{"id":231290,"date":"2025-05-13T13:50:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=231290"},"modified":"2025-11-07T21:52:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T02:52:22","slug":"what-is-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is News?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-93c2ce85 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links has-small-icon-size has-icon-color has-icon-background-color is-style-pill-shape is-horizontal is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex 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style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);font-style:italic;font-weight:500\" class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-prc-block-subtitle has-serif-font-family\" aria-level=\"2\">How Americans decide what \u2018news\u2019 means to them \u2013 and how it fits into their lives in the digital era<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-cbcdc57d wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-flex\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__bylines\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__prefix\">By<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/kirsten-eddy\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Kirsten Eddy\">Kirsten Eddy<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/katerina-eva-matsa\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Katerina Eva Matsa\">Katerina Eva Matsa<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/michael-lipka\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Michael Lipka\">Michael Lipka<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/naomi-forman-katz\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Naomi Forman-Katz\">Naomi Forman-Katz<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/christopher-st-aubin\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Christopher St. Aubin\">Christopher St. Aubin<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/luxuan-wang\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Luxuan Wang\">Luxuan Wang<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/kaitlyn-radde\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Kaitlyn Radde\">Kaitlyn Radde<\/a> <span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__and-separator\">and<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/justine-coleman\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Justine Coleman\">Justine Coleman<\/a><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2025-05-13T13:50:49-04:00\">May 13, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"9c7e83\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #9c7e83;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"636\" 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data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/supports\" class=\"wp-block-group alignleft is-style-200-wide has-sans-serif-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-1 is-position-sticky block-visibility-hide-medium-screen prc-block-visibility__tablet block-visibility-hide-small-screen prc-block-visibility__mobile\"><ol style=\"line-height:1.2 --block-gap: var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);\" class=\"is-style-default has-text-color has--color has-background has--background-color wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents\" aria-role=\"navigation\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;items&quot;:[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;unattachedPackagePart_231290&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;What Is News?&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;what-is-news&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/journalism\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/13\\\/what-is-news\\\/&quot;,&quot;postId&quot;:231290,&quot;is_active&quot;:true,&quot;items&quot;:[],&quot;chapters&quot;:[],&quot;sections&quot;:[]}],&quot;highlightCurrentSection&quot;:true}\" data-wp-init--map-sections-to-chapters=\"callbacks.mapFoundSectionsToChapters\" data-wp-init--watch-for-section-scroll=\"callbacks.initWatchForSectionScroll\" data-wp-on-document--scroll=\"callbacks.watchForSectionScroll\">\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--chapter=\"context.items\">\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t<li data-wp-each-child=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents::context.items\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news\/\" data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\">What Is News?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-sticky-id=\"sticky-4\" data-wp-init--sticky-support=\"prc-block\/supports::callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/supports\" class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-3 is-position-sticky block-visibility-hide-large-screen prc-block-visibility__desktop\"><ol style=\" --block-gap: var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);\" class=\"is-style-dropdown has-text-color has--color has-background has--background-color wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents\" aria-role=\"navigation\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;items&quot;:[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;unattachedPackagePart_231290&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;What Is News?&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;what-is-news&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/journalism\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/13\\\/what-is-news\\\/&quot;,&quot;postId&quot;:231290,&quot;is_active&quot;:true,&quot;items&quot;:[],&quot;chapters&quot;:[],&quot;sections&quot;:[]}],&quot;highlightCurrentSection&quot;:false}\" data-wp-init--map-sections-to-chapters=\"callbacks.mapFoundSectionsToChapters\" data-wp-init--watch-for-section-scroll=\"callbacks.initWatchForSectionScroll\" data-wp-on-document--scroll=\"callbacks.watchForSectionScroll\">\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--chapter=\"context.items\">\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t<li data-wp-each-child=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents::context.items\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news\/\" data-wp-bind--href=\"context.chapter.