How do people get information on the Internet, depending on their country of origin? By individual journalists or news brands?
The way in which people obtain information online is different from one country to another. That is the conclusion reached after reading the Reuters Institute's 2022 Report for Digital Journalism. Some people feel more attached to a news brand because of tradition. Or, on the contrary, there are those who prefer to rely on the social networks of individual journalists to find out what is happening in the world.
According to a survey conducted by the Reuters Institute, in European countries such as Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom, people tend to trust news brands more when it comes to online information. Certain journalistic figures have more followers in countries such as France or Brazil. The United States, one of the journalistic powerhouses, falls between the two groups, with one-third of respondents getting their information from news brands and one-fifth from journalists.
The same survey asked participants to name up to 5 specific journalists they considered trustworthy. In the UK, the most named journalists were Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston. Both work regularly on television but have significant Twitter follower numbers, both exceeding 1 million followers. The United Kingdom is characterized as a country with news brands such as BBC or Guardian, in which impartiality reigns. This means that people prefer to obtain information online through the media themselves.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean is the United States. American journalists tend to express a greater degree of opinion and, therefore, tend to be more biased. The public feels more identified with those journalists who share their opinion than with the news brands themselves. Tucker Carlson and Rachel Maddow occupy the top two positions on the list, and between them, they have more than 15 million followers on Twitter.
With the evolution of new technologies, the journalist covers a much broader area than working for a single news brand. According to respondents, journalists are YouTubers, podcasters, or content creators. It is estimated that 15% of those considered journalists in the United States are "alternative or independent journalists". This trendy figure in America is usually connected to conservative parties or the extreme right. Used to generate disinformation or fake news, the politicization of journalism can also lead to a loss of interest from the general public.
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