jumped from less than a third in July 2022 to over half in July 2024.
  • Over half of the users of X and Facebook, and almost half of YouTube users reported using those apps for news when surveyed in July 2024.

The report finds that people’s increasing reliance on social media for news coincides with an unwillingness of the public to pay for more traditional news sources. This change is evolving quickly.  Only 16% of Americans currently pay for news content, and 39% of those say they plan to cancel their subscriptions within the upcoming quarter.

However, the same study finds most American adults believe that misinformation is on the rise and are concerned about it. While that may not seem reassuring, admitting the problem is a vital first step. This awareness gives news leaders a chance to appeal to consumers who are searching for more reliable content.

A global crisis of misinformation

The US is far from alone in combating misinformation, political or otherwise. International experts recognize it as a global crisis. In fact, 412 researchers from 66 countries cited social media platform owners as the largest threats to the information environment, followed by governments and politicians, according to the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE)’s survey.

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram, Reddit, 4chan, and X- were platforms that raised concern among experts, along with generative AI and internet search engines. Journalists and news organizations ranked of least concern as spreaders of misinformation.

What can be done to promote a healthier news ecosystem? Three factors were most cited by experts around the world:

  • Availability of accurate information (65%)
  • Diversity of voices (42%)
  • Diversity of media ownership (33%)

‍Two thirds (63%) of the experts surveyed in 2024 expect the information environment to worsen in the future, an increase from just over half (54%) in the previous year’s survey. International researchers agree that access to accurate information, including support of free and independent media, is critical for a healthy global news environment.

Burnout threatens journalists, and the news

The fraught news ecosystem is taking a toll on journalists, causing them to rethink their career paths. Over half of journalists considered resigning due to stress and burnout over the past year, according to a recent survey by Muck Rack. 40% of journalists have left a previous job due to stress or burnout, indicating that these feelings often do translate to action.

Retention of experienced staff is important to the stability and credibility of news media. High turnover jeopardizes the ability of news organizations to provide uninterrupted quality content to the public, which is especially crucial around a contentious presidential election.

A heightening sense of urgency around 24-7 cable news coverage combined with doomscrolling on social media, impacts the mental health of many Americans. This in turn poses further danger to journalists. While journalism has always involved an element of risk, increasing attacks are causing some schools of journalism to include how to remain safe in the midst of conflict as part of their lesson plans.

Proactive steps media organizations can take

The state of news in a rapidly changing technology landscape doesn’t lend itself to easy solutions. However, a few paths in the right direction are indicated by the above research.

Requiring greater transparency from social media giants is a key step in enabling accurate research into the algorithmic changes that can increase exposure to more reliable news and curtail disinformation. “Laws such as the Digital Services Act in the European Union and the proposed Platform Accountability and Transparency Act in the U.S…  could empower researchers to conduct independent audits of social media platforms and better understand the potentially serious effects of ever-changing social media algorithms on the public,” academic researchers assert. While some companies might eschew the push for more transparency, research produced by academia can also provide insights that platforms may utilize for their benefit.

News media leadership can help support a healthier environment by making employees aware of available of mental health resources, expressing support for those who need help, and by putting policies in place to minimize interruptions during staff vacation and off hours.

Digital access is a critical issue worldwide, especially in developing countries, but many digital platforms facilitate the spread of misinformation. Global experts agree it’s important that news remain free from government or political control, because politicians can be among the greatest amplifiers of disinformation. The public’s growing concern about the spread misinformation presents opportunity for reputable news organizations to promote the accuracy and quality of their content – and to encourage support for the free press.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Industry-Research

Gaps in employee satisfaction with remote work options

Today’s employees are focused on more than just a steady paycheck. To improve their work-life balance, many media professionals seek flexibility when it comes to hours and work shifts – including the option of four-day workweeks, hybrid shifts, and remote work. In fact, research finds that 42% of office workers would take a 10% pay cut to have the flexibility to work from home. But flexibility is not necessarily a fully-remote work schedule.

New research that looks at the preferences of advertising industry professionals finds that they prefer hybrid work over fully remote or fully on-site scenarios. This stated preference spans demographics, tenure levels, and company size.

However, more would prefer to work completely from outside the office than are currently doing so, and there is a greater gap between current and preferred work scenarios among mid-career professionals, employees of local/regional media agencies, and those who identify as Black, Latino, and/or LGBTQ+. These preferences are revealed in the Myers Report 2024 Survey of Advertising Industry Professionals, based on a recent survey of 3,462 advertising professionals. The gap between current and preferred work scenarios offers insight to media leaders interested in attracting and retaining diverse talent.

Currently, most advertising professionals are engaged in hybrid work:

  • 74% work in hybrid situations.
  • 25% work entirely remotely.
  • 1% of survey respondents work fully on-site.

Of the 25% who work fully remotely, a third are older professionals, 55 and up, whereas only one fifth of younger employees18 to 34 do. More than a third of all employees surveyed would prefer fully remote work.

  • 64% prefer hybrid work.
  • 34% prefer fully remote work.

The survey found small companies with 1-99 employees more likely to offer fully remote work as an option. Currently, 31% of those employed by small companies work entirely from outside the office, compared with just over 20% of employees at companies with 100-999 employees, and about 24% of those at companies with 20K+ employees. The discrepancy between employees who would prefer to work remotely and those currently doing so was lowest among the smallest companies.

Mind the gap!

Currently only 20% of Black advertising professionals work fully remotely. However, almost twice that amount (39%) would prefer to do so. There are also more Latino (37%) and LGBTQ+ (35%) employees who would prefer to work fully remotely as an ideal scenario. These findings are relevant to leaders responsible for DEI and HR, both as indicative of the need to cultivate more inclusive and supportive work environments, and as keys towards developing and maintaining a diverse workforce.