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.chapter.label\">What Is News?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Measuring people\u2019s news habits and attitudes has long been a key part of Pew Research Center\u2019s efforts to understand American society. Our surveys regularly ask Americans how closely they are following the news, where they get their news and how much they trust the news they see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">But as people are exposed to more information from more sources than ever before and lines blur between <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram\/\">entertainment, commentary and other types of content<\/a>, these questions are not as straightforward as they once were. This unique study from the Pew-Knight Initiative explores the question: <strong>What is \u201cnews\u201d to Americans \u2013 and what isn\u2019t?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<details data-wp-context=\"{&quot;closeWhenFocusLost&quot;:false,&quot;knightCollectionUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.pewresearch.org\\\/collections\\\/pew-knight-initiative\\\/&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/details\" class=\"wp-block-details is-style-pew-knight-co-branded has-border-color has-ui-gray-light-border-color has-ui-white-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-fe3d8243 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-top-color:var(--wp--preset--color--ui-gray-light);border-top-width:1px;border-right-style:none;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--ui-gray-light);border-bottom-width:1px;border-left-style:none;border-left-width:0px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:0;font-size:clamp(0.875em, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2em) * 0.009), 0.88em);\"><summary data-wp-on--click=\"actions.handleSummaryClick\">Pew Knight Initiative<\/summary>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-container-core-group-is-layout-24afb64e wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-ui-gray-very-dark-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e45698d42be7f81c04346bc92b13d960 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);\">The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ui-gray-very-dark-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-71d33df5fe0a5557a359a0a0336848b7 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);\">Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to supporting informed and engaged communities. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/\"><strong>Learn more &gt;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-style-plus-icon has-border-color has-ui-gray-light-border-color has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-61b01db2 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);font-size:clamp(0.875em, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2em) * 0.009), 0.88em);\"><summary>How we did this<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In studying Americans\u2019 news habits, we often allow the public to define \u201cnews\u201d for themselves. But this may not be as straightforward in the digital age as it once was. The goal of this Pew-Knight Initiative study is to explore what \u201cnews\u201d means to Americans today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We used three different methodologies to investigate this complex question: a qualitative online discussion board with 57 U.S. adults, a nationally representative survey of 9,482 U.S. adults conducted through Pew Research Center\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/our-methods\/u-s-surveys\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">American Trends Panel<\/a> (ATP), and on-the-record, in-depth interviews with 13 journalists and editors. Discussion board and interview responses were lightly edited for spelling, punctuation and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"online-discussion-board\">Online discussion board<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An online discussion board is a digital qualitative research methodology that allows participants to share opinions, engage in multimedia activities and respond to posted topics in a private, asynchronous environment. An online discussion board was moderated by the research firm PSB Insights with 57 U.S. adults from Aug. 26 to 30, 2024. These discussions are not nationally representative, and the results are not framed in quantitative terms. Participants logged onto a virtual platform called Qualzy at their own pace for three days over a week. Moderators probed responses and asked follow-up questions within the platform to understand participants\u2019 underlying emotions and motivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PSB Insights recruited participants using quotas for age, party affiliation, education, race and ethnicity, community type (urban, suburban or rural) and self-reported news engagement level. All participants had to have daily access to a computer or mobile device with high-speed internet access and a working webcam. Fifty-seven participants completed all activities, yielding a 95% response rate from the 60 participants initially recruited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more, refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/jouranlism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news-methodology\/\">detailed methodology<\/a> and an accompanying <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/decoded\/2025\/05\/13\/how-online-discussion-boards-informed-our-study-of-what-news-means-to-americans\">Decoded blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"survey\">Survey<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Respondents were asked questions expanding on our findings from the online discussion board, including to what extent they would consider different topics and sources to be news; which factors are most important when people think about what news is to them; how important it is that news sources share respondents\u2019 political views; and how Americans react emotionally to the news they get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey portion of this analysis was conducted from March 10 to 16, 2025, among 9,482 U.S. adults. