6 key takeaways about the state of the news media in 2020
We’ve updated our series of fact sheets on the U.S. news media industry. Here are some key findings about the state of the industry in 2020.
Journalism
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U.S. newsroom employment has fallen 26% since 2008
While newspapers have seen steep job losses from 2008 to 2020, digital-native news organizations have seen considerable gains.
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Republicans less likely to trust their main news source if they see it as ‘mainstream’; Democrats more likely
Americans’ trust in media varies widely by political party and whether they see the outlet in question as part of the “mainstream media.”
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Facebook Posts in Early Days of Biden Administration Reflect Ideological Divide
A new study of posts on popular public Facebook pages about the early days of the Biden administration finds that the focus of these posts, as well as the assessments of the new president, differed widely by the ideological orientation of the pages.
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What makes a news story trustworthy? Americans point to the outlet that publishes it, sources cited
U.S. adults’ views of what makes a news story trustworthy vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits.
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Use of anonymous sources uncommon in early Biden coverage, least likely in outlets with right-leaning audiences
11% of stories about Joe Biden’s early days as president cited an anonymous or unnamed source, and fewer than 1% relied solely on such sources.
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Americans in news media ‘bubbles’ think differently about foreign policy than others
Differences within each party on views of foreign policy emerge based on where Americans turn for political news.
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COVID-19 was pervasive in the media’s early coverage of the Biden administration
The pandemic and its effects on society became a pervasive part of the media narrative about Joe Biden’s first 60 days in office.
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Trump mentioned in about half of Biden stories during early weeks in office, but less so over time
During the first 60 days of the new administration, roughly half of stories about the Biden administration mentioned Donald Trump in some way.
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A third of large U.S. newspapers experienced layoffs in 2020, more than in 2019
Staff layoffs continued to pummel the beleaguered U.S. newspaper industry in 2020, a period complicated by the impact of the pandemic.
