Most Americans (69%) say they are following news about the candidates for the 2024 presidential election very or fairly closely. And 73% say they have seen inaccurate news coverage about the election at least somewhat often.
Learn more about: Where Americans turn for election news | How Americans feel about election coverage
Weekly updates on the world of news & information
All
Publications
In 2016, 51% of U.S. adults said they followed the news all or most of the time, but that share fell to 38% in 2022.
Black Americans see a range of problems with how Black people are covered in the news. Almost two-thirds of Black adults (63%) say news about Black people is often more negative than news about other racial and ethnic groups. And while few are optimistic that will change in the foreseeable future, many see ways in which that coverage could be improved.
Local TV companies generated more revenue in 2022 than in 2021, consistent with a cyclical pattern in which advertising revenue rises in election years and falls in non-election years.
In 2022, both prime-time and daytime cable news audiences increased for Fox News but decreased for CNN, MSNBC and Newsmax.
Financially, advertiser expenditures for the news programs of the three major networks have declined substantially since 2020.
About eight-in-ten Americans ages 12 and older listen to terrestrial radio in a given week.
News media made by and for Black and Hispanic Americans – the two largest racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. – have been a consistent part of the country’s news landscape. Explore statistics on the Hispanic- and Black-oriented news industry.
Hundreds of local and regional radio and television stations comprise the U.S. public media system.
Most Americans say the U.S. government and technology companies should each take steps to restrict false information and extremely violent content online.
As they watch the splashy emergence of generative artificial intelligence and an array of other AI applications, experts participating in a new Pew Research Center canvassing say they have deep concerns about people’s and society’s overall well-being. At the same time, they expect to see great benefits in health care, scientific advances and education
More Americans now prefer to get local news online, while fewer turn to TV or print. And most say local news outlets are important to their community.
U.S.-born Latinos mostly get their news in English and prefer it in English, while immigrant Latinos have much more varied habits.
Thousands of guests appeared on the top-ranked podcasts in 2022, but a relatively small number accounted for a majority of appearances. 76% of top-ranked podcasts brought on at least one guest in 2022, and 27% almost always or regularly featured guests.
Black Americans see a range of problems with how Black people are covered in the news. Almost two-thirds of Black adults (63%) say news about Black people is often more negative than news about other racial and ethnic groups. And while few are optimistic that will change in the foreseeable future, many see ways in which that coverage could be improved.
© 2024 Pew Research Center
