As the news landscape transforms at breakneck speed, a single statistic from 2023 reveals a profound shift: 86% of U.S. adults now get their news from digital devices, up from 79% just a year before, signaling a dramatic pivot in how we discover and engage with the stories that shape our world.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, 86% of U.S. adults get news from digital devices such as smartphones or computers, marking a 7 percentage point increase from 79% in 2022
- Globally, 59% of people used online sources for news weekly in 2023, with social media accounting for 36% of usage
- In the U.S., 33% of adults under 30 regularly get news from TikTok in 2023, compared to just 3% of those 65 and older
- U.S. digital news revenue reached $42.6 billion in 2023, up 11.5% from 2022
- Global news advertising spend totaled $273 billion in 2023, with digital at 68%
- U.S. newspaper print ad revenue fell to $8.2 billion in 2023, down 7% YoY
- U.S. journalists numbered 38,000 full-time at newspapers in 2023, down 57% since 2005 peak
- 76% of U.S. journalists report burnout symptoms weekly in 2023 survey
- Women comprise 47% of U.S. newsroom staff in 2023, up from 36% in 2001
- 45% of 2023 U.S. news content generated by AI in routine reporting at scale outlets
- Global news sites average 4.2 AI tools integrated by 2023, up from 1.1 in 2021
- 68% of U.S. newsrooms use newsletters as primary engagement tool in 2023
- News trust lowest at 40% globally in 2023 Reuters survey of 47k respondents
- 58% of Americans see political bias in news coverage per 2023 Gallup poll
- U.S. news literacy programs reached 15 million students by end of 2023
Digital news consumption rose globally as revenue shifted away from traditional media.
Audience Demographics and Consumption
- In 2023, 86% of U.S. adults get news from digital devices such as smartphones or computers, marking a 7 percentage point increase from 79% in 2022
- Globally, 59% of people used online sources for news weekly in 2023, with social media accounting for 36% of usage
- In the U.S., 33% of adults under 30 regularly get news from TikTok in 2023, compared to just 3% of those 65 and older
- Women make up 52% of news consumers via newsletters in 2023, higher than traditional TV news at 48%
- Rural Americans are 15% less likely to use online news sources than urban residents, with only 68% weekly usage in 2023
- Podcast news listenership grew 12% year-over-year to 41% among U.S. adults aged 18-34 in 2023
- Hispanic Americans increased YouTube news consumption by 20% to 52% weekly in 2023 from 2022 levels
- 71% of Gen Z news users prefer short-form video content like Reels over articles in 2023
- News app usage on mobiles reached 2.1 hours per week per user globally in 2023, up 18% from 2022
- Black Americans rely on local TV news at 62% weekly, 10 points higher than national TV in 2023
- 48% of U.S. adults paid for online news in 2023, with subscriptions averaging $8.50 monthly
- Europeans aged 35-54 show 25% higher engagement with newsletters than those over 55 in 2023
- In India, 67% of urban youth under 25 get news primarily from WhatsApp forwards weekly in 2023
- Australian news video consumption on social platforms hit 44% weekly among 18-24s in 2023
- UK print newspaper readership fell to 9.4 million daily in 2023, down 11% from 2022
- Canadian mobile news alerts subscription grew 14% to 39% of adults in 2023
- 55% of French news users avoid mainstream media apps, preferring aggregators in 2023
- Brazilian Instagram news reach hit 51% weekly among internet users in 2023
- Japanese seniors over 65 use LINE for news at 28% weekly, up 9% from 2022
- South African Facebook news avoidance rose to 42% in 2023 due to misinformation concerns
- German podcast news listeners increased 22% to 19% of population in 2023
- U.S. college-educated adults news consumption time averaged 1.2 hours daily in 2023, 30% more than high school grads
- Italian TikTok news users grew 35% to 23% weekly among 18-34s in 2023
- Spanish YouTube news dominance at 62% weekly for under 35s in 2023
- Nigerian Twitter (X) news usage at 48% weekly, highest in Africa in 2023
Audience Demographics and Consumption Interpretation
The news industry is experiencing a massive, generational, and geographically uneven migration from the living room TV to the pocket-sized screen, where attention is fractured between TikTok stars, WhatsApp rumors, and podcast pundits, proving that while everyone wants to be informed, nobody agrees on what a credible source looks like anymore.
