Online platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube trusted for news more than TV, says report
All thanks to digitalization, people are everywhere on WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms. As a result, the more time they spend on it the more information they are receiving is through these mediums only. That is, users are trusting online platforms for news more than other mediums like television. Yes, this was revealed by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's recent report.
As per the study, all over the world, India was one of the most prominent countries where 73% of the users were reading or watching news online through their phones while just 37% of the nation's population is accessing news through computers. One of the reasons for this as per the survey are that smartphones and their data plans are comparatively cheaper than PCs.
Apart from that, the report also states that 59% of users who are accessing English content use TV for watching news while, 82% of the English content waters are using online platforms for news. This is leading to big problems like misinformation, fake news, hate speech and more.
Talking about the same, Nic Newman, senior research associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, said, "Facebook is seen as the main channel for spreading false information almost everywhere but messaging apps like WhatsApp are seen as a bigger problem in parts of the Global South such as Brazil and Indonesia."
So guys, what medium do you prefer for news? And also, do not forget to share your thoughts with us about this report.