People have stopped trusting news but not newsrooms
Media just passed a notable milestone. For the first time, people now get their news from social media and video networks like You Tube more than from any other source. That comes from the most recent Reuters Institute Digital News Report, now in its 15th year. Across audiences, 54% of people get news from social media and video networks, passing what used to be the primary sources, publisher websites (51%) and TV (52%). At the same time, the report shows trust in media is once again at an all-time low. Just 37% of people say they trust most news most of the time, the lowest reading since Reuters started tracking it in 2015, and in the United States the figure sinks to 25%. This isn’t surprising. The slide shows up in other long-running measures too. Gallup’s latest, from October 2025, put U.S. trust in mass media at a record-low 28%, down from 31% the year before and 40% five years ago. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/media-copilot.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/fe289316-bc4f-44ef-96bf-148b3d8578c1_1440x1440.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to The Media Copilot\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Want more about how AI is changing media? Never miss an update from Pete Pachal by signing up for The Media Copilot. To learn more visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mediacopilot.substack.com\/\u0022\u003Emediacopilot.substack.com\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/mediacopilot.substack.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453847,"imageMobileId":91453848,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} All of this suggests media brands are becoming more diluted and l