Digital Transformation and Technology
- 45% of 2023 U.S. news content generated by AI in routine reporting at scale outlets
- Global news sites average 4.2 AI tools integrated by 2023, up from 1.1 in 2021
- 68% of U.S. newsrooms use newsletters as primary engagement tool in 2023
- Video news consumption on mobile apps up 31% to 65 minutes weekly per user in 2023
- Blockchain for news verification piloted by 12% of top outlets in 2023
- AMP pages usage in news dropped 40% to 15% of traffic in 2023 post-Google shift
- Personalized news feeds via AI boosted engagement 22% at test sites in 2023
- 57% of news orgs adopted headless CMS for multi-platform in 2023
- VR news experiences viewed by 8 million users globally via apps in 2023
- Cloud migration complete in 89% of large newsrooms, saving 25% costs in 2023
- Social video algorithms drove 73% of news referrals in 2023
- 34% of news sites use Web3 for reader ownership tokens in pilots 2023
- Push notifications retention rate 18% higher than email in news apps 2023
- 62% of outlets integrated ChatGPT for ideation, 22% for drafting in 2023
- News podcasts downloads up 25% with smart speaker integration in 2023
- 51% of European newsrooms use data analytics for story prioritization 2023
- Live streaming events generated 40% more traffic than pre-recorded in 2023
- SEO traffic share for news fell to 28% amid Google AI overviews in 2023
- 77% of U.S. news apps now progressive web apps for better retention 2023
- Machine translation used for 35% of international coverage in 2023
Digital Transformation and Technology Interpretation
The newsroom of 2023 is a cyborg with a human heart, stitching together AI-generated wire copy and blockchain-verified scoops for audiences who snack on mobile video, crave personalized podcasts, and—when they aren't being lured away by social algorithms—still open a newsletter for that precious hit of direct connection.
Journalism Employment and Practices
- U.S. journalists numbered 38,000 full-time at newspapers in 2023, down 57% since 2005 peak
- 76% of U.S. journalists report burnout symptoms weekly in 2023 survey
- Women comprise 47% of U.S. newsroom staff in 2023, up from 36% in 2001
- Freelance journalists made up 36% of U.S. workforce in 2023, averaging $45k annual income
- 92% of international journalists use AI tools daily for routine tasks in 2023
- UK newsroom jobs declined 20% to 28,000 since 2019 in 2023
- 64% of U.S. journalists faced online harassment in past year per 2023 survey
- Minority journalists in U.S. newsrooms at 22% in 2023, with Blacks at 7%
- Average U.S. journalist salary stagnated at $55,000 in 2023, down 2% inflation-adjusted
- 41% of global journalists multitask across 3+ beats due to staffing shortages in 2023
- Canadian newsroom employment fell 15% to 12,500 in 2023 amid closures
- 73% of U.S. editors report increased workload by 25% since 2020 in 2023
- LGBTQ+ journalists at 5.6% of U.S. newsrooms in 2023, per self-ID survey
- Australian journalists turnover rate hit 18% in 2023 due to burnout
- 55% of European journalists use social media for sourcing stories daily in 2023
- U.S. photojournalists declined 26% to 1,800 full-time in 2023
- 82% of Indian journalists work 50+ hours weekly without overtime pay in 2023
- Brazilian newsroom diversity: women 42%, ethnic minorities 13% in 2023
- 67% of U.S. journalists trained in data journalism by 2023, up from 52% in 2019
- German freelance journalists income averaged €28,000 in 2023, down 8% real terms
- 49% of U.S. news managers are considering layoffs in next 12 months per 2023 survey
- South Korean journalists unionized at 45% rate in 2023, highest in Asia
- 71% of AI-assisted journalism tasks are editing and fact-checking in 2023 practices
- U.S. digital-only news orgs employ 15% of journalists, growing 5% YoY in 2023
Journalism Employment and Practices Interpretation
The news industry is simultaneously shrinking, diversifying, and technologically pivoting under immense strain, which means the journalists still standing are doing the work of three while being paid less and harassed more.
