--- title: "The Briefing 10.29.2026" description: "The Briefing ☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today’s email: 🔥 Featured story Artificial intelligence is now integrated into not only chatbots but also major social media platforms and search engines. This is raising questions about the effect of AI on the […]" date: "2026-10-29" authors: - name: "jhaner" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/the-briefing-10-29-2026/" --- # The Briefing 10.29.2026 October 29, 2026 ## The Briefing --- **☀️ Happy Thursday!** *The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. [**Sign up here!**](https://www.pewresearch.org/sign-up-for-the-briefing/)* **In today's email:** - **Featured story:** How many Americans are using AI chatbots for election information? - **New from Pew Research Center:** What is your civic personality? - **In other news:** Citizens sue Trump over media ban - **Looking ahead:** Reddit introduces "For You" feed - **Chart of the week:** Majority of Americans now say social media is an important way they get their news ### 🔥 **Featured story** **Artificial intelligence** is now integrated into not only chatbots but also major [social media platforms](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/business/media/ai-disinfo-chatbots-elections.html) and search engines. This is raising questions about the [effect of AI on the midterm elections](https://ls.berkeley.edu/news/will-ai-decide-who-wins-midterms), including [whether it offers voters accurate information](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/10/24/we-asked-six-chatbots-make-voter-guides-they-made-serious-errors/) and [whether people will base their voting decisions](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/05/nx-s1-5977852/ai-chatbots-midterm-election) on its answers. A new [Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/10/23/few-americans-say-they-are-asking-ai-chatbots-for-2026-election-information/) finds that **8% of Americans say they are using AI chatbots to find information related to this year’s election.** Those who do mainly are looking for info about candidates or fact checks, while smaller shares say they are using chatbots for suggestions about how to make their vote choices or to find logistical election information. ### 🚨 **New from Pew Research Center** Take our [recently released quiz](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/quiz/what-is-your-civic-personality/) to find out how your engagement with **news, politics, religious and civic activities** compares with what we found in a [nationally representative survey of U.S. adults](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/07/16/how-americans-are-engaged-with-news-politics-religion-and-civic-life/) from the [Pew-Knight Initiative](https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/pew-knight-initiative/). ### 📌 **In other news** - Six citizens [sue Trump over White House media ban](https://apnews.com/article/trump-media-ban-citizens-lawsuit-f5a70baaa97dba1bdd4cda365b5f635d), arguing it violates **First Amendment** and deprives the public of independent reporting - **Judge** [issues new ruling](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-taxpayer-ads-white-house-propaganda-b3075104.html) blocking **Trump** from airing taxpayer-funded ads - **Meta** [delays new terms of service](https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/meta-delays-rollout-of-terms-that-would-allow-broad-scraping-of-news-sites-legal-experts-are-still-skeptical/) for business accounts that would allow **mass scraping of news websites** - Philanthropies [invest $21 million](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/27/macarthur-knight-investment-fund-local-news) in new **local news investment fund** - After election in **Serbia** unseats longtime strongman Vucic, protesters [demand changes to media](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/world/europe/serbia-student-list-news-media-vucic.html) - **Jezebel** [removes over 100 articles](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/28/jezebel-removed-over-100-articles-its-website-outraging-former-staff/) from its website, including some with references to abortion - **Hasan Piker** [files $72 million defamation lawsuit](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/hasan-piker-sues-scott-jennings-in-72-million-defamation-suit) against commentator **Scott Jennings** - **Reform UK party** [launches its own newspaper](https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/reform-launches-newspaper-amid-plans-for-seven-day-digital-newsroom/) - British far-right activist **Tommy Robinson** [found guilty](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/28/tommy-robinson-found-guilty-of-harassing-journalists) of harassing **two journalists** - **Egyptian court** [orders closure of independent news website](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/court-orders-egyptian-website-closed-case-seen-test-independent-media-2026-10-27/) **Mada Masr** for operating without a license ### 📅 **Looking ahead** **Reddit** is [rolling out a new “For You” feed](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/28/reddit-is-the-latest-platform-to-embrace-the-for-you-feed/) that mixes posts from communities users are part of with recommendations tailored to their interests. Other sites like Instagram and X have already implemented similar features, modeled after **TikTok’s** successful format. On Reddit, this could reshape how people discover not just information and entertainment but also communities. A [recent Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/10/14/online-community-and-connection-in-america/) from the Pew-Knight Initiative found that online communities can be part of people’s regular information routines. **Nearly four-in-ten U.S. adults are part of an online community,** and the vast majority of people who belong to one (86%) say staying informed is a reason they go to their most-visited online community. Overall, 15% of Americans say they're part of an online community on discussion forums like Reddit. A separate [Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/) found that **about one-in-ten Americans (9%) say they regularly get news on Reddit,** including 18% of adults under 30. ### 📊 **Chart of the week** This week’s chart comes from a [recent analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/10/23/growing-share-of-americans-say-social-media-is-an-important-news-source-for-them/) from the [Pew-Knight Initiative](https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/pew-knight-initiative/) on the **importance of social media in Americans’ news habits. ** A majority of U.S. adults now say social media platforms are an important way for them to keep up with news. This includes 13% who say they are the *most* important way they get news – up from 5% in 2022. ### Majority of Americans now say social media is an important way they get news *% of U.S. adults who say social media is __ for them to keep up with the news* | | The most important way | An important way, but not the most important way | Not an important way | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026 | 13 | 45 | 42 | | 2022 | 5 | 39 | 56 | Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. Refer to the topline for dates of other surveys. *👋 That's all for this week.* The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Mia Hennen. *Do you like this newsletter? 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