A new Ipsos poll for the Jordan Center for Journalism Innovation and Advocacy at the University of Mississippi (conducted in March 2026) highlights a major shift in how Americans—specifically registered voters who participated in the 2024 presidential election—consume news.
The Hollywood Reporter covered the findings in an article published Friday, noting that the media landscape has become increasingly fractured. Consumers now pick sources that align with their views, with online opinion personalities and comedians (especially right-leaning ones) gaining ground and often overshadowing traditional journalists and outlets.
Key shifts in news sources : The poll shows a clear move away from traditional TV and newspapers toward online platforms and individual influencers:
- Nearly 70% of respondents get news online in a typical week.
- 55.2% get it from television.
- 25.2% from newspapers.
- Lower figures for radio (18.5%), magazines (5.5%), or none of the above (4.1%).
Facebook and YouTube are the most-used online platforms for news, followed by Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, and LinkedIn. Among TV sources, Fox News leads, followed by the major broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS) and CNN. For newspapers, local papers, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal are the most cited.
There are partisan differences: Trump voters heavily favor Fox News, while Harris voters lean toward CNN and legacy media. Democrats are also more likely to get news from newspapers (33% vs. 18.5% of Republicans).
Top news influencers (excluding politicians): The poll asked about the most influential news figures and separated out politicians. When politicians are excluded, podcaster Joe Rogan ranks #1 overall, followed by Fox News personalities Greg Gutfeld and Sean Hannity (in that order among the top non-politicos). Next are commentators Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson.
This matches exactly what you mentioned: Hannity and Gutfeld trail only Rogan among non-politicians. (When politicians are included, only Trump, Rogan, and JD Vance cracked double-digit influence scores.)
For context, among Harris (Democratic) voters, the top non-politician influencers are late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart.