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.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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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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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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Gen Z, Millennials Stand Out for Climate Change Activism, Social Media Engagement With Issue
Majorities of Americans support an array of measures to address climate change but stop short of a full break with fossil fuels.
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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.
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Immigration was a top focus of early Biden coverage, especially among outlets with right-leaning audiences
Immigration was one of the five topics most covered by 25 major news outlets in the first 60 days of the Biden administration.
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Broad agreement in U.S. – even among partisans – on which news outlets are part of the ‘mainstream media’
We asked U.S. adults whether they consider each of 13 different news outlets to be a part of the mainstream media or not.
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At 100 Day Mark: Coverage of Biden Has Been Slightly More Negative Than Positive, Varied Greatly by Outlet Type
About two-thirds of news coverage dealt with Biden’s policy agenda, while about three-quarters of early Trump coverage was framed around leadership skills.
