{"id":285992,"date":"2026-01-29T16:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=newsletterglue&#038;p=285992"},"modified":"2026-01-29T16:02:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:02:30","slug":"the-briefing-2026-01-29","status":"publish","type":"newsletterglue","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/the-briefing-2026-01-29\/","title":{"rendered":"Content about ICE is showing up in typically nonpolitical online spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-d77dd12fc4e65850 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-83a85c51f6cf850e wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-a0d64f68fe0f494c wp-block-newsletterglue-list ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:40px;padding-right:20px;color:#2a2a2a\"><ul class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-list\"><li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Political content about ICE is appearing in nonpolitical online spaces<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>In other news:<\/strong> Rumors of major layoffs surround The Washington Post<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> TikTok, under new U.S. ownership, faces accusations of censoring political content<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Weather is Americans\u2019 most followed local news topic<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-881d92d4c99151ec wp-block-newsletterglue-spacer ng-block\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" height=\"25\" style=\"height: 25px !important\" data-height=\"25px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-faf73e048076b155 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>\ud83d\udd25&nbsp;<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-8d031a0c42423648 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>Following the killing of <strong>Alex Pretti<\/strong> by federal agents in <strong>Minneapolis<\/strong> on Saturday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2026\/01\/27\/alex-pretti-death-trump-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">political content has been appearing<\/a> even in online spaces that typically steer clear of the news and focus on other topics \u2013 from pets and sports to hobbies like sewing or whiskey.<br><br>We\u2019ve found that content about current events often permeates social media users\u2019 online experience whether they want it to or not. While relatively few adults said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 Pew Research Center study<\/a> that getting news is a major reason they use social media platforms \u2013 just 8% of Instagram users said this, for example \u2013 <strong>large majorities encounter news there anyway.<\/strong> At least two-thirds of X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram users said they see people expressing opinions about current events on those sites.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-f59369d16d4f2641 wp-block-newsletterglue-spacer ng-block\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" height=\"25\" style=\"height: 25px !important\" data-height=\"25px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-b6989d799058ad4c wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>\ud83d\udccc&nbsp;<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-6cd055d6a664f4e9 wp-block-newsletterglue-list ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:40px;padding-right:20px;color:#2a2a2a\"><ul class=\"wp-block-newsletterglue-list\"><li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Washington Post<\/strong> <strong>reporters<\/strong> appeal to <strong>Jeff<\/strong> <strong>Bezos <\/strong>as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jan\/26\/washington-post-february-job-cuts-layoffs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">layoff rumors spread<\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Bari Weiss <\/strong>announces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/27\/bari-weiss-cbs-contributors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new lineup of CBS contributors<\/a>, including podcasters and independent writers\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\">After deep cuts to government funding for <strong>U.S. public media,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/26\/business\/media\/npr-pbs-stations-funding.html?unlocked_article_code=1.H1A.nl4t.q9S9pbhbS2G8&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donors and philanthropies<\/a> stepped in\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\">Outgoing <strong>BBC <\/strong>boss <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jan\/26\/bbc-tim-davie-licence-fee-funding-model\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">concerned about the broadcaster\u2019s future<\/a> without changes to funding structure<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Canada <\/strong>in discussions about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/business\/article\/ottawa-remains-open-to-deal-with-meta-to-restore-news-to-facebook-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bringing news back to Facebook and other Meta platforms<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>WhatsApp<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/whatsapp-unveils-high-security-mode-latest-tech-firm-offer-users-stronger-2026-01-27\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">introduces higher-security option<\/a>, including additional safeguards for public figures and journalists; Meta also to test <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/868439\/meta-premium-subscription-ai-facebook-instagram-whatsapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">premium subscriptions<\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>Top U.K. antitrust regulator <\/strong>rules <strong>Google <\/strong>must <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adweek.com\/media\/uk-regulator-google-publishers-ai-control\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allow creators and publishers more control<\/a> over how <strong>AI<\/strong> uses their content<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\">How <strong>McClatchy <\/strong>is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/feature\/fight-over-ai-mcclatchy-union-dog-sidecar-listicle-summary.