News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2018
Most Americans continue to get news on social media, even though many have concerns about its accuracy.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
News Platforms & Sources
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News Platforms & Sources
Publications
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Many Facebook users don’t understand how the site’s news feed works
Around half of U.S. adults who use Facebook say they do not understand why certain posts but not others are included in their news feed. Older users are particularly likely to say they do not understand the workings of the news feed.
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About a third of large U.S. newspapers have suffered layoffs since 2017
Newspaper layoffs have far from abated in the past year, and digital-native news outlets are also suffering losses. At least 36% of the largest U.S. newspapers and at least 23% of the highest-traffic digital-native news outlets experienced layoffs between January 2017 and April 2018.
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Many tweeted about immigration news in Trump’s first month in office, but frequent users drove traffic
About eight-in-ten Twitter users who tweeted about immigration with a link in the first month of the Trump presidency shared at least one tweet that had a link to a news site.
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The news that bots share on Twitter tends not to focus on politics
On Twitter, suspected bots are far more active in sharing links to news sites focusing on nonpolitical content than to sites with a political focus.
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Distinguishing Between Factual and Opinion Statements in the News
The politically aware, digitally savvy and those more trusting of the news media fare better in differentiating factual statements from opinions.
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Across Western Europe, public news media are widely used and trusted sources of news
In seven Western European countries surveyed, the top main source for news is a public news organization – such as the BBC in the UK, Sveriges Television/Radio (SVT/Radio) in Sweden or ARD in Germany – rather than a private one.
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Declining share of Americans would find it very hard to give up TV
Just 31% of Americans say it would be very hard to give up their TV, down from 2006. In contrast, roughly half of cellphone owners say it would be very hard to give up their cellphone.
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Americans Favor Protecting Information Freedoms Over Government Steps to Restrict False News Online
U.S. adults are mostly against government action that could limit people’s ability to access and publish information online. There is more support for steps by technology companies.
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5 things to know about bots on Twitter
Read key findings and watch a video about our new study on how bot accounts affect the mix of content on Twitter.