Mid-career professionals with 8-14 years in the industry are also more likely to prefer fully remote work (39%) than new employees or those with over 15 years of experience. Under 30% of employees with two or less years of experience prefer remote work, suggesting that early career professionals may look to on-site collaboration and interaction to improve their career trajectory, while more established professionals are seeking work-life balance. 

Another significant gap appears among employees of local/regional media agencies, where fewer than 20% work fully remotely but over 40% would like to do so. This is an area for improvement when it comes to maximizing employee satisfaction and reducing turnover. In contrast, the alignment between actual and ideal work scenarios among advertisers and brand marketers is more even, with about 30% currently working remotely and about 35% stating that preference.

While there is a slightly higher preference for fully remote work among those aged 55 and up (37%), it is not dramatically different from the preference among the youngest group surveyed, people 18 to 34 (33%). Thus, the gap based on career experience is more significant than that based solely on age.

Set up for success

Based on the survey data, the report authors recommend investing in remote work infrastructure to strengthen workplace culture and improve worker engagement and effectiveness.

  • Bolster communication tools and collaboration platforms.
  • Facilitate team building activities.
  • Train managers on leading remote teams.
  • Draft clear remote work policy.

The report also recommends implementing more flexible work options. Although most advertising professionals of all demographics value the flexibility of working outside the office combined with the benefits of in-person collaboration, awareness of gaps in satisfaction levels can help employers stay competitive by maximizing healthy work environments. Recommendations include:

  • Conduct periodic surveys to assess staff satisfaction with current working arrangements.
  • Enable more remote and hybrid work options based on employee preferences.
  • Consider expanding remote work options for mid-career professionals to retain experienced talent.

Although there are more similarities than differences among worker preferences, even minor discrepancies can point to areas for improvement and help industry leaders maximize staff fulfillment and effectiveness.

Industry-Research

Live streaming audiences are up with new players participating

Fans are spreading their time among an ever-widening variety of platforms and channels when live-streaming video, according to data from the Live Streaming Trends Report. This indicates that, far from being married to favorite platforms, games, or creators, consumers are willing to shop around for fresh content and great experiences. The report compiled by Stream Hatchet finds live streaming viewership up 10% overall in the past year. Twitch still leads as a platform but dropped from 70% to 60% of the market share during the past year.

The report finds that an increasingly diverse array of creators is capturing attention. While the top 5% of creators were responsible for 86% of streaming hours watched for the quarter, that represents a drop from 98% five years ago. This points to opportunity for media leaders to partner with creators or develop their own.

Politics lured viewers, helping push Rumble into the top ten platforms in hours watched for the quarter, surpassing Facebook Live. Based in Toronto and drawing most of its audience from political coverage with uncensored discussion, Rumble’s viewership benefited from content surrounding the U. S. presidential debate. During the debate week, Rumble’s total viewership peaked at 10.7 million hours, with almost a third of those hours coming from streams with keywords related to U.S. candidates and politics. Rumble surpassed Facebook Live by over 40M hours in its first full quarter, becoming the 7th most-watched platform.

In an interesting move, the Democratic National Convention just announced that it would be streaming on a number of non-traditional platforms including social standouts TikTok and Instagram but also on Amazon’s Twitch as well as Prime and YouTube.

Variety of platforms widens

Twitch still holds more than half of the market share (60.3 %), but YouTube Gaming increased its share to almost one quarter of the market (23.4%). Other strong platforms include Kick, which increased its viewership by 163%, now in third place with 5.5% of the market. AfreecaTV came in fourth. Meanwhile, Facebook Live dropped out of the top five.

The market showed opportunity for new platforms. The new South Korean platform Chzzk came in at fourth place, winning 2.1% of the market.  Rumble became the 7th most-watched platform. Bigo Live, offering options like virtual live with 3D avatars, also had a strong debut, reaching 9th place.

Diversity of creators grows

Just as fans tuned into a wider variety of platforms, they also chose to watch a more diverse range of creators. During the past five years, the share of viewership held by the top live streaming channels decreased, boosting opportunity for emerging creators. While the top 0.01% of channels held 45% of the audience five years ago, that percentage fell to 33% by the second quarter of 2024- a12% decrease. A few takeaways stood out.

  • Male live streamers still dominate the market, with American KaiCenat taking the number one spot of the quarter with 43.8 million hours. His 78% increase in viewership this quarter was buoyed in part by the popularity of Elden Ring.
  • Most of the top female live streamers (7 out of 10) engage primarily in Just Chatting rather than gaming.
  • Some Vtubers (virtual YouTubers using avatars) showed an impressive jump in popularity. Kuzuha Channel, run by a male Japanese streamer, increased viewership by 27%, taking the #1 spot among Vtubers. Japanese creator Aqua Ch. 湊あくあ and Korean 고세구!, both female, surged 392% and 202% respectively for the quarter, achieving sixth and seventh place.

Top games and genres

The second quarter of 2024 found downloadable content (DLC) dominating new game releases. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was by far the most successful new release, reaping 81.2 million hours watched across all platforms in its first 30 days. Destiny 2: The Final Shape was a distant second, with 24.8 million hours. Those two titles combined garnered 55% of the top ten new games’ viewership in their first month.

Across all platforms, a few top games captured the lion’s share of viewing hours. Grand Theft Auto V and League of Legends lead the pack. Combined, these two games accounted for almost 950 million hours watched for the quarter, although they dropped in overall percentage of hours watched.

The action genre soared 30% higher over the past year thanks in large part to Elden Ring, which accounted for 24% of the action genre audience. The survival game Rust rose 150% in viewership, also boosting this category. Driving and Racing games were up 13%. While first person shooter games still topped hours watched at 1.2 billion for the quarter, that number represents a 4% drop since the previous year. Likewise, the action-adventure genre’s viewership declined 24% due to lack of new releases.

