Beware Of Trend Spotting, Tectonic Plates Have Already Shifted

Michael Hedges June 16, 2020 - Follow on Twitter

It is commonly understood that the coronavirus (Covid 19) pandemic and resulting disruptions greatly affected journalism and the news business. All sorts of other behaviors have been upended. Interest in and use of media, news outlets in particular, have been under a microscope. Several unruly bugs have been found.

Released this week is the Digital News Report 2020 from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. There are two datasets; one collected across 38 countries between January and February and another in six countries collected in April. Obviously, these contrast the pre-pandemic period with times under lockdown. News media behaviors changed, but they had been changing anyway. Not included in the survey data are more recent news coverage of the police-action killings and resulting demonstrations and protests.

Indeed, wrote lead researcher Nic Newman summarizing the report, “the coronavirus crisis has substantially increased news consumption for mainstream media.” Television’s surge during the April was a “temporary respite from a picture of steady decline.” The printed newspaper, rattled of late by distribution and printing disruption, is “almost certainly accelerating the shift to an all-digital future.”

Watching TV news surged in April. There was a lot to see. Politicians took to the airwaves as often as possible to talk the public through their attitudes toward the spreading virus, in some cases spreading misinformation along the way. The survey results show, globally, politicians not held in high regard for veracity, health experts far more so.

But it was usage of online and social media that saw “substantially increased in most countries.” Pointing specifically to WhatsApp, the explanation is the need for connecting, sharing information and local support networks. This explains a lot. Traditional mass media as currently configured is failing a lot of people. “Media trust was more than twice the level for social networks, video platforms, or messaging services when< it came to information about COVID-19.” Smart speaker usage continues to grow, just not for news.

The report contrasts news usage in the UK and US during the April. UK prime minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on television and drew 27 million viewers. He told his countrymen to stay home. Older people went to the TV, younger folks went online. US president Donald Trump held daily press conferences for a period of time, often seizing the opportunity to minimize the risks, denigrate political rivals or promote conspiracy theories and dubious cures. TV news viewing in the US barely moved from previous levels.

It is abundantly clear, from the updated Digital News Report and other anecdotal evidence, that when events affecting their lives rapidly unfold people turn to media platforms providing on-the-spot news coverage. That means television and social media. Television channels and networks are particularly adept at bringing the live action into living rooms. Online media, at least, gives the appearance of immediacy, this accrues brand value to the most trusted publishers. Social media uniquely puts people together, often with misinformation.

Herein lies the central issue about trust in news media, always a big topic in media research. Respondents have reported lower trust in news media for years, notable exceptions are people in Finland and Portugal both granting trust “most of the time” to news media, 56%. But 55% of people in Turkey, with perilously low press freedom scores, say they trust their news media. Social media is widely claimed as a news source in Turkey.

Trust in all institutions, generally, has been falling as well. “Divided societies seem to trust the media less, not necessarily because the journalism is worse but because people are generally dissatisfied with institutions in their countries and perhaps because news outlets carry more views that people disagree with,” said Mr. Newman’s summary. Large percentages of survey respondents in Brazil (43%), Spain (34%) and the US (30%) prefer news output that “shares their point of view.” However, he notes, “during the coronavirus crisis, partisan websites and TV brands showed stagnant or low traffic growth compared with other brands.”

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