In Nebraska, 58% of all reporters covering the state capitol this year – 40 of 69 – are student reporters.
Nonprofit news reporters now account for 20% of the nation’s total statehouse press corps, up from 6% eight years ago.
The total number of journalists assigned to state capitol buildings is up 11% since 2014, though figures vary widely by state. And as newspapers employ fewer statehouse reporters, nonprofits are filling much of the void.
A new Pew Research Center study finds there were 1,761 journalists assigned to U.S. state capitol buildings as of late 2021 and early 2022. The number of reporters covering the statehouse varies widely from state to state, with some capitols filled with dozens of full-time reporters and others hosting only four or five.
There are 245 newspaper reporters who cover the statehouse full time in 2022 in the United States, down from 374 in 2014.
64% of members of Congress mentioned Black History Month on Facebook or Twitter in February 2021, up from just 29% in 2015.
Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.
Fully 70% of U.S. adult Twitter news consumers say they have used Twitter to follow live news events, up from 59% who said this in 2015.
A minority of Twitter users produce a majority of tweets from U.S. adults, and the most active tweeters are less likely to view the tone or civility of discussions as a major problem on the site.
In just five years, the percentage of Republicans with at least some trust in national news organizations has been cut in half.