Revenue Streams and Economics
- U.S. digital news revenue reached $42.6 billion in 2023, up 11.5% from 2022
- Global news advertising spend totaled $273 billion in 2023, with digital at 68%
- U.S. newspaper print ad revenue fell to $8.2 billion in 2023, down 7% YoY
- Subscriptions generated 41% of digital news revenue in U.S. outlets over 50k circ in 2023
- TV news ad revenue in U.S. declined 12% to $18.9 billion in 2023
- Global paywalls covered 75% of top 250 news sites in 2023, up from 62% in 2021
- U.S. local TV stations digital revenue grew 22% to $4.1 billion in 2023
- Newspaper digital subscriptions in U.S. hit 21 million in 2023, up 10% YoY
- Online news events and experiences revenue up 28% globally to $1.2 billion in 2023
- U.S. public radio digital revenue increased 15% to $450 million in 2023
- Affiliate marketing accounted for 8% of digital news revenue growth in 2023
- UK newspaper digital revenue overtook print at 52% share in 2023
- Global news e-commerce revenue reached $850 million in 2023, up 35% YoY
- Cable news ad revenue in U.S. dropped 16% to $6.8 billion amid cord-cutting in 2023
- Crowdfunding for journalism projects raised $120 million globally in 2023
- U.S. news nonprofits revenue grew 9% to $3.2 billion in 2023
- Sponsored content generated 22% of non-subscription digital revenue for mid-size outlets in 2023
- Australian news media ad revenue fell 4% to AUD 5.2 billion in 2023
- Philanthropy funding for news hit $700 million in U.S. in 2023, up 12%
- Native advertising clicked 3x more than display ads in news sites, generating $2.5B in 2023
- French press subsidies totaled €1.1 billion in 2023, covering 15% of industry revenue
- U.S. podcast ad revenue for news shows reached $1.8 billion in 2023, up 20%
- Classified ads now only 4% of newspaper revenue in 2023, down from 25% in 2006
- Global news app in-app purchases revenue $650 million in 2023
Revenue Streams and Economics Interpretation
While the ghost of print advertising is still politely coughing up its last $8.2 billion, the news industry has learned to stop asking nicely and started charging directly at the digital door, with subscriptions, paywalls, and even podcast ads forming the new, if still precarious, billion-dollar barricade.
Trust Bias and Regulation
- News trust lowest at 40% globally in 2023 Reuters survey of 47k respondents
- 58% of Americans see political bias in news coverage per 2023 Gallup poll
- U.S. news literacy programs reached 15 million students by end of 2023
- 73% of Republicans distrust mainstream media in 2023 Pew survey, vs 11% Democrats
- Global misinformation incidents involving news orgs up 29% in 2023
- EU Digital Services Act fined news platforms €45 million for violations in 2023
- 42% of news consumers use fact-checkers weekly in 2023, up 10% YoY
- Algorithmic bias complaints against news feeds rose 55% in 2023 FTC reports
- Australian media bargaining code generated AUD 200M in payments to news in 2023
- 61% believe news orgs prioritize profit over accuracy per 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer
- U.S. defamation suits against journalists up 18% to 1,200 cases in 2023
- 29% of global audiences pay more attention to news bias labels in 2023
- Canadian Online News Act secured CAD 100M annual for local news in 2023
- 67% of under 35s distrust social media news sources in 2023 survey
- UK Online Safety Bill regulated 250 harmful news contents in first 2023 enforcement
- 54% perceive left-leaning bias in U.S. national news per 2023 MRC study
- Journalism trust funds allocated $250M globally for ethics training in 2023
- Brazilian fake news regulation blocked 850 domains targeting elections in 2023
- 48% of Europeans worry about AI-generated fake news daily in 2023 Eurobarometer
- U.S. FCC media ownership rules reviewed, approving 12 mergers under scrutiny 2023
- 71% of Indians trust local news over national by 15 points in 2023 survey
Trust Bias and Regulation Interpretation
The public’s faith in news is hemorrhaging globally, yet from this crisis a paradoxical fightback has emerged, as audiences arm themselves with fact-checkers, regulators swing heavy fines, and new laws scramble to fund journalism’s future while the industry itself battles accusations of bias, profit-chasing, and its own algorithmic failings.
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