By: Natalia Ramos Buitrago, Community Manager, and Natalia Riveros Anzola, Manager of Alliances and Strategic Communications, ETHOS BT
The Digital News Report is a research project by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, England. The report reveals new keys to the consumption of digital news, after having surveyed more than 93,000 people in different countries around the world, including Colombia.
To offer broader context, the report published in 2021 showed positive signs for the information sector, such as: greater trust in traditional media by users, and greater consumption of news on subscription platforms. The report indicates that the above may be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, where many people were looking for reliable information about it.
By 2022, different variables can be seen in how news is being consumed and the platforms used for this purpose, for example, the arrival of new platforms such as TikTok, the increase in the birth of alternative media, and format innovation, among others. . The report suggests that these variables change the panorama of news consumption in the world: 23% of people surveyed prefer to start their day by consulting a website or an application to obtain information.
The Colombian panorama is not far from this new reality, since, like in other parts of the world, we are experiencing significant changes in the structure of our country. The presidential and legislative elections dominated journalistic coverage. The report mentions that the high use of social networks and smartphones in the country has generated more relevant actors such as El Tiempo, the most read newspaper in the country and which exceeded 100,000 digital subscriptions (which gives it the third place in South America), invest in digital.
The pandemic, for its part, brought some changes in news consumption, which has traditionally and historically occurred on television as the main source of information. So, for example, alternative media are beginning to take over people's information agendas, such as Channel 1, which has remained online thanks to a crowdfunding campaign. This type of media thrives in part, “thanks to consumers' appetite for independent and more critical coverage.”
Both the elections and the social protests within the framework of the Duque government were reflected in the media, and, the report points out, “the media are becoming more polarized.” According to García-Perdomo, 74% of those surveyed in Colombia indicated that “sometimes or occasionally they try to avoid news,” this is a figure with the highest levels in the entire report.
Regarding the consumption of information or news on social networks, it is noted that online misinformation through these platforms and messaging applications “continues to be a problem.” 61% of those surveyed are concerned when it comes to distinguishing fake news.
We share with you some figures to take into account in the Information Age and the challenges it poses for projects such as DIP (Detox Information Project), which aims to help Colombia reduce its vulnerability to misinformation and polarization:
57% of Colombians surveyed share news online.
86% of respondents (urban sample) get their news mostly online, including social networks.
The other means by which the Colombians surveyed get their information are: 55% through television and 28% through the written press.
Overall trust in news dropped 3 points (40% in 2021 to 37% in 2022).
“Trust in the news that each person consumes has dropped 6 percentage points (from 45% to 39%), a figure most likely related to the growing polarization of the media due to the presidential and legislative elections.”
DIP - Detox Information Project
It is an ETHOS BT project , an innovation center and consulting firm in behavioral sciences that uses science, evidence and communication tools to improve human interaction and bring benefits to both organizations and society. DIP is the first digital and information literacy project in Colombia that uses behavioral sciences, communication and technology to help the country reduce its vulnerability to misinformation and polarization. www.somosdip.com
References
Reuters Institute. 2022. Digital News Report 2022. United Kingdom. Retrieved from: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2022