Looking forward

The live video game streaming market is important to the popularity of streaming platforms, game publishers, media, and creators. The latest data demonstrate the industry’s resilience after a post-pandemic slump. Media leaders should continue to keep a close eye on up-and-coming creators and platforms as well as the overall consumption trends of younger audiences.

Industry-Research

Trust in news varies by source and demographics

New studies confirm that Americans’ trust in news media continues to stagnate, in some cases declining to troubling levels. However, trust is not level across demographics. Differences such as age and political affiliation significantly affect trust in the news media. As the industry grapples with this problem, it is helpful to understand which news media sources more Americans trust – and why. 

A new Gallup poll finds Americans’ trust in newspapers and television news remaining near record lows, while average confidence in U.S. institutions overall lingers around 28%. This marks the third consecutive year that confidence in U.S. institutions – which includes news sources as well as Congress, the criminal justice system, banks, and big business – has fallen below 30%. The police were the only organization to gain confidence, rising to a 51% approval rate.

  • Almost half (48%) of U.S. adults report “very little” or no confidence in newspapers. About the same percentage (49%) have at least some confidence in newspapers, with 18% reporting “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence.
  • The majority of U.S. adults (56%) report “very little” or no confidence in television news. 44% have at least some confidence in television news. Only 12% reported “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence.

Partisan divide erodes trust

Americans are divided along party lines when it comes to trust in many U.S. institutions, including news organizations. Democrats reported more confidence than Republicans in 10 institutions, according to the Gallup data. These include newspapers and television news, higher education, organized labor, public schools, the criminal justice system, big technology companies, banks, the medical system, and the presidency. Republicans reported more confidence than Democrats in only three institutions: police, organized religion, and the Supreme Court. 

  • 35% of Democrats report “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspaper reporting, compared with only 7% of Republicans.
  • 22% of Democrats report “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in television news, compared to only 6% of Republicans.
  • Independents came in between, with 16% having “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of trust in newspapers, and 11% reporting that level of trust in televised news.

The greatest gaps between Democrats and Republicans showed in approval of the presidency, higher education, and organized labor. Newspapers were a close fourth, with a 28% partisan divide in approval levels.

Which sources gain more trust?

American audiences trust local television news and newspapers significantly more than major national news outlets. 62% of Americans surveyed say they trust local televised news and 58% trust their local newspaper. In contrast, fewer than half of Americans report trusting major news outlets such as CNN, Fox News, NPR and The Washington Post.

Only a third of Americans say they trust news in general. This is according to new analysis and graphics created by Harrison & Hunter Agency Partners, derived from data published in the 2024 Digital News Report by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. 

Second to local news on the trust scale, slightly over half of Americans surveyed (52%) reported trust in CBS, NBC, and BBC. Newspaper and radio news sources fared slightly worse. The New York Times was the only newspaper to hit the 50% mark in trust, with The Wall Street Journal falling just short at 49%, and The Washington Post at 46%. NPR was trusted by 47% of those surveyed, tied with USA Today. 

Bringing up the bottom of the trust list were Yahoo News (40%) and HuffPost (39%). However, it’s notable that these two media outlets also had the highest neutral ratings. Almost one third of survey respondents answered that they “neither trust nor distrust” these sources, which could indicate that consumers are simply less familiar with them. 

Meanwhile, Fox News and CNN garnered the highest amount of distrust, with 43% reporting they don’t trust Fox News, and 37% reporting they don’t trust CNN. Only 15% of survey respondents were neutral on those highly recognized media outlets. According to the original data in the 2024 Digital News Report, U.S. Democrats are more likely to view and trust a wide range of news sources, whereas Republicans are more likely to rely primarily on Fox News and NewsMax. 

Americans agree more on local news

Three out of four Americans believe news media “is making political polarization worse” according to a recent episode of PBS News Hour’s America at a Crossroads. The episode features Martha Minow of Harvard Law School, author of Saving the News. She explained that midcentury, there were only three major news networks, which benefited from pursuing wide appeal. Now, cable networks can afford to entice a narrower range of viewers with opinion-based news content. Despite stated preferences for objectivity, viewers are drawn to attention-getting material that reinforces their existing beliefs. Thus, the increased association between news and political polarization. “The lack of a shared reality is a crisis in America right now,” Minow remarks.

However, the Pew Research report Americans’ Changing Relationship With Local News finds the partisan divide much less pronounced when it comes to local news. 78% of Democrats trust their local news media to report accurately – and 66% of Republicans agree. Overall, 85% of U.S. adults agreed local news outlets are at least somewhat important to the welfare of their community.

Participants in the Pew Research study expressed these preferences:

  • More variety: Americans enjoy local news on a multitude of topics. About two out of three follow weather, crime, government affairs, traffic and transportation matters. Half say they tune into local news about arts and culture, economic issues, schools, and sports. 
  • More neutrality: A strong majority of adults surveyed (69%) said local journalists should remain neutral on the issues. This held true among all age groups. However, survey respondents aged 18-29 were more likely to approve of advocacy from local journalists (39%). 

While trust in news is a complex issue made more fraught by political polarization, it is worth noting what Americans like about local news. A variety of topics and “news you can use” may help balance partisan material and possibly curtail news avoidance. Whether or not consumer habits align with stated preferences, Americans are largely united in calling for more objectivity in news reporting.

Industry-Research

International public leery of GenAI use in news

The public has a knowledge gap around generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), especially when it comes to its use in news media, according to a recent study of residents in six countries. Younger people across countries are more likely to have used GenAI tools and be more comfortable and optimistic about the future of GenAI than older people. And a higher level of experience using Gen AI tools appears to correlate with more positive assessment of their utility and reliability. 

