Beyond the Headlines: Changing News Habits in 2025

The Reuters Digital News Report is the industry’s yearly check-in on how people are consuming, sharing and judging information.

 

This year’s edition shows audience behaviour shifting even faster towards social video, personality-led commentary and AI-shaped formats. For brands and comms professionals, understanding these trends isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s what makes the difference between a story that lands and one that disappears in the endless scroll.

 

Social media is an increasingly dominant gateway for news, especially for young people

Use of social video for news has jumped to 65% globally in 2025, up from 52% in 2020, marking a major shift in how people consume information online. In the UK, the proportion of those who say social media is their main source of news reached 1 in 5 this year, while television has continued its downward trajectory.

Why this matters: Stories increasingly reach people first through video served by algorithms. Creating assets that travel naturally on social is essential for visibility, even when targeting traditional media outlets.

 

Online creators are increasingly becoming the core voices in news commentary

While the UK media landscape remains dominated by legacy brands like the BBC, Sky News and The Guardian, the report notes that creator-led formats, especially podcasts, are continuing to rise. The Rest is Politics and The News Agents are among the most listened-to news shows and are increasingly perceived as both engaging and opinion-shaping. Globally, though, 47% feel that influencers and personalities are a top source of false or misleading information – on par with politicians.

Why this matters: Partnering with influencers or podcast hosts can extend reach and relevance, especially among politically engaged under-45s, but requires careful vetting and briefing. These figures are treated by many as journalists, so the level of factual discipline should match that expectation

 

Trust is earned through transparency, and the BBC remains central

In the UK, BBC News remains the most trusted brand, and also the most widely used, especially among those who seek to verify stories. Globally, when people want to check whether something is false or misleading, they rely first on news sources they trust (38%), official sources (35%), and then fact-checkers (25%).

Why this matters: In a landscape where trust is polarised and misinformation is rife, brands need to support stories with clear evidence such as source data, named experts, and methodology

 

News fatigue is widespread, but can be countered through clarity and structure

Globally, 40% of people say they actively avoid the news, citing emotional exhaustion, negativity, and overload. The UK mirrors this pattern: while concern about misinformation has stabilised, people are still overwhelmed by volume and tone. Younger respondents (under 35s) are especially likely to say that news is hard to follow (12%).

Why this matters: Structuring announcements around solutions rather than just problems, using accessible language, and packaging content into clear chapters or visuals all help improve receptiveness, especially among disengaged or avoidant audiences

 

Print readership is low, but still influential among older audiences

Printed newspapers are now the main news source for just 5% of the UK population, according to the report’s country data. However, legacy print publishers like The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Times remain among the most widely used online news brands and continue to influence the wider national conversation. The UK’s media environment is described as “dominated by a handful of traditional players” across both offline and digital formats.

Why this matters: Print no longer delivers mass reach, but its brands still carry weight, particularly when it comes to setting the agenda in Westminster or landing high-trust earned media. For PR teams, that means placements in these titles continue to matter, even as digital-first content drives wider visibility.

 

This year’s Digital News Report shows how fast UK and global media habits are evolving. People increasingly consume news through short videos, contextualised by personalities they trust (or think they trust), and assessed through the lens of credibility and clarity. For PR teams, this means building campaigns that are not only story-rich but are also able to prove their value.

By Valery Roslikova, Associate Director (Research & Analytics) at Citypress