menu
Weekly Online Magazine
ISSN 2544-5839
zamknij
Media Review image

7.07.2025 Media industry

Influencers and social video rule information. Digital News Report 2025

Krzysztof Fiedorek

Seconds of vertical clips set the future of news. TikTok, YouTube and an army of influencers pull viewers away from TV sets and newspaper pages. Whoever masters this new pulse seizes not only attention but also control of the story.
Poczytaj artykuł wydanie polskie w wydaniu polskim

Influencers and social video rule information. Digital News Report 2025illustration: DALL-E

Web users shift from classic social networks to video platforms. Nic Newman and the Reuters Institute team state this in the latest "Digital News Report 2025". Facebook still leads for news reach, edging past YouTube. Yet TikTok grabs momentum fastest. In Thailand, almost half of respondents (49%) now follow news there. That figure is up ten points in a year.

In practice, this signals the rapid ageing of traditional text formats. Publishers that once banked on long reads must now serve vertical video, short clips and live streams to hold the eye. Newsrooms in Mexico and the Philippines already reshuffle teams and schedules because the TikTok algorithm rewards frequency.

  • 36% use Facebook for news
  • 30% choose YouTube for the same purpose
  • 16% worldwide take news from TikTok

The rise of short forms sparks a battle for seconds of focus. The viewer scans the screen for a headline that grabs in the first two sentences. Journalists adapt, recording punchy intros that give the number, location and main actor at once. Nic Newman’s analysis shows that average watch time for news shorts rose by 27% year on year.


Influencers. New newsroom old problem


Newsrooms once chose the front-page topics. Now online creators come first. In the United States, 22% said they listened to Joe Rogan in the week after the president’s inauguration. In France, Hugo Travers ("HugoDécrypte") draws the same share of viewers under 35. Popularity brings power. Audiences say that influencers rival big networks in shaping debate.

Creator / CountryWeekly reachMain platform
Joe Rogan / USA22% online viewersPodcast + YouTube
Hugo Travers / France22% viewers < 35 yrsYouTube + TikTok
Gustavo Gayer / Brazil1.9 m subscriptionsYouTube
Dhruv Rathee / India19 m subscriptionsYouTube
BeerBiceps / India6.5 m subscriptionsYouTube
source: Reuters Digital News Report 2025


Respondents also name online creators as the top potential source of misinformation. As many as 47% see them as the main threat alongside politicians. Experts note that an influencer enjoys a ‘parasocial’ bond with viewers. They talk directly, answer comments and the algorithm pushes the video to like-minded users. The result is content that skips the old newsroom filter and fact-checking.

Newsrooms respond by inviting star creators to debates or asking them to cross-post verified content. The British BBC runs a TikTok duet series where a journalist answers an influencer’s comments, correcting rumours. "Le Monde" recruited famous economic YouTubers to explain inflation in an ‘explain like I’m five’ style. The report’s authors say such alliances can limit the reach of false stories if both sides stay clear about sources.

Video format takes over news


Video is not only growing. It already dominates. The share of social video in news use jumped from 52% in 2020 to 65% in 2025. In the United States, weekly viewing of video news rose from 55% to 72% in just four years. Most of that use, 61%, happens on social platforms rather than publisher sites.

  • 52% → 65% social video share in 2020-2025
  • 55% → 72% Americans watch video news weekly
  • 61% viewers pick platforms, 29% publisher sites
  • 67% → 75% growth in any video news viewing worldwide

SELF PROMOTION. Listen to the story of FORBES magazine. Discover our #mediaHISTORY podcast

Data show that text is fast losing its edge even in reading-strong nations such as Germany or the United Kingdom. Younger audiences would rather swipe a screen than scan columns. "Digital News Report 2025" advises newsrooms to move budget from page layout to editing. It also urges them to place vertical video on their own sites.

The "New York Times" shows the payoff. Adding a vertical video carousel on the home page raised average time on site by 18%, and paywall clicks held steady. "The Economist" saw a similar effect after placing thirty second reporter clips above classic leads. Nic Newman notes that viewers love short form yet still return for depth when a video signals the scale of an issue.

