News Consumers are Turning Away From Traditional Sources

A new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism highlights the growing influence of podcasters like Joe Rogan and AI chatbots in U.S. news consumption, further eroding traditional media’s dominance. In the week following the January 2025 U.S. presidential inauguration, more Americans turned to social and video networks for news than TV, news websites, or apps—a first, according to the report based on a survey of nearly 100,000 people across 48 countries.

Young Americans, particularly those under 35, are driving this shift, with over half relying on social media and video networks as their primary news sources. Globally, 44% of 18- to 24-year-olds prefer these platforms. In the U.S., 20% of surveyed Americans encountered news or commentary from Joe Rogan post-inauguration, while 14% saw content from Tucker Carlson, now active on multiple platforms. Other prominent voices included Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, Brian Tyler Cohen, and David Pakman, with most top commentators being male.

“These creators attract audiences traditional media struggle to reach, especially young men, right-leaning viewers, and those distrustful of mainstream outlets,” said Nic Newman, Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute. However, influencers and politicians are seen as major sources of misinformation, with 70% of Americans concerned about distinguishing truth from falsehood online, consistent with last year.

AI chatbots are also gaining traction, with 15% of under-25s using them for news weekly, compared to 7% overall. ChatGPT leads, followed by Google’s Gemini and Meta AI, raising concerns about reduced traffic to news websites. Text remains the preferred news format globally, though a third prefer watching, and 15% prefer listening, with younger audiences favoring video and audio.

Social media platform X has grown as a news source in the U.S., particularly among right-leaning users and young men, with 23% of Americans using it for news, up 8 points from last year. Competing platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon have minimal reach. Trust in news remains steady at 40% globally, unchanged for three years. The Reuters Institute is funded by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.