The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published its 2026 Digital News Report on June 16, documenting the lowest level of public trust in news media recorded since the survey series began, drawing on responses from nearly 100,000 people across 48 markets.
The report found that the share of respondents saying they trust most news most of the time declined across nearly every geography surveyed, with the steepest drops concentrated in markets where political polarization and social media dependency are highest. Younger users reported the sharpest skepticism toward traditional outlets.
Researchers identified several contributing factors, including algorithmically amplified misinformation, declining institutional credibility and the difficulty audiences face distinguishing professional journalism from opinion-driven or commercially motivated content on social platforms.
Publishers and industry groups cited the findings as evidence for increased investment in transparency practices, source labeling and reader-funded models. The report identified isolated cases where public broadcasters retained comparatively higher audience trust despite the overall downward trajectory across the survey dataset.
Created by Ayen Stabel.
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Sources:
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026/dnr-executive-summary