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center\u2019s&nbsp;American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Interviews were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors.&nbsp;Read more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/our-methods\/u-s-surveys\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/SR_25.09.28_news-topics_questionnaire.pdf\">questions used<\/a>&nbsp;for this analysis,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/09\/SR_25.09.28_news-topics_topline.pdf\">the topline<\/a> and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/jouranlism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news-methodology\/#the-american-trends-panel-survey-methodology\">survey methodology<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"journalist-interviews\">Journalist interviews<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We conducted a series of individual on-the-record, in-depth interviews from July 18 to Sept. 6, 2024, with 13 journalists and editors at varying levels of editorial leadership. The interviews explored their perspectives on audiences\u2019 understandings of news, as well as how these shifts are impacting news organizations. Participants were recruited to represent a variety of news platforms, journalistic approaches, geographic focuses, audiences, business models and demographics. Each interview was held via phone for around 20 to 40 minutes. The <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/jouranlism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news-methodology\/#journalist-and-editor-interviews\">detailed methodology<\/a> includes a full list of participants and the interview guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a Pew Research Center analysis from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Find related reports online at <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/\">https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Before the rise of digital and social media, researchers had long approached the question of what news is from the <em>journalist perspective<\/em>. Ideas of news were often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/1461670X.2021.1917445\">tied to the institution of journalism<\/a>, and journalists defined news and determined what was newsworthy. \u201cNews\u201d was considered information produced and packaged within news organizations for a passive audience, with emphasis (particularly in the United States) placed on a particular tone, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/423011?seq=1\">set of values<\/a> and the idea of journalism playing a civic role in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/The-Good-Citizen\/Michael-Schudson\/9781451631623\">promoting an informed public<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-2b13e0efc9450df74ce423ccd29e2909 is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:0\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-24744070ccabebaf9b89cbe08a49f6e1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cI think there\u2019s been this huge democratization where the institutions have lost the power they had to control what people saw and watched.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Ben Smith, editor-in-chief, Semafor<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In the digital age, researchers \u2013 including Pew Research Center \u2013 increasingly study news from the <em>audience perspective,<\/em> what some have deemed an \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/21670811.2021.2024764\">audience turn<\/a>.\u201d Using this approach, the concept of news is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/1461670X.2023.2190818?src=recsys\">not necessarily tied to professional journalism<\/a>, and audiences, rather than journalists, determine what is news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The results of this study capture these changing dynamics of news consumption in the U.S. The journalists and editors we interviewed agree that in the digital age, the power to define news has largely shifted from media gatekeepers to the general public. And discussions with everyday Americans confirm the idea that its definition varies greatly from person to person, with each bringing their own mindset and approach to navigating a dizzying information environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeeded\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeeded;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-01.png?resize=480,336 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-01.png?resize=782,547 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-01.png?resize=960,671 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-01.png?resize=1200,839 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-01.png?resize=1280,895 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"448\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-01.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Diagram showing while news is increasingly personalized, people still agree it is up to date, covers topics that are perceived as important to society, is from a recognized, trusted source and is factual\" class=\"wp-image-238420 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These perceptions are consequential because news \u2013 regardless of what people consider it to be \u2013 remains a consistent part of most Americans\u2019 lives today. About three-quarters of U.S. adults (77%) say they follow the news at least some of the time, and 44% say they intentionally seek out news extremely often or often. This study provides a deeper understanding of what \u201cnews\u201d means to Americans and how they decide where to turn for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"key-findings\">Key findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size\">\n<li><strong>Defining news has become a personal, and personalized, experience.