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discussing the use of AI internally<\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"ng-block\" style=\"padding-bottom:0px\"><strong>California Post,<\/strong> offshoot of New York Post, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-post-news-corp-murdoch-los-angeles-b7d3974a070c7ce4ed91e94fd1494d25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launches in Los Angeles<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-79996fbd9d4bd659 wp-block-newsletterglue-spacer ng-block\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" height=\"20\" style=\"height: 20px !important\" data-height=\"20px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-aabb34f5777ee156 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>\ud83d\udcc5&nbsp;<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-254c2de742c0507a wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>Days after TikTok\u2019s U.S. operations <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tiktok-deal-us-china-eccb46c3bfee4cf3d362a01fe4968a4f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">transferred to new owners<\/a>, users have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/28\/ice-facebook-trump-tiktok-minnesota-pretti\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accused the platform of censoring content<\/a> related to <strong>ICE raids<\/strong> and the <strong>Trump administration&#8217;s immigration crackdown.<\/strong> Some people have reported an inability to post content, which TikTok has blamed on technical issues. Meanwhile, <strong>California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/01\/26\/newsom-to-review-if-tiktok-is-censoring-trump-critical-content-00748727\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced plans to investigate<\/a> the matter to see if TikTok has violated state laws.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-ea8991c53e313f48 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p><strong>One-in-five U.S. adults say they regularly get news on TikTok,<\/strong> according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/09\/25\/1-in-5-americans-now-regularly-get-news-on-tiktok-up-sharply-from-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2025 Center survey<\/a>, up from 3% in 2020. Among TikTok users themselves, more than half (55%) regularly get news there. That share has more than doubled from 22% in 2020, indicating major growth in the presence of news on the platform over the past several years.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-1e8b3cb21245b11b wp-block-newsletterglue-spacer ng-block\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" height=\"25\" style=\"height: 25px !important\" data-height=\"25px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-4b2970b405b0154a wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:18px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>\ud83d\udcca&nbsp;<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-79864d8f276e95ad wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>In the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/27\/winter-storm-weather-snow-power-outages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major winter storms<\/a> across the U.S., this week\u2019s chart comes from <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/05\/07\/americans-changing-relationship-with-local-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our 2024 report<\/a> on Americans\u2019 experiences with local news. Of the local news topics we asked about, <strong>weather is the only one that most Americans follow often.<\/strong> Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) say they often get news about local weather \u2013 double the share of those who often get news about local crime, the next-most followed topic.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-4c5b3440138c6156 wp-block-newsletterglue-image ng-block size-640-wide is-resized\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"center\" style=\"padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/04\/PJ_2024.05.07_local-news-trends_2-01.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"ng-image\" style=\"border-style:none;border-color:transparent\" width=\"420\" height=\"431\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-bc1d414483b2a040 wp-block-newsletterglue-spacer ng-block\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" height=\"25\" style=\"height: 25px !important\" data-height=\"25px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-bacfb03c8acbc940 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-be95835c6ae3da9c wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p>The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Anna Jackson.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-9b154da6b0b1c5cc wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div width=\"100%\" class=\"ng-block-97b7a0ccd81a08a6 wp-block-newsletterglue-text ng-block\" style=\"color:#2a2a2a\"><div><div><div class=\"ng-block-td\" align=\"none\" style=\"font-size:16px;font-family:Georgia;line-height:1.6;font-weight:normal;padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;text-align:none;color:#2a2a2a\"><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":653,"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_webview":"blog","subject_line":"","datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":""},"tags":[],"ngl_newsletter_cat":[2042],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"formats":[],"_fund_pool":[],"class_list":["post-285992","newsletterglue","type-newsletterglue","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ngl_newsletter_cat-the-briefing"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":593,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/the-briefing-2026-01-29\/","_embeds":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prepublish_checks":{},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletterglue\/285992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletterglue"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletterglue"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285992"},{"taxonomy":"ngl_newsletter_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ngl_newsletter_cat?post=285992"},{"taxonomy":"level_of_effort","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/level_of_effort?post=285992"},{"taxonomy":"primary_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/primary_audience?post=285992"},{"taxonomy":"information_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/information_type?post=285992"},{"taxonomy":"formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/formats?post=285992"},{"taxonomy":"_fund_pool","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_fund_pool?post=285992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}