☀️ Happy Thursday! This week we look at independent news producers online, Black Americans and local news, and views about AI. Sign up here!
In today’s email:
- Top story: How independent content creators are reshaping news consumption
- New from Pew Research Center: Black Americans’ engagement with local news
- In other news: Moldova blocks access to Russian news agency websites
- Looking ahead: President Biden issues an executive order addressing concerns about AI
- Chart of the week: Black Americans who feel more attached to their local community hold more positive views of their local news media
🔥 Top story
Independent creators are reshaping news consumption as people seek accessible and engaging news formats that resonate more with their daily lives, and more young adults now turn to social media platforms for news than to websites associated with traditional news outlets.
Amid these changes, the social media universe also has witnessed the rise of alternative platforms such as Rumble, BitChute and Telegram. In a 2022 Center survey, 6% of Americans said they regularly get news from any of seven alt-social sites, which generally have conservative-leaning audiences. The study also looked at prominent accounts on these sites, finding that the vast majority are individuals with no declared affiliation to any organization.
🚨 New from Pew Research Center
A new Pew Research Center analysis looks at how Black Americans engage with local news.
Key findings include:
- 36% of Black Americans say they see or hear news coverage about their local community extremely or fairly often, while an additional 39% say they encounter local news sometimes.
- 58% say say local journalists in their area are mostly in touch with their nearby community, while 38% say local journalists are mostly out of touch.
- Black adults ages 65 and older (46%) are twice as likely as those under 30 (23%) to see news coverage about their local community extremely or fairly often. Older Black adults also are more likely to say local journalists are in touch and local coverage is mostly fair.
📌 In other news
- Moldova blocks access to websites of Russian news agencies
- SCOTUS to debate cases about online speech in upcoming term
- News trade group says AI chatbots rely on copyrighted news articles
- BBC launches emergency radio service to provide Gazans with the latest information and developments on the war
- Media advocacy group calls for an investigation into the deaths of 34 journalists in the Israel-Hamas war
- Press freedom advocates raise concerns about a reporter’s arrest in Alabama
- Condé Nast announces it will lay off 5% of its employees in restructuring
📅 Looking ahead
On Monday, President Biden issued an executive order aimed at setting new standards for safety and security surrounding artificial intelligence.
According to a recent Center survey, 52% of Americans said they feel more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI. Just 10% said they are more excited than concerned, while 36% said they feel an equal mix of these emotions.
In addition, Americans are divided about whether they think AI helps more (33%) or hurts more (27%) when it comes to people finding accurate information online, with 40% saying they are not sure.
📊 Chart of the week
This week, we released an analysis of how Black Americans engage with local news. We found that Black Americans who say they feel extremely or very attached to their local community are more likely to hear or see local news, and also to view the local news media positively.
👋 That’s all for this week.
The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Katerina Eva Matsa, Michael Lipka and Mark Jurkowitz, and copy edited by Rebecca Leppert.
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