Some 61% of Irish media consumers are concerned about what is real
and what is fake on the internet. This is one of the findings from the Reuters Digital News Report (Ireland) 2019,
which was released today (12.06.19). This represents an increase of 4
percentage points on last year, when 57% of Irish respondents to the
international study said they were concerned about ‘fake news’ on the
internet. The Irish figure is considerably higher than the EU average of
51%.
This is the fifth year that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
(BAI) has funded the inclusion of Ireland in the Reuters Institute
Digital News study, as part of its work on fostering media plurality in
Ireland. Now covering 38 countries across the world, the annual study
aims to understand how news is being consumed globally, with a
particular focus on digital news consumption and the devices used to
access the news. The BAI has commissioned the Institute for Future Media
and Journalism (FuJo) at Dublin City University to produce a specific
report on the Irish results of the survey for the last five years. The
data for the research was collected between January–February 2019,
reflecting the same data collection timeframe for previous years.
The research found that more than a quarter (26%) of Irish news
consumers made a decision not to share a news story in the last year
because they doubted its accuracy. It also found that 22% of respondents
had stopped using certain news sources because they were unsure about
the accuracy of their reporting. However, Irish media achieved the
highest rating for helping Irish news consumers understand the news of
the day (59%), marginally ahead of the UK (57%) and well above the
European figure of 48%.
The research also discovered that while 69% of Irish 18-24-year-olds
were concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet, this
age group is also among the least interested in news and politics, with
less than half (46%) saying they were very or extremely interested in
news and just over a quarter (26%) saying they were interested in
politics.
Other findings include:
Paying for news: Paying for news through
subscriptions, donations and once-off payments remains flat, at 11% in
the EU and 9% in the UK. In Ireland it stands at 12%, an increase of 1
percentage point on last year. Of those who do pay, the majority (51%)
only have one subscription. The 25-34-year age group was most likely to
pay for online news (19%) and the 55-64-year age group was least likely
to do so (7%). Looking at online media subscriptions as a whole, when
respondents were asked what they would choose if they could only have
one subscription for the next year, video streaming services (e.g.
Netflix, Amazon Prime) were the most popular (35%). Some 21% said they
would not subscribe to any online media, and 13% chose an online sport
event or channel. Online news came in fifth place (9%), behind music
streaming (11%) and ahead of online gaming (4%) and online dating (1%).
Open vs closed social networks being used for news:
While Facebook remains the most important social network for news in
Ireland (37%), closed social networks, such as WhatsApp and Facebook
Messenger are increasing in popularity for sharing or discussing news in
some parts of the world. In Brazil, 53% of respondents said they use
Whatsapp for news on a weekly basis (up 5 percentage points on 2018),
with a similar figure in Malaysia (50%). In Ireland, that figure is 15%,
up 2 percentage points on last year. For comparison, in the UK, 9% of
respondents said they use Whatsapp for news, up 4 percentage points on
the previous year. Elsewhere in Europe, the figure ranged from 3% in
Sweden to 36% in Spain.
Sources of news: Radio remains the top first source
of news in the morning for Irish respondents (33%), however, this is
down 6 percentage points since 2016, when the question was last asked.
Internet, via smartphone, has increased significantly over this period,
up 10 percentage points to 31%. There was no change recorded in TV (16%)
or printed newspaper (4%). Facebook was the top choice for smartphone
users (35%), followed by news website or app (32%).
Podcasts: Ireland continues to lead the survey in
podcast consumption, with 37% of Irish respondents saying they listened
to a podcast in the last month. The EU average was 33%.
Commenting, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland chief executive,
Michael O’Keeffe said: “The rapid pace at which technology continues to
change the media landscape around the world presents particular
challenges to those charged with ensuring that the regulatory
environment remains appropriate. Over the past five years, the BAI has
invested in the Reuters Digital News Report (Ireland), ensuring that
Ireland is included in this international study. This investment has
proved invaluable in providing timely insights into news consumption
trends internationally and facilitates Irish comparisons.
“Strong digital literacy amongst Irish media consumers is essential
in dealing with the challenges of the evolving media landscape.
Enhancing this competency is one of the BAI’s strategic objectives and
is an area in which we are taking a leadership role through the Be Media
Smart Initiative. The research shows that Irish news consumers are
becoming more aware of disinformation with over 60% expressing a concern
about fake news. In addition, the BAI was pleased to note that Irish
people are more positive about the value of the news media with 59%
agreeing that it helps them understand the news of the day. The fact
that radio is still the first source of news for Irish people in the
morning is heartening.”
Director of FuJo, Dr Jane Suiter added: “Access to quality journalism is essential to a functioning democracy. While there is a very slow increase in the numbers of Irish people willing to pay for news online, overall, Irish people’s interest in news remains consistently high and their questioning of the veracity of news sources is encouraging, but needs to increase. Quality journalism is important to a cohesive society and in this turbulent time, news providers must continue to champion the idea that quality online news is a necessity, rather than a luxury.”
Read the full report