Over two thousand residents in each of six countries were surveyed for the May 2024 report What Does the Public in Six Countries Think of Generative AI in News? (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism). The countries surveyed were Argentina, Denmark, France, Japan, the UK and the USA.

Younger people more optimistic about GenAI

Overall, younger people had higher familiarity and comfort with GenAI tools. They were also more optimistic about future use and more comfortable with the use of GenAI tools in news media and journalism.

  • People aged 18-24 in all six countries were much more likely to have used GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, and to use them regularly, than older respondents. Averaging across countries, only 16% of respondents 55+ report using ChatGPT at least once, compared to 56% aged 18 to 24.
  • Respondents 18-24 are much more likely to expect GenAI to have a large impact on ordinary people in the next five years. Sixty percent of people 18-24 expect this, while only 40% of people 55+ do.
  • In five out of six countries surveyed, people aged 18-34 are more likely to expect GenAI tools to have a positive impact in their own lives and on society. However, Argentia residents aged 45+ broke rank, expressing more optimism about GenAI improving both their own lives and society at large than younger generations.
  • Many respondents believe GenAI will improve scientific research, healthcare, and transportation. However, they express much more pessimism about its impact on news and journalism and job security.
  • Younger people, while still skeptical, have more trust in responsible use of GenAI by many sectors. This tendency is especially pronounced in sectors viewed with greatest skepticism by the overall public – such as government, politicians, social media, search engines, and news media.
  • Across all six countries, people 18-24 are significantly more likely than average to say they are comfortable using news produced entirely or partly by AI.

People don’t regularly use GenAI tools

Even the youngest generation surveyed reports infrequent use of GenAI tools. However, if the correlation between young people using GenAI more and feeling more optimistic and trusting about it holds true on a broader scale, it’s likely that as more people become comfortable using GenAI tools regularly, there will be less trepidation surrounding it.

  • Between 20-30% of the online public across countries have not heard of any of the most popular AI tools.
  • While ChatGPT proved by far the most recognized GenAI tool, only 1% of respondents in Japan, 2% in France and the UK, and 7% in the U.S. say they use ChatGPT daily. Eighteen percent of the youngest age group report using ChatGPT weekly, compared to only 3% of those aged 55+.
  • Only 5% of people surveyed across the six countries report using GenAI to get the latest news.

It’s worth noting that the populations surveyed were in affluent countries with higher-than-average education and internet connectivity levels. Less affluent, free, and connected countries likely have even fewer people experienced with GenAI tools.  

The jury is out on public opinion of GenAI in news

A great deal of uncertainty prevails around GenAI use among all people, especially those with lower levels of formal education and less experience using GenAI tools. Across all six countries, over half (53%) of respondents answered “neither” or “don’t know” when asked whether GenAI will make their lives better or worse. Most, however, think it will make news and journalism worse.

When it comes to news, people are more comfortable with GenAI tools being used for backroom work such as editing and translation than they are with its use to create information (writing articles or creating images).

There is skepticism about whether humans are adequately vetting content produced using GenAI. Many believe that news produced using GenAI tools is less valuable.

  • Users have more comfort around GenAI use to produce news on “soft” topics such as fashion and sports, much less to produce “hard” news such as international affairs and political topics.
  • Thirty percent of U.S. and Argentina respondents trust news media to use GenAI responsibly. Only 12% in the UK and 18% in France agree. For comparison, over half of respondents in most of the countries trust healthcare professionals to use GenAI responsibility.
  • Most of the public believes it is very important to have humans “in the loop” overseeing GenAI use in newsrooms. Almost half surveyed do not believe that is happening. Across the six-country average, only a third believe human editors “always” or “often” check GenAI output for accuracy and quality.
  • A cross-country average of 41% say that news created mostly by AI will be “less worth paying for” and 19% “don’t know. 32% answered “about the same.”

Opportunities to lead

These findings present a rocky road for news leaders to traverse. However, they also offer also an opportunity to fill the knowledge gap with information that is educational and reassuring.

Research indicates that the international public overall values transparency in news media as a general practice, and blames news owners and leadership (rather than individual journalists) when it is lacking. However, some research shows users claim to want transparency around GenAI tools in news, but trust news less once they are made aware of its use.

The fact that the public at large is still wavering presents an opportunity for media leaders to get out in front on this issue. Creating policy and providing transparency around the use of GenAI tools in news and journalism is critical. News leaders especially need to educate the public about their standards for human oversight around content produced using GenAI tools.

Industry-Research | Innovation

Technology innovations drive 2024 media trends

New technologies will be critical to the media landscape in 2024, converging with trends towards immersive, personalized experiences and the increased impact of the creator economy, according to Arthur D. Little’s State of the Media Market 2024. The report is subtitled “Back to Balance: A Year of Prudent Economic Expectations,” reflecting the authors’ belief in the sector’s recovery and stabilization following a rocky 2023. Read on for a few takeaways from this extensive report.  

The media embraces new technologies

A persistent theme in the ADL report is the need to employ new technologies to improve operations, engage new audiences, and customize experiences.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) continue to transform the media landscape, helping to automate manual processes, personalize content and experiences, and enable data-driven decision-making to power industry growth. However, for all its utility and potential, AI is a powder keg of potentially explosive issues, as seen during the WGA strikes (which resulted in greater protections and compensation for writers). The ADL report maintains that early adopters will benefit from AI innovations, even as the regulatory and ethical landscape around AI continues to evolve.
  • VR and AR add dimension to immersive experiences for customers and will increasingly merge with other new technologies in the development of cutting-edge user experiences.
  • Cloud computing facilitates agility and reduces costs. Cloud gaming continues to expand globally, driven in part by immersive experience.
  • Big data and analytics should be wisely employed to discover customer preferences and behavior and inform industry decision-making.
  • Social media continues to be vital to the overall media industry, with huge capacity to engage audiences, build brand awareness, and boost content discovery. Platforms such as Twitch, Reddit, Discord, and TikTok are enticing content creators with AI tools that facilitate video and music editing, while also developing tools to label AI-generated content.

