Digital News Landscape

fact sheetApr 14, 2026

Pew Research Center photo illustration.

The landscape of local news in the U.S. has changed significantly in recent decades as Americans have been turning away from print and television and toward digital media. In 2025, 21% of Americans say they follow local news very closely, down from 37% in 2016.

short readMar 24, 2026

People watch as others drive away from the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

When a breaking news event happens, 36% of U.S. adults say they typically turn first to their preferred news organization to get more information.

reportFeb 19, 2026

Three-in-ten U.S. adults say they at least sometimes get news from newsletters, but many don’t read most of the newsletters they get.

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Digital News Landscape

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short readsNov 20, 2014

About 1 in 5 victims of online harassment say it happened in the comments section

While social media sites were the most common place noted for online harassment in a recent Pew Research Center survey, about a fifth of internet users cited website comments sections as places where they had that experience.
short readsOct 9, 2014

Cutbacks at CNN highlight the cable news paradox

In terms of TV viewership, cable news peaked as a medium around the 2008 presidential election and, while showing impressive potential in digital, the business model is uncertain.
short readsOct 2, 2014

Turks don’t like their national press much, but rely on it heavily for news

Only 32% of Turks said that the media is having a good influence on the way things are going in Turkey.
short readsSep 5, 2014

What drove spike in public comments on net neutrality? Likely, a comedian

While some evidence suggests that the amount of news media coverage mirrored that of the public’s comments on the FCC’s proposed net neutrality policy changes, our analysis found that more likely drivers of comments were grassroots efforts, as well as a popular comedian’s 13-minute segment on net neutrality that aired on cable television and found a large online audience.
short readsAug 25, 2014

Where was Ferguson in my Facebook feed?

There were big differences in the content related to Ferguson on Twitter and Facebook. Was the reason what users wanted from each, or the sites’ algorithms?
short readsJun 5, 2014

On TV, few amateur journalists get credit for their contributions to the news

At a time when ordinary citizens are increasingly functioning as on-scene reporters, nearly three-quarters (72%) of that amateur content that aired on these television outlets was not identified as such.
reportMay 22, 2014

The EU Elections on Twitter

An analysis of the Twitter conversation on the eve of the European Union elections suggest that those social media users are divided on the value of the EU and not particularly excited about the candidates for the European Commission presidency.
short readsMay 15, 2014

Net neutrality: A made-for-web debate

The complex issue of net neutrality is not likely to be dinner conversation for many in the U.S. Still, the Federal Communications Commission vote expected today could dramatically impact the flow of digital content Americans receive, not to mention the bottom line for many major U.S. technology and content companies. So, where could the public […]
reportMay 15, 2014

Net Neutrality: A Made for Web Debate Methodology

This report used several different research methods. Data regarding the volume of terms on Twitter used Crimson Hexagon. Data regarding the terminology used during Google searches and the language used by newspapers were derived by the use of Google Trends and searches of LexisNexis. Twitter The volume of tweets was measured using computer coding software […]
short readsApr 25, 2014

As digital ad sales grow, news outlets get a smaller share

While the digital ad pie is growing, the numbers show that news organizations are competing for an increasingly smaller share of those dollars.