Radio News Retains Trust Edge, Says Reuters.

As consumers navigate an increasingly fragmented and often less trusted news environment, radio continues to stand out for its credibility, local connection, and commitment to impartial journalism, according to the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report.

The annual study finds social media and video platforms have, for the first time, surpassed news organizations’ websites and apps as the most widely used source of online news worldwide. A majority (54%) of respondents say they access news through social or video platforms, compared to 51% who use news websites and apps. Younger audiences are driving much of that change. More than half of adults ages 18 to 24 now say social media, video platforms, and AI tools are their primary way of getting news.

Trust is also moving in the wrong direction. Global trust in news fell to 37%, the lowest level Reuters has recorded since it began tracking the metric in 2015. The trends are particularly pronounced in the U.S., where trust in news dropped to 25%.

Global trust in news on social media stands at just 22%, while trust in AI chatbots used for news is even lower at 20%. By contrast, Reuters says trust in established news brands like on the radio has held up better than trust in the broader information ecosystem. The study suggests consumers continue to place greater confidence in recognizable news sources even as they increasingly discover content through third-party platforms.

That dynamic could create opportunities for radio news brands, particularly local stations that have long positioned themselves as trusted sources of information and community connection.

The report also points to the continued importance of audio. While usage of news podcasts was flat globally at 11%, Reuters notes podcasts continue to attract highly engaged audiences and remain an effective way to reach younger consumers.

For years, concerns about radio news consumption have centered on audience erosion. Reuters suggests that the bigger challenge is younger consumers never developed the habit in the first place. The report finds radio news continues to lose audience globally, but unlike television, where many former viewers have drifted away, radio’s decline is driven largely by weak adoption among younger generations.

The report says relatively few younger adults have ever become regular radio news users. Across 45 countries surveyed, 53% of respondents said they have ever used radio news regularly. That adoption rate is only slightly ahead of newspapers (49%) and television news (79%).

Reuters says the data offers little evidence that younger consumers will eventually age into traditional radio habits. “Older people do not consume more traditional media simply because of their age but because their generation was socialized into specific consumption patterns and preferences,” researcher Richard Fletcher writes in an analysis.

The report also documents growing consumer disengagement with news overall. Interest in news has fallen 13 points since 2021 across the markets surveyed, while 42% of respondents say they actively avoid news at least sometimes.

“A small but significant minority in every country say they do not use any news sources at all,” writes Fletcher. “It points to the structural decline of news use in general, and not just the rise and fall of specific sources.”

Download the 2026 Digital News Report HERE.