<\/strong> People decide what news means to them and which sources they turn to based on a variety of factors, including their own identities and interests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Most people agree that information must be factual, up to date and important to society to be considered news. <\/strong><em>Personal<\/em> importance or relevance also came up often, both in participants\u2019 own words and in their actual behaviors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cHard news\u201d stories about politics and war continue to be what people most clearly think of as news.<\/strong> U.S. adults are most likely to say election updates (66%) and information about the war in Gaza (62%) are \u201cdefinitely news.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>There are also consistent views on what news is <em>not.<\/em> <\/strong>People make clear distinctions between news versus entertainment and news versus opinion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>At the same time, views of news as not being \u201cbiased\u201d or \u201copinionated\u201d can conflict with people\u2019s actual behaviors and preferences. <\/strong>For instance, 55% of Americans believe it\u2019s at least somewhat important that their news sources share their political views.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>People don\u2019t always like news, but they say they need it: <\/strong>While many express negative emotions surrounding news (such as anger or sadness), they also say it helps them feel informed or feel that they \u201cneed\u201d to keep up with it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>People\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>emotions about news are at times tied to broader feelings of media distrust, or specific events going on at that time \u2013 perhaps in combination with individuals\u2019 political identities.<\/strong> For instance, partisans often react positively to news about their own political parties or candidates and negatively to news covering their opposition, which means feelings can shift with political changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The answers to the question <em>\u201cWhat is news?\u201d<\/em> are not always straightforward. As this study confirms, the definitions people hold for news <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/21670811.2021.1885986?src=recsys\">may not be consistent<\/a> with their actual behaviors. There are sometimes clashes between what people believe <em>others<\/em> think of as news and <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/14648849231212737\">what \u201cfeels\u201d like news to them<\/a>. And people often <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full\/10.1177\/1077699020916808\">categorize information as \u201cnews\u201d along a continuum<\/a> rather than as a simple yes-or-no question. Those perceptions vary depending on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taylorfrancis.com\/chapters\/edit\/10.4324\/9781003257998-6\/news-emily-vraga-stephanie-edgerly\">platform<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/17512786.2021.1919178\">source<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2023\/09\/what-is-news-anyway-readers-answers-depend-on-how-much-they-see-people-like-themselves-in-the-story\/\">individual<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">To better understand the nuances of defining \u201cnews,\u201d this multimethod project draws upon three key sources of data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0efee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0efee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-02.png?resize=480,379 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-02.png?resize=782,618 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-02.png?resize=840,664 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"332\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-02.png?w=840\" alt=\"Diagram showing the methods used to find out what Americans think news is, including a qualitative online discussion board, a nationally representative survey and in-depth interviews.\" class=\"wp-image-238421 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>A <strong>qualitative<\/strong> <strong>online discussion board<\/strong> \u2013 where participants (57 U.S. adults) privately completed a range of activities, including open-ended questions, canvas illustrations, rating exercises, and video and screen recordings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>nationally representative survey<\/strong> of 9,482 U.S. adults<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On-the-record,<strong> in-depth interviews<\/strong> with 13 journalists and editors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Discussion board and interview responses were lightly edited for spelling, punctuation and clarity. For more details on each of these approaches, refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/jouranlism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a> or the key takeaways in our accompanying <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/decoded\/2025\/05\/13\/how-online-discussion-boards-informed-our-study-of-what-news-means-to-americans\">Decoded blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;what-americans-think-news-is-and-is-not&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-americans-think-news-is-and-is-not\">What Americans think news is \u2013 and is not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to what \u201cnews\u201d is \u2013 news means something different to everyone. Some online discussion board participants seemed aware of this: As one man in his 60s said, \u201cWhat I consider news might not be news to others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Several attributes of the information itself \u2013 including its <strong>topic<\/strong> and <strong>source<\/strong> \u2013 as well as <strong>participants\u2019 own identities and attitudes<\/strong> play a role in how people (knowingly or not) determine whether something counts as news to them. And in many cases, asking people to describe what news means <em>to them<\/em> seems to result in answers about what they believe makes for <em>high-quality news<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In both our qualitative and survey research, three attributes remain consistent when people describe what news means to them: Information must be factual, up to date and important to society to be considered news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-f66fff763cabcea7d23afc7f19c8d39f is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-5ebd3bf3111517bc02c6dd529917b39d wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cI think that has actually been quite scary for all of us because you have people who have become willing to believe things that are demonstrably not true. \u2026 If they\u2019re willing to believe that &#8230; how do you get them to read and process legitimate news?