Radio is the number one choice for Irish people when it comes to sourcing news according to a new study.
The Reuters Institute Digital News Report has found that Facebook has fallen from 71% to 67% as a news source for people in Ireland.
However, the research shows that Instagram as a source of news has grown from 12% to 26%.
The annual international study aims to understand how news is consumed around the world.
Through all the blah blah blah, the fact emerges that radio - YES RADIO, is the main source of news for Irish consumers. What’s more - Irish levels of radio usage for news are the highest of all 37 countries surveyed. That’s according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report https://t.co/2B0GVNaWtL
— John Purcell (@esuohedarap) June 14, 2018
Trusted news
John Purcell, Chairperson of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland said around 84% of people in Ireland tune in to the radio every day.
“It is the biggest and most trusted news medium in this country,” he said.
“Internationally, Irish radio has the highest rate of listenership for news of all the 37 countries included in the Reuters news report.”
The Reuters report found that Irish people are more trusting of "most news" than the EU average but they have low trust in social media.
It found that while 71% of Irish consumers trust "most news," only 28% trust social media.
Just 23% trust news in social media, 34% trust news in in search engines – but more for the news brands people regularly use.https://t.co/ugeXo72AB7 #DNR18 pic.twitter.com/wLTNVcPlpC
— Reuters Institute (@risj_oxford) June 14, 2018
Trust
Michael O'Keeffe, Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) said Ireland’s trust in news is above the EU average.
“It rises to 78% when you talk about the news that they specifically choose to consume,” he said.
“So if somebody is tuning into a radio station or tuning into a television service, they are generally likely to trust the news that they hear on that particular service.”
Paying for news
Are we seeing changing consumer attitudes to paying for quality news? Digital News Report 2018 shows subscriptions edging up and membership/donation models emerging. #DNR18 https://t.co/ugeXo6KZcx London launch today 8.00am @EdelmanPR pic.twitter.com/Y4p7k7DZja
— Reuters Institute (@risj_oxford) June 14, 2018
The report also found a slight but steady increase in people who have grown tired of advertising and are paying for news content.
In Ireland, payment rose to 12% in 2018 – up from 7% three years before.
The study also found a growing willingness among people who do not pay to begin doing so through a subscription (20%) or donation (22%) model.
Fake news
The report cautions that that 57% of Irish people are concerned about “fake news” - with 61% saying they are concerned or extremely concerned about stories made up for political or commercial reasons.
However, only 17% could remember actually seeing this kind of disinformation.
Some 63% said it was the Government’s responsibility to do more to tackle the issue - while 76% believe journalists and media companies should do more.
The annual international study also indicates that consumers in Ireland - and worldwide - have limited understanding of how news appears in their social media feeds.
Only 28% of those surveyed said they understand the role of algorithms in disseminating news.
