That is at least what is said in the Reuters Digital News Report 2022, which is based on a YouGov study that surveyed 93,000 people in 46 markets covering half the world’s population
The report, among other things, documents the growing disconnect between journalism and the public with phenomena such as a drop in trust, a decline in interest in news and a rise in those who purposely avoid news
It also explores the polarisation of audiences and how young people consume information
Among the conclusions, it highlights the plummeting interest in news in Spain, which has fallen 30 points since 2015: from 85% to 55% in 2022.
Trust and interest in news has declined in many countries and this distrust is closely related to the interference of politicians and business people in the media.
This is a problem in Central and Eastern Europe, and in countries such as Spain, Greece and Italy, where there is a strong tradition of party political influence over the media.
The data also shows that younger audiences are increasingly accessing news through platforms such as TikTok and that a depressing news agenda is leading more people to avoid the news.
You can download the full report (or consult the data for Spain.
Anecdotes, propaganda, opinion and entertainment
Some media often distort reality by mixing opinion and entertainment with something that looks like information, but is not
The fact that young people access or get news through TikTok does not exactly mean that they get information through TikTok either. One can hardly find enough depth and context in a few seconds to consider oneself informed.
One more example, but not the only one, of this decadence could well be the disproportionate and permanent interest of some newspapers for extolling the image of certain politicians using as an alibi sections or supplements on fashion, beauty, gastronomy or any other miscellaneous trivia.
In short, this unbearable mixture of rubbish under clickbait headlines, various sensationalism and political trench as a propaganda tool means that more and more people, young and not so young, are fleeing the traditional media.
And few are spared. Even Reuters publishes stupid things like this in a ridiculous attempt to give news status to a trifle.
