The Contradiction Reshaping How We Communicate

The Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report reveals a striking contradiction at the heart of today’s media landscape. People are increasingly choosing platforms that offer speed, convenience and personality, while simultaneously expressing greater concern about trust, misinformation and the quality of the news they receive.

For the first time across the 48 markets surveyed, social media and video networks have become the most widely used route to online news. They are now used by 54% of respondents, ahead of news organisations’ websites and apps at 51%. This matters for PR professionals because securing coverage is no longer the end of the process. A story must be capable of travelling beyond the publication that first carries it, retaining its meaning when clipped, shared, summarised or discussed on another platform.

Video is central to that change. 77% of people now consume online news video each week, yet the report finds that this growth is taking place on third-party platforms rather than publishers’ own digital channels. Meanwhile, 27% get some news from news-focused creators. Audiences value creators because they are relatable, entertaining and easy to understand, but still consider them less trustworthy and impartial than traditional news providers.

For PR professionals, that creates an important opportunity. Communications should borrow the accessibility of creator-led content without losing the verification, context and credibility associated with established journalism. The strongest stories will not simply be accurate; they must also be clear enough to connect with audiences who may encounter them incidentally while scrolling for something else. On Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, most users see news while online for other reasons, making immediate relevance more important than ever.

Artificial intelligence introduces another layer. Weekly use of AI chatbots for news has risen from 7% to 10%, reaching 16% among under-35s. These users particularly value the ability to ask follow-up questions and receive greater explanation.This suggests that audiences are not always seeking less information. Instead, they may want information organised around their own questions. For PR teams, this makes strong source material, clear evidence and accessible background increasingly important, as stories may be interpreted and reconstructed far beyond their original form.

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The most sobering findings concern attention and confidence. Strong interest in news has fallen by 13 percentage points since 2021, while overall trust has dropped to 37%, its lowest recorded level. Yet 45% still prefer news that does not take sides, more than twice the proportion who want coverage that reflects their own viewpoint.

That tension should encourage rather than discourage communicators. Audiences have not abandoned the principles of credible news, they are simply accessing information through a more fragmented and less predictable system.

For the communications industry, the lesson is that reach and trust can no longer be treated as separate objectives. Effective PR must create stories that work across platforms and formats while remaining useful, transparent and grounded. In a crowded media environment, capturing attention is valuable. Earning confidence is what makes that attention last.