Digital News Report 2025 was produced through cooperation between the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and YouGov. The survey covered 94 943 internet users in 47 countries, interviewed online in January to February 2025. Results were weighted to reflect the online population in each country. The full report is free on the Reuters Institute site.

Share the article:

dodaj na Facebook prześlij przez Messenger dodaj na Twitter dodaj na LinkedIn

COMMERCIAL BREAK
Work In Media

New articles in section Media industry

YouTube redefines viewer engagement. Goodbye to returning viewers

KFi
As many as 30% of internet users now turn to YouTube as their main news source, and 65% consume news in video form. Now the platform is shaking things up. Reach still matters, but engagement is what really counts.

Cyberviolence and hate disguised as a joke. The RAYUELA report on youth

Krzysztof Fiedorek
The study conducted in five countries reveals a harsh truth. Online violence is not evenly distributed. It is a digital map of prejudice that hurts the most those who stand out the most. "It’s just a joke." That’s how violence often begins. Young people go through it in silence.

Trust in social media. Youtube beats TikTok and X

Krzysztof Fiedorek
Do we really trust social media? A new study reveals major differences in how top platforms are rated. Trust goes where there's authenticity, not just algorithms. The role of people is growing while brand influence is fading.


See articles on a similar topic:

Trends in Media and Entertainment. DataArt Predictions for 2019

KF
Increasing consumption of content on mobile devices, growing demand for on-demand services, and the rapid development of user-generated content are the trends expected to dominate the tech sector in 2019, according to DataArt, a global technology consulting firm.

The Future of Journalism and Media. Predictions by Reuters Institute

KFi
74% of publishers fear a decline in search traffic. Paid subscribers are no longer growing as they used to, and relationships with tech giants are becoming increasingly complex. The report "Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025" forecasts what lies ahead for the media world in 2025.

Fake News in Poland. Challenges in Assessing Information Credibility

RINF
One in four information consumers relies on sources where verifying credibility is a significant challenge. Fake news remains a major issue, as indicated by 77% of respondents, with 51% admitting they struggle to discern truth from falsehood, according to Deloitte's *Digital Consumer Trends 2021* report.

Automation of Disinformation. Global Risks Report 2025 and Media

Krzysztof Fiedorek
Disinformation and information manipulation have ranked first among global threats in both the two-year and ten-year perspectives. A particularly concerning factor is that social media algorithms often favor controversial or shocking content, further fueling disinformation.

More in the section: Media industry

Work in media

United States
New York • Washington DC • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Phoenix • Philadelphia United Kingdom
London • Birmingham • Manchester • Liverpool • Glasgow • Edinburgh Canada
Toronto • Ottawa • Montreal • Calgary Australia
Sydney • Melbourne • Brisbane • canberra Ireland, New Zealand, India

advertisement

Media Review 24/7




community

Facebook LinkedIn X Twitter TikTok Instagram Threads Youtube Google News Blue Sky Social RSS

Reporterzy.info - online media studies magazine. The world of communication from the inside. Media, journalism, PR and marketing. Data, reports, analyses, advice. History and market, law, photography, job offers.



Reporter shopping

Reporter shopping

Affordable laptops, notebooks and netbooks
Affordable laptops, notebooks and netbooks
for writing
Digital SLR and compact cameras
Digital SLR and compact cameras
for photographers
Books and e-books about media
Books and e-books about media
for reading
Video drones and flying cameras
Video drones and flying cameras
for pilots
Gimbals for stabilizing video
Gimbals for stabilizing video
for those on the move
Software and apps for creative work
Software and apps for creative work
for digital creators
More occasions

follow us 👉 on Youtube
Watch more 👇
#4Lines 4 a Good(?) Morning SHORTS
Read books and e-books

Read books and e-books

Okładka Media Control. The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
Media Control. The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
Okładka The 40-Day Social Media Fast
The 40-Day Social Media Fast
Okładka Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies
Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies
Okładka Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
Okładka Beyond The Feed: A Social Media Success Formula
Beyond The Feed: A Social Media Success Formula
Okładka Trust Me, I`m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
Trust Me, I`m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
more books and e-books

Reporterzy.info

More about us

Our tools and services

Contact


© Dwornik.pl Bartłomiej Dwornik 2oo1-2o25