\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Tracy Weber, managing editor, ProPublica<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The factual nature of information is a key factor in how Americans determine whether something is news or not.<\/strong> In our online discussion board, participants widely said they want news to be \u201cjust the facts,\u201d not opinions or commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">However, journalists expressed concerns about media literacy among the public, including the audience\u2019s ability to discern between \u201cwhat is actual news and factual\u201d versus \u201cunverified sources\u201d and false information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3dedf\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3dedf;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-03.png?resize=480,667 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-03.png?resize=620,862 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"431\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-03.png?w=620\" alt=\"Bar chart showing information being factual and new are top factors for Americans in deciding if it counts as news\" class=\"wp-image-238422 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For many, news also includes anything that is \u201cnew\u201d or up to date,<\/strong> regardless of its impact or relevance. As one woman in her 50s put it, \u201cNews to me is the latest events in the world, both bad and good, as well as the sporting and business world happenings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These perceptions also emerge in our survey data: U.S. adults are most likely to say that whether something is factual (85%) or whether it is up to date (78%) are major factors in thinking about whether it counts as news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These are followed by whether the information is important to society, with 72% of respondents considering this a major factor in deciding what\u2019s news. In the online discussion board, the idea of \u201cimportance\u201d came up in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size\">\n<li><strong>News is <em>societally important:<\/em><\/strong> The information is related to current political and civic issues that they feel hold significance to society or that affect people. One woman in her 20s defined news as \u201cinformation that affects people on a larger scale and globally.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>News is <em>personally important:<\/em><\/strong> The information interests them, is relevant to them or affects their personal lives. As one man in his 20s put it: \u201cNews is the information that matters to me and affects my life on a consistent basis.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-4cd54205a9765f4022a02c6d380e424e is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-22b1dba5fbad0e19c2c7ecb9133e2d67 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cThe definition of what is news is blurring. \u2026 News is a combination of what you need to know and what you want to know and what you find intriguing and didn\u2019t necessarily know you wanted to know about.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Americans are significantly less likely to say personal relevance is a major factor (29%) when they think about what counts as news. But personal importance or relevance came up often when online discussion board participants defined news in their own words \u2013 and especially when they actually encountered information online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">People also hold consistent ideas about what is <em>not<\/em> news:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Opinion or commentary is <em>not<\/em><\/strong> <strong>news.<\/strong> Both journalists and participants make clear distinctions between factual reporting and personal opinion, further emphasizing an idea of news as \u201cjust the facts.\u201d The word \u201chearsay\u201d came up a few times to refer, in participants\u2019 eyes, to information that includes opinions or comes from nontraditional sources (e.g., friends, YouTubers).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-8c3d4d688586cac5296ba82be0db9d2d is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-d9c73a1b77c255e985b25508775f801c wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201c[News is] based in fact and it\u2019s reported. It\u2019s not somebody\u2019s opinion or interpretation of an event or an incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Kimi Yoshino, editor-in-chief, The Baltimore Banner<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Journalists referred to <em>high-quality news<\/em> in the same way that participants defined news: \u201cfactual\u201d reporting without inserted opinion and with attributed sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Similarly, Americans say <strong>news should <em>not<\/em><\/strong> <strong>be biased.<\/strong>&nbsp;Political bias was a recurring \u2013 almost universal \u2013 concern among participants. Many said they believe that at least <em>some<\/em> bias from news sources is inherent and unavoidable. This creates an underlying current of cynicism regarding whether anyone can completely trust any news source, something journalists have perceived in their audiences as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Participants\u2019 ideas of news as not being \u201cbiased\u201d or \u201copinionated\u201d at times conflicts with their actual behaviors \u2013 for instance, they might regularly consume opinionated content, or news sources that other participants perceived as politically biased.