Audio is a big opportunity

Perhaps it’s a sign of multitasking culture, but the public’s appetite for music, podcasts, and audiobooks has remained robust and is forecast to remain strong.

  • Music streaming saw almost double-digit growth globally during the pandemic, and that growth is forecast to continue at a somewhat slower but still steady rate. The U.S. was the main driver, contributing about 40% of the growth in the global music streaming market in 2024. Spotify continues to dominate as a platform. Most streaming services increased consumer prices in 2023 but also expanded options such as audiobooks and podcasts.
  • Podcasts are still climbing in popularity and attracting advertisers. A significant portion of the public are tuning in to news podcasts, especially in the U.S. 19% of U.S. residents surveyed have tuned into a news podcast in the last month, compared to an average of 12% globally. Sweden is just behind the U.S. in news podcast use at 17%, with the UK lagging at only 8%, according to the ADL study.
  • Audiobooks continue in popularity overall and will benefit from a boom in education publishing (which is expected to achieve double-digit growth between 2020 to 2025), and in self-publishing. Spotify has moved into the audiobooks business, offering 15 free hours of audiobook listening to paid subscribers in the U.S., UK, and Australia.

Traditional news vs. the “creator” economy

Creator culture and the resulting creator economy have grown, and AI tools are making even it easier for individuals to create and edit content. Brands are recognizing the power of influencer marketing and giving creators more leeway to put forth fresh, albeit less polished, content.

A flipside of the enthusiasm for interactivity and user creation is declining interest in newsprint and linear television. Younger generations are driving this change. In the UK, only people aged 55 and older cited television as their primary source of news (42%). Those under age 45 showed a strong preference for online sites and apps as news sources, followed by social media. People under 25 relied on social media above all, with 41% of people in that age group citing it as their main source of news, according to the survey.

A concerning aspect of this trend is the lack of regulation, which makes misinformation much easier to launch and spread. Print news struggles to compete with free but often less reliable digital news platforms. Only a small minority of all age groups (ranging from 6% of people 55+ to 0% of those 45-54) in the ADL’s UK survey cited print as their primary source of news. Bundling and partnerships may be one path to combine more traditional linear media sources with more fluid and creator-friendly platforms.

Recommendations for media companies

In addition to the key theme of embracing and leveraging new technologies, the report’s authors offer a few more recommendations.

  • Forge strategic partnerships to reach new audiences, pool resources, and share expertise.
  • Balance user privacy with data-driven decision-making.
  • Invest in customer relationships, using new technologies to better understand and communicate with users and tailor content accordingly.
  • Deliver excellent content and experiences. There’s no substitute for outstanding content. Audiences seek high quality, engaging, unique experiences, so media leaders must invest in content that rises above that of competitors.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Industry-Research

Women’s athletics drives audience attention 

It has escaped no media executive’s notice that women’s sports teams are on a rampage. However, media leaders may not be investing in coverage of women’s sports and athletes proportionally to the value they deliver. 

The 2024 women’s Final Four game between Iowa and UConn garnered the largest audience for any basketball game in ESPN history. More viewers tuned in for the women’s NCAA championship than the men’s – by over four million viewers. Disney sold out of ad inventory going into the Final Four, with women’s March Madness advertising revenue doubling from last year. Women’s Final Four games commanded ticket prices 47% higher than those for men’s games (although not in proportion to seats available); and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is currently finalizing an eight-figure deal with Nike. 

The stars are not just shining on women’s basketball. The National Women’s Soccer League signed the largest media deal in women’s sports history in November 2023, and Women’s College Volleyball recently shattered an all-time attendance record. More female athletes than males now represent Team USA at the Olympics and they have been winning proportionally more medals.  

Influence goes both ways 

Support from sports franchises is critical to the development of women’s sports, but so is media attention and investment. While teams and athletes lend their fame to media companies and advertisers, the reputation and popularity of teams and athletes are also influenced by media coverage. Decisions about which Olympic events get covered and which athletes get interviewed impact public perception of female athletes and sports. 

The study A Quarter Century of Prime Time’s Summer Olympics examined how women’s sports were framed for audiences over the past 25 years. Researchers analyzed 311 hours of NBC primetime Summer Olympics coverage and found female Team USA athletes were underrepresented in media coverage in proportion to medals won. Representation has soared in recent years though, with equal screen time given to men and women. In fact, two thirds of the athletes and coaches interviewed by NBC at the Summer 2021 Olympics games were female- indicating that women athletes are attracting more than their share of fans.  

However, the study found that at the 2021 Olympics, only 24% of the non-athlete sources interviewed – such as anchors, reporters, commentators, and analysts – were female. The sports media field is still largely male dominated, even as interest in female athletes rises. Improved gender equality among sports reporters, commentators, and others in media positions adjacent to athletics could help grow interest around women’s sports even more. It also positions media companies to better take full advantage of audiences’ increased interest.  

Female sports superstars drive views 

The explosion in women’s NCAA basketball viewership can be attributed in part to fandom for athletes such as Iowa Hawkeye’s Caitlin Clark (now with Indiana’s WNBA team, Fever) and South Carolina Gamecock’s Kamilla Cardoso (now with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky). Interest in the WNBA Draft soared to an all-time high after the record-breaking season, quadrupling the number of viewers for this year’s draft over last year.  

Superstars like Clark and Cardoso are bringing home the bacon for those who invested in them. As recently pointed out in an NPR interview, when Clark declared for the WNBA draft, Indiana Fever’s average ticket price doubled. Teams across the WNBA saw bumps in ticket sales at or near sellout levels when Clark is slated to be in town.  

