Independent channels covered QAnon conspiracy theories much more frequently than news organizations did | Pew Research Center

September 25, 2020

2. A closer look at the channels producing news on YouTube – and the videos themselves

Independent channels covered QAnon conspiracy theories much more frequently than news organizations did

Independent channels covered QAnon conspiracy theories much more frequently than news organizations did

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Independent channels covered QAnon conspiracy theories much more frequently than news organizations did

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2. A closer look at the channels producing news on YouTube – and the videos themselves
How Pew Research Center studied YouTube news channels
News on YouTube comes from a mix of established news organizations and independent channels
About four-in-ten popular YouTube news channels ask their viewers for donations
Most independent channels solicit some form of donations on their channel
Nearly all YouTube news channels reach their audiences on multiple platforms-07
About a third of the most viewed YouTube news videos from December 2019 were about Trump’s impeachment-08
Independent channels covered QAnon conspiracy theories much more frequently than news organizations did
Independent YouTube channels about twice as likely as news organizations to produce videos with a negative tone
YouTube news videos cited media more often than other types of sources; independent channels less likely to cite officials
More than four-in-ten popular YouTube news channels are oriented around a specific personality … with independent channels especially likely to use this model
An overwhelming majority of YouTube news channels do not describe themselves in ideological terms
About a quarter of all videos studied focused on President Trump … … and these videos were mostly about impeachment