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a href=\"#what-is-and-isn-t-news-on-social-media\">Jump to more on how participants navigate news online<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;what-topics-are-considered-news&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-topics-are-considered-news\">What topics are considered news?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">What the American public considers to be \u201cnews\u201d seems to be explained in part by what topic the information falls into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-callout is-style-300-wide has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2130f694 wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"what-is-hard-and-soft-news\">What is hard and soft news?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);\">These terms are traditionally used in the journalism industry to talk about different types of stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);\"><strong>Hard news<\/strong> refers to topics that are considered timely, important or consequential for society. This includes stories about politics, the economy and science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.114), 15px);\"><strong>Soft news<\/strong> refers to topics that are often more entertainment-oriented. This includes celebrity, sports, culture and human-interest stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Topics that fit under the journalism industry\u2019s traditional definition of <strong>\u201chard news\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 that is, news focused on serious or consequential topics, such as politics, economics, crime and conflict \u2013 are<strong> more likely to be considered news, often because they are considered more societally important. <\/strong>In both our survey and our online discussion board, people were most likely to consider election updates and information about the war in Gaza to be news. As one man in his 20s explained, \u201cI think if it is serious and impact[s] many people, it is considered news.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, topics that could be considered<strong> \u201csoft news\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 that is, more geared toward providing entertainment \u2013 are<strong> less likely to be considered news.<\/strong> In particular, people are much less likely to consider information about celebrities to be news than they are any other topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As one man in his 30s explained, \u201cI feel like celebrity information or memes are more coverage but not really news specifically. Whereas I associate politics with news and financial information as being news topics.\u201d Put more simply by one woman in her 20s: \u201cSports and celebrities aren\u2019t news to me. Wars are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size\">\n<li><strong><em>Usually<\/em> considered news:<\/strong> Politics and international conflicts, local crime stories, weather and traffic (particularly instances that were severe or affected more people) were viewed as news.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Sometimes<\/em> considered news:<\/strong> Perceptions of sports information were mixed, depending on both the individual participant and the story itself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Rarely<\/em> considered news:<\/strong> Content perceived as \u201centertainment\u201d \u2013 including celebrity stories or topics of personal interest that do not convey \u201cimportant\u201d information \u2013 was rarely seen as news. Neither were videos of animals, lifestyle posts or memes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The views of our online discussion board participants were echoed in the survey results. <strong>Election updates and information about the war in Gaza are considered <em>definitely<\/em> news by a majority of Americans <\/strong>(66% and 62%, respectively), with about nine-in-ten U.S. adults saying each topic is at least <em>probably<\/em> news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7e1e2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7e1e2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-04.png?resize=480,510 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-04.png?resize=782,830 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-04.png?resize=840,892 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"446\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-04.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing information about politics, war is largely considered to be news, and updates about celebrities\u2019 lives are not\" class=\"wp-image-238423 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For every other topic listed, far fewer Americans said each was definitely news, including major car accidents (37%), notable achievements of people in one\u2019s local community (30%), a company reporting financial results (22%) and sports information (18%). The one item overwhelmingly <em>not <\/em>considered news was celebrities and their lives, with only 3% of Americans saying they definitely think of this topic as news.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">But the topic of information is not the only consideration: The tone or perceived accuracy of news stories overrode these distinctions in some participants\u2019 minds. <strong>If the coverage of \u201chard news\u201d issues was viewed as biased, sensationalized or otherwise inaccurate, it was often less likely to be considered news. <\/strong>One Democratic woman in her 60s shared, \u201cI would not consider misinformation about political issues to be news.\u201d Similarly, according to one Republican woman in her 60s, \u201cPolitical updates can be news or can be propaganda \u2013 depending on the reliability of the source.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There is another distinction that separates how Americans think of news topics:&nbsp;that of \u201cimportance.\u201d For some participants, <strong>topics that feel <em>personally important<\/em> \u2013 relevant to them and their community \u2013 are more likely to be considered news.