Some worry the “Clark Effect” had an outsized impact on the spectacular ratings this past season. However, new stars are on the horizon. Stellar freshmen players include USC Trojan’s Juju Watkins, Gamecock’s MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. Viewers who admired their skills this season are likely to be tuning in next season to follow their progress. 

The fandom factor 

As fans rally around rising stars of women’s sports, new research emphasizes the importance of fandom among young viewers. According to the 2024 Digital Media Trends by Deloitte Center for Technology, Media & Telecommunications: 

  • 35% of young people surveyed say sports team fandom is important to their identity.  
  • Gen Z participants were especially likely to cite fandom as a component of their identity- whether they identified as fans of a sports team, movie franchise, music artist, or video game. 
  • People who consider sports fandom important to their identity were more likely to engage with sports content. 

About 10% of those surveyed were dubbed “M & E super fans” – people who consider fandom for a sports team, musician, video game, film, and TV series all important to their identity. These super fans were more likely to pay for streaming subscriptions and on-demand entertainment services. They were also more likely to use multiple social media platforms. While these super fans can have a higher churn rate, they may be attracted to cross-platform experiences and cost-saving bundles, according to Deloitte.  

Fans contribute greatly to media hype-building and the development of cross-media franchises. According to the Deloitte study, media companies can leverage the power of fandom in multiple ways. 

  • Seek deeper engagement with and understanding of fans. This might involve more granular interactions via online group forums and discussions.  
  • Discover burgeoning fandoms, nurture and learn from them.  
  • Consider the intensity of fan bases, not just their size. A smaller group of passionate fans may wield more influence than a larger but more casual audience. 

Once fandom is established, viewers often remain loyal even when their favorite athletes are off their game. The interest in gymnast Simone Biles and skier Mikaela Shiffrin is proof of that. Even after Biles had to withdraw from much-anticipated 2021 Olympic events due to “twisties” and Shiffrin was disqualified from her two best events at the 2022 Olympics, viewers remained glued to coverage of them, and both continue to thrill fans and score lucrative endorsement deals to this day. As one fan tweeted supportively when Shiffrin had to opt out of the 2024 World Cup Giant Slalom in Australia, “You owe us nothing, Mikaela. Save it for the Olympics.” 

Women’s athletics: more than a passing fad 

There are many signs that escalating interest in women’s sports is more than just a moment. With fandom increasingly important to young audiences, and female athletes tearing it up on court on field, media and entertainment executives will do well to evaluate their investment in women’s athletics.  

Media execs can deepen their investment in women’s sports by bolstering gender equality in adjacent media positions, evaluating their coverage of women’s events and athletes, and nurturing the fandom ecosystem. As Laura Correnti, founder and CEO of Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, put it in an interview for NPR: “If you build it, they will come.”  

Industry-Research

Bust newsroom burnout without breaking the bank

Burnout among newsroom employees has risen to critical levels. According to a recent study by the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI), 84% of current journalists and 88% of those formerly employed as journalists say burnout has impacted them personally. Over 90% of both groups say they have observed burnout among colleagues. More than a third of all journalism professionals surveyed agreed that covering news is increasingly challenging today, compared to the past.  

Burnout often appears as exhaustion, mental distancing from work, and reduced efficiency. For individuals, quality of life is impacted. For businesses, retention and productivity of the workforce are at stake. On a societal level, widespread burnout among news professionals threatens to jeopardize the high-quality reliable journalism necessary to maintain an informed public and a healthy democracy.  

Solutions for newsroom burnout 

The remedies to address newsroom employee burnout proposed in RJI’s study, The Burnout Crisis in Journalism: Solutions for Today’s Newsoom, sidestep those many executives currently find prohibitive, such as hiring more staff and raising salaries. Instead, the study focuses on solutions deemed most desirable among staff that are within reasonable reach of employers. The findings offer insight proactive leaders can utilize to improve career satisfaction and work-life balance in the workforce. 

A total of 1,140 participants from across the industry, representing all 50 of the United States, completed the RJI survey. Of the participants, 39% were currently active journalists, and 21% were currently active in management. Former journalists and managers made up 15% of the survey participants, while 12% represented other aspects of the profession, and 12% were students and faculty members in journalism higher education programs. 

Survey respondents chose two of 10 solution areas to address in more depth. Tellingly, the top five selected included: 

  • Work hours and flexibility options. 
  • Coverage responsibilities and workload. 
  • Changes in newsroom culture. 
  • Time off and vacation options. 
  • Additional or improved benefits. 

The other five solution areas which garnered less enthusiasm were: management training, career support, mental health support and resources, newsroom team building, and trauma training and resources. 

Critical issues to address burnout

Agency: Journalists and other newsroom professionals express a clear desire to have more control over their workflows, job responsibilities, work environments, schedules, and output. 

Flexibility

Journalists and managers want more flexibility when it comes to hours and work shifts – including the option of four-day workweeks, hybrid shifts, and remote work options. 

Recognition

Acknowledging the valuable work of employees would help reduce burnout, according to 84% of current journalists and managers, and 93% of former journalists and managers. 

Time off

Participants almost universally agreed that more vacation time would help with work-related fatigue. 100% of former news professionals and 94% of current managers and journalists say that more days off would ease burnout. 

The authors of the study put forth concrete solutions to mitigate newsroom employee burnout. Many of these can be enacted relatively quickly and without major financial consequences: 

  • Offer employees a four-day workweek option. 
  • Allow more hybrid shifts. 
  • Enable remote work from home at least once a week. 
  • Offer more flexible shifts, enabling employees to choose when they work, as long as they complete the required hours and/or deliverables. 
  • Evaluate and adjust workload balance among individual journalists and teams. 
  • Provide additional days off. 
  • Let workers have more input on content and how work gets done. 
  • Evaluate newsroom culture with an eye towards increasing recognition and acknowledgement. 

