Rasmus Kleis Nielsen Profile picture
Jun 15, 2022 13 tweets 18 min read Read on X
2022 Digital News Report out now. A huge effort by an amazing team that I'm proud to be part of.

We cover 46 markets on six continents, accounting for more than half of the world's population.

Full report reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-r…
Follow #DNR22

And a few highlights in thread 1/9
A growing number of news media willing to embrace digital and able to offer distinct journalism in an incredibly competitive marketplace do well by doing good. But many struggle in an unforgiving winner-takes-most online environment, for example when it comes to subscriptions 2/9
While many commercially successful news media primarily serve audiences that are, crudely put, like me (affluent, highly educated, privileged etc) our findings document connection btw journalism and much of the public is fraying. Interest (and trust) is down,news avoidance up 3/9
More broadly, in many countries much of the public question whether the news media are independent of undue political or government influence. Even in very privileged countries, barely half say news media are independent of undue influence most of the time. 4/9
These issues are compounded by differences in how new generations use media – looking specifically at those under 25 we find much less interest in connecting directly with news media, different views on what journalism ought to look like, much heavier reliance on social media 5/9
Across markets 54% say they worry about identifying the difference btw what is real and fake on the internet when it comes to online news. More of those who say they mainly use social media as source of news (61%) are worried than among those who don’t use social at all (48%) 6/9
Despite these concerns, access to news continues to become more distributed.

Across all markets, less than a quarter (23%) prefer to start their news journeys with a website or app, down 9pp since 2018. Those aged 18–24 have an even weaker connection with websites and apps. 7/9
As publishers, but also individual journalists, seek to reach people via social media, in most countries, half or more of respondents feel journalists on social should stick to reporting the news. But sizable minority feel they should be allowed to express personal opinions. 8/9
Report lead author is @nicnewman working with @richrdfletcher Craig Robertson @kirstenaeddy and myself.

It is made possible by 18 sponsors, our amazing country partners, and the whole @risj_oxford team.

It takes a village and I'm so happy to be part of this particular one. 9/9
In addition to everyone involved at the RISJ across admin, comms, research, our country partners include (amont the twitterati) @AnnieM11 @paisana_miguel @gustavolcardoso @fjfernandez @nunezmussa @PabloBochon @ColetteB @rodcarro @joyjenkins @gravesmatter @cgicheru1 @ItsAdaugoO
and @ChrisRoper @JantimaKheokao @LihyunL @kinpah @LinardsUdris @Mark_Eisenegger @zrinjkaperusko @stefanrantonov @ikepicone @SRSparviero @JosefTrappel @cuevacha.

Thanks, thanks, thanks everyone! It's always amazing to see this come together, then share it with the world.

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More from @rasmus_kleis

Jun 17
2024 Digital News Report out now, documenting scale and scope of 'platform resets' and much more

Team effort by @nicnewman @richrdfletcher Craig Robertson @amyross87 and partners, covering 47 markets

Report

Follow #DNR24 A few highlights in thread 1/9reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-r…
Even as the % who say they get news via Facebook continues to decline, a range of other social, video, and messaging platforms are growing in importance for discovery, many focused on on-site video, visuals, and more private experiences. Challenging environment for publishers 2/9 Image
Generally, many of our respondents say they find it at least somewhat easy to tell trustworthy and untrustworthy news and information apart on various platforms, but there are real differences, with more concerned about how to navigate information on e.g. TikTok, X, Facebook 3/9 Image
Read 9 tweets
Mar 26
What might an AI-mediated information ecosystem look like?

Shuwei Fang @OpenSociety & @StructStories asked for scenarios. Mine, on interplay btw AI pragmatism, AI experimentalism, & AI incrementalism, draws on @risj_oxford research & more

Read here 1/14reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-news-…
My starting point? Public uptake will be one of the most important driving forces shaping the AI-mediated information ecosystem and, by extension, journalism & news media’s place in it. Demand is sometimes overlooked in discussions that tend to focus on actors on supply side 2/14
Extrapolating from public approach to previous digital technologies a likely approach might be "AI pragmatism", combination of (a) abstract concern about impact, (b) scepticism towards many of the institutions using AI, & (c) a practical appreciation of many AI applications 3/14 Image
Read 14 tweets
Feb 26
AI cannot reliably identify false news (let alone lies), despite what sales reps and boosters may claim. Too many false positives, false negatives, issues of bias, (let alone perceiving "entire meanings")

And governments are poorly placed to this work
1/4 ekathimerini.com/news/1232467/d…
Image
Because so much of the most potentially consequential misinfo, including false news and lies, is fundamentally political, there is real and perceived conflict of interests when govs' want to play role as arbiters of truth.

This is even more pronounced in low-trust contexts. 2/4
For years, experts have argued govs' and public authorities' most constructive role is indirect - convening whole-of-society responses and providing funding for independent fact-checkers, journalists, researchers, civil society

Not things like this 3/4digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/fin…
Read 4 tweets
Jan 16
"Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism"

In book w/@BenjaminToff and @ruthiepalmer we ask why, in a world of abundant supply and unprecedented ease of access, millions of people avoid news

More from publisher @columbiaUP here

And in🧵 1/9 cup.columbia.edu/book/avoiding-…
Image
The social contract btw journalism and much of the public is fraying - news use is declining, interest in news down, avoidance widespread.

Based on surveys and 100+ interviews w/consistent news avoiders, we look at why, and what it means when people live largely without news 2/9 Image
We show that news avoidance is not “just” a response to the content on offer.

It is also fundamentally shaped by who we are, what we believe, and the tools we rely on.

It happens at the intersection between identity, ideology, and infrastructures, and compound inequalities. 3/9 Image
Read 9 tweets
Jan 3
Misinformation often comes from the top, including parts of the political elite

I wrote for the @FT about why I think we need to focus squarely on this as we head into a big election year

A few links in 🧵 below to evidence that has informed my view
1/7ft.com/content/5da527…
First, misinfo often comes from the top. Multiple studies have documented political actors' role, e.g @YBenkler et al , @jonathan_c_ong and @RossTapsell , @NeelanjanSircar and more (look at a history book!) 2/7global.oup.com/academic/produ…
doi.org/10.1080/012929…
theindiaforum.in/article/disinf…
Second, what is crucial is not volume but influence. As @hugoreasoning and others have pointed out, attempts at mass persuasion mostly fail! . But one thing that often influence people is elite cues from politicians they support 3/7press.princeton.edu/books/hardcove…
cambridge.org/core/books/nat…
Read 8 tweets
Oct 25, 2022
Journalists tend to "regard the statement "X said A" as a "fact," even if "A" is false." (See e.g. 'dirty bomb', '102 MPs')

Starting my remarks at #DISINFO2022 on why news media sometimes can end up disseminating disinfo with a quote from Gaye Tuchman journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.108…  1/6
Beyond inadverdently disseminating disinfo bcs of business-as-usual editorial practices, there are also parts of the media (e.g. some pundits, broadcast hosts) who are parts of what @sobieraj called "outrage industry" - even when working for news media global.oup.com/academic/produ…  2/6
Whether as sources (for news reporters), guests/subjects (for hosts and pundits), or important users and advertiseres (for platforms) - or just doing their own thing - some domestic political elites sometimes contribute to mis- and disinfo problems academic.oup.com/book/26406  3/6
Read 6 tweets

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