Newsroom burnout ripples across the pond 

Journalist burnout is reaching crisis levels outside of the US as well. Research from the UK finds more journalists disconnecting from social media to preserve work life balance, and even to avoid threats and harassment. However, this move could potentially stymie their careers because social media plays a key role in discovering and connecting with new audiences, boosting important news content, and facilitating investigative research.  

Before publications join new online platforms, it’s important to weigh ramifications in terms of employee workload and digital safety. Where such risks are unavoidable, newsrooms should consider ways to mitigate potential impacts. For example, rather than suggest employees manage stress on their own, UK researchers advise facilitating group discussions among colleagues aimed towards shaping long term policy. 

As in the US, UK journalists studied are weary of leadership shifting the burden to staff by suggesting they distress by using their free time to pursue therapy, yoga, or meditation. These activities often leave underlying systemic issues in the workplace unresolved.  

News executives worldwide must act on mitigating burnout now to sustain the vitality and integrity of the profession. In the U.S., strife around upcoming national elections is sure to increase strain on journalists. Proactive steps such as those suggested by the RJI study can help reduce stress, keep top quality professionals on the job, and sustain a landscape of abundant, reliable information for the public. 

Industry-Research | Innovation

Everyone’s talking about GenAI. But who’s really using it?

The topline: As Generative AI dominates media industry conversations, it is important to understand consumer and worker sentiment and adoption to guide the development and implementation of GenAI tools.

As 2024 unfolds, Generative AI (GenAI) tools will increasingly be embedded into everyday digital products and services, as well as within the workplace. As the digital media landscape evolves and is shaped by the impact of these tools, a growing body of research sheds light on how consumer interest and adoption trends vary by demographic. 

Interest in GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing chat, DALL-E, Midjourney, and Snapchat My AI, differs significantly among generations, genders, and nationalities. Studies find younger users out in front of adoption – but with uneven patterns along gender lines. Globally, interest in GenAI tools varies among countries based on type of media (text, audio, image, or video).  

Newsroom leaders and workers in general increasingly use GenAI tools, and report positive expectations for future productivity. However, even these “pro” users have concerns, and workplace policies and guidance lags usage. The following takeaways offer insight for digital media professionals as they shape their GenAI strategies, both internally and for consumer facing products.  

Young users more avid – and more worried 

A recent Ofcom study of people in the United Kingdom aligns with prior research finding Gen Z and even younger children at the forefront of GenAI adoption. The study found 79% of online teens 13-17 and 40% of online children 7-12 using GenAI tools, compared to 31% of adults overall, and only 14% of adults over 44.  

However, while the UK teens surveyed were more avid adopters of GenAI, they were also more likely to express concern about it. 67% of 16–24-year-olds surveyed expressed concerns about the societal implications of GenAI, compared to 58% of all respondents. One possible implication is that users more familiar with the power of GenAI are also more cognizant of its potential dangers.  

Gender differences in GenAI adoption 

The Ofcom study found that SnapChat My AI, which became free to all SnapChat users in April of 2023, has widely been embraced by users, especially teenage girls. In contrast, far more boys than girls report using ChatGPT. Overall, OfCom reports indicate that significantly more online males than females use GenAI tools, making the female preference for SnapChat MY AI all the more noteworthy. As Snapchat My AI became embedded within users’ prior social media accounts, ease of use and syncing with social habits may have boosted appeal for girls. 

  • 75% of teenage girls use SnapChat My AI, compared with 51% of all users ages 7-17. 
  • 34% of boys ages 7-17 report using ChatGPT, versus 13% of girls in the same age range. 
  • Overall, 39% of men (16 and up) use GenAI tools, versus 24% of women in the same age range, according to the OfCom survey. 
  • 69.5% of overall GenAI users were men, 30.5% women, according to a usage analysis of the top 50 AI tools online by Writerbuddy. 60% of the visits to the top 50 tools were to ChatGPT. One tool used almost as frequently by women as men was CapCut, a video-production tool.  

Some theorize that gender disparity in the tech sector led to earlier adoption of GenAI tools among males. However, as such tools become more embedded in products and services people already use, like SnapChat, we may see equal engagement among females. 

Globally, interest in GenAI varies widely by media (whether the material generated is in the form of text, imagery, video, or audio). Maps created by ElectronicsHub reveal that, across all popular tools, the Philippines, Singapore, and Canada lead the world in GenAI interest (as measured by search volume per 100 k residents).  

The Philippines clocked 5,288 searches per 100 k of its population, compared to 2,213 in Canada. The United States trailed Canada at 1,187. The United Kingdom fell between Canada and the U.S. at 1,546. However, preferences for certain types of tools varied by country and region.  

  • The Philippines, Singapore, and Canada topped the interest in text-generating services such as ChatGPT and Quillbot. 
  • Israel led interest in image-generating tools (such as DALL-E 2 and MidJourney) with 311 searches per 100 k in the country’s population.  
  • South America showed a strong interest in audio-generating tools such as FakeYou and VoiceGPT. Urugay topped the global list at 230 searches per 100 k population, followed by Chile and Argentina.  
  • Video-generating tools were most popular in Singapore (57 searches per 100 k), the United Arab Emirates, and Cyprus – all of which led over Canada, the UK, and the US.  

U.S. workers embrace GenAI tools 

Over half (56%) of 1100 United States workers surveyed reported using GenAI on the job, according to the research by The Conference Board. Ten percent reported doing so daily. Most of the respondents were office workers so popular uses include drafting written content, brainstorming ideas, and conducting background research. Of those using GenAI at work, most reported positive outcomes, and had optimistic expectations.  

  • 63% of employees surveyed believe using such tools increased their productivity.  
  • 33% expect AI to replace elements of their job in a beneficial manner, such as freeing time for more conceptual and creative work by speeding routine tasks.  

Lagging the enthusiasm is robust guidelines and policies around the use of GenAI in the workplace. Only 26% of those surveyed stated that their company currently has policy in place, while 23% say policy is under development. 

News leaders anticipate GenAI advantages 

Newsroom professionals also anticipate advantages in using GenAI tools to improve efficiency and tailor content. In a recent survey of 314 media leaders in 56 countries by Reuters Institute, news executives predicted GenAI would be useful in back-end automation work such as transcription and copyediting, as well as distribution, commercial applications, and content creation with human oversight. They believe GenAI tools will help support investigation work, fact-checking, and verification. Productivity gains around use of GenAI in coding have been significant. 

However, over half of those surveyed expressed concerns related to GenAI use in content creation and over a quarter had concerns about its use in newsgathering. Concerns centered around impact on reputation and public trust, as well as protection of intellectual property.  

Newsroom leaders face the challenge of shaping policies around the use of GenAI tools. This includes designating senior editorial staff to oversee use and strategy. But Reuters’ Changing Newsrooms 2023 report found only a minority have acted thus far.   

  • 16% of news leaders have a designated AI leader in the newsroom.  
  • 24% are in the process of establishing a designated AI leader. 
  • 16% have detailed AI guidelines in place. 
  • 35% are working on establishing detailed guidelines. 

Opportunity for leadership 

Ethics and policy around the use of GenAI is sure to be a hot topic in 2024, as users express concern about ramifications and look to media leaders for oversight. The World Economic Forum strongly recommends a proactive approach to GenAI governance and risk management.  Since this is an area where many companies lag, it represents an opportunity for forward-thinking media executives to lead. 

Industry-Research

Research reveals conflicting needs from news consumers

News consumers want deeper understanding of their communities and more variety of topics covered. However, they also prefer short-format stories that appear on platforms they already use. Opinions of adults in the United States and the United Kingdom align when it comes to lingering distrust of news and fatigue with politics combined with preferences for quick and convenient news, according to two new studies.

U.S. adults want better representation, practical news

A qualitative study of 5,000 U.S. residents by the American Journalism Project offers unique perspective due to improved inclusion of harder-to-reach demographics such as lower-income, minority and immigrant communities. The study used one hundred community ambassadors to reach people across the country who are not typically among the high-information news consumers often represented in surveys. Focusing on what residents want from local news, the ambassadors gathered input via focus groups, phone calls, and text messages.

Overall, U.S. adults surveyed expressed the following needs:

  • News that is local and can be acted upon
  • Reporting that understands their communities and more fully reflects them
  • Content that is convenient to find and use
  • Better representation of young people, people of color, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities within news organizations
  • More fact-based coverage, less opinion.

Respondents from lower-income communities, communities of color, and/or immigrant communities said they want local news reporters to engage more deeply with them, preferably including journalists who are from their communities. They want news organizations to report on a wide range of topics in their neighborhoods, not just crime. Where there are safety issues, they want practical guidance to protect their families and advocate for change. They want local news to be of and with their communities, to report news that accurately reflects the totality of their lives and is useful to people in their communities.

Spanish-speaking respondents made the point that language translations alone do not compensate for an absence of insider perspective. English-language learners also want news media to understand that whatever language is being used to report news, immigrants care about a variety of news topics, not just immigration-related stories.

While some U.S. respondents expressed distrust for “the media” at large, especially when it comes to national news coverage of political stories, they also voiced a desire to have a central place to rely on for facts and information. Some said they trust community organizations that provide direct services more than news outlets because those entities seemed to care more about their needs. This aligns with the stated desire for news that provides concrete actionable resources.

U.K. adults want trustworthy, convenient news

Some parallels surface in the study of 2,000 U.K. adults by Tickaroo, a live blogging and video platform. The study found the following trends among U.K. news consumers:

  • Diminishing trust in news
  • Declining interest in political news
  • Preference for consuming news on mobile devices
  • Preference for shorter-form content

U.K. adults expressed concern about misinformation, “fake news,” and spin. 31% said they do not trust the news very much, 55% say they retain some skepticism about the news, and 8% said they hardly trust the news at all. According to Tickaroo’s quantitative research, U.K. users’ reasons for not trusting news ranged from the perception that journalists create spin (43%) to concerns about misreporting (42%) and claims of “fake news” (34%).

Where the U.K. and U.S. studies align

Both recent studies found elevated levels of distrust in news as well as a preference for short-form content. U.S. and U.K. residents expressed fatigue with negative news and politics, and both groups are concerned with getting factual news with less bias.

Aligning with those in the U.K., U.S. residents studied admitted that they often do not seek out news, preferring news to fit into their daily routines and be easily available on platforms they already use. These platforms include popular social media sites, email, and even messaging platforms and text messaging groups.

“Trust Kits” offer guidance for newsrooms

To combat distrust, news audiences need to know how facts are sourced, how newsrooms decide which stories to cover, and which pieces are meant to be read as opinion. Transparency is the lynchpin of these concerns.

Assistance to improve trust in news can be found in Trust Kits launched by Reynolds Journalism Institute and the American Press Institute. Tips focus on the following solution areas:

  • Increasing engagement by listening to and reaching new audiences
  • Making ethical guidelines public and correcting mistakes
  • Explaining how coverage decisions are made and sourced
  • Clearly distinguishing between fact and opinion content
  • Strengthening newsroom culture

It is a balancing act to foster a deeper understanding of communities and provide more varied coverage while also summarizing content into bite-sized packages and appealing formats. However, it is a challenge that must be addressed to reach and maintain news audiences.

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