<\/strong> This was particularly true for the topic of sports. \u201cI\u2019m sure sports is news to a lot of people, just not me,\u201d one woman in her 60s noted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">One man in his 40s said: \u201cProbably news are not the same thing for everyone. Because, for example, maybe for me that one soccer player scores a goal in a game yesterday is news for me, but probably is not news for someone else that is not interested in soccer at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">While these were not always mutually exclusive, <strong>other participants centered their own definitions of news around topics of <em>global <\/em>importance.<\/strong> Among this group, information about elections and international politics is clearly considered news, while local topics may be less likely to be defined as such. As one man in his 20s explained, \u201cLocal accidents only affect some people. But [the] Gaza war, elections move the economy.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;what-sources-are-considered-news&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-sources-are-considered-news\">What sources are considered news?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>People generally consider a range of information sources and mediums to be \u201cnews,\u201d and many assess the same sources very differently.<\/strong> Still, when we asked online discussion board participants to rate information from several types of news sources \u2013 including both <em>organizations<\/em> and <em>individuals<\/em> \u2013 on a scale from \u201cnot news at all\u201d to \u201cdefinitely news,\u201d some patterns emerged. Each scenario focused on a story about \u201ca U.S. stock market crash\u201d to ensure that the main difference in participants\u2019 minds was the source of information and not the topic of that information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4f3f3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f3f3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-05.png?resize=480,678 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-05.png?resize=782,1105 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-05.png?resize=840,1187 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"594\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-05.png?w=725\" alt=\"Chart showing people's assessments of information sources as 'news' vary dramatically\" class=\"wp-image-238424 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sources and mediums that specifically mention \u201cnews\u201d rise to the top.<\/strong> An article in a newspaper and an article posted by a news outlet on X (formerly known as Twitter) were more commonly seen as news by participants than content coming from a TV program host, a person on YouTube or friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">However, <strong>other qualities, such as the source\u2019s tone or style of delivery, also matter. <\/strong>For instance, some participants interpreted sources \u201ccommenting on\u201d or \u201ctalking about\u201d the topic as the insertion of opinion, which makes the content less likely to be seen as news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>People also recognize how their ideas about what news sources are, and how they feel about these sources, have shifted over time.<\/strong> Participants noted either sharing or replacing the time they used to spend getting news from print and television, first with websites and then with social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">One woman in her 30s described her sources of election news changing over the years: \u201cI would watch the news station [to] get my information on TV, but I\u2019ve been getting my information on social media like Twitter over the past couple of years.\u201d One woman in her 40s shared that she used to buy print magazines but has \u201creally adopted fully media on my phone,\u201d adding that they are available digitally now and \u201ctraditional news outlets just don\u2019t interest me in the same way anymore because the other social media outlets engage me more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-56c913d81808072403ac7300ebd8fefb is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-cd63081855f65a70f909a1e642c62285 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cThe journey we\u2019re on is 30 years ago, the platforms or places where you could be told something you don\u2019t know aside from being personally told by a friend of yours was very limited. Now, it\u2019s essentially infinite. \u2026 The definition of \u2018tell me something I don\u2019t know\u2019 is anything, anyone, anytime, anywhere popping up on my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Nicholas Johnston, publisher, Axios<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Several journalists also reflected on the public\u2019s sources of information changing alongside their understandings of what news is. \u201cThe definition of news has changed, and I think the vehicle for consuming news and the news sources have 100% changed,\u201d said Kimi Yoshino, editor-in-chief of The Baltimore Banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Social media content was considered by some participants to be less trustworthy \u2013 and thus less \u201cnews-like\u201d \u2013 which aligns with <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/05\/08\/republicans-have-become-more-likely-since-2024-to-trust-information-from-news-outlets-social-media\/\">prior Center findings<\/a> on public trust in information from social media. For instance, participants tended to rate \u201ca short video on YouTube\u201d as less \u201cnews-like\u201d than other sources. This also aligned with their actual behaviors when scrolling through their social media feeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, one man in his 40s described the content he encounters on X: \u201cSo you can see I don\u2019t necessarily take X seriously. It may give me some idea [of], oh, maybe there\u2019s something I want to read more into, but \u2026 I don\u2019t see a lot of news here. It\u2019s just a lot of opinions, and obviously, right now it\u2019s very political.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-identity-and-trust-factor-into-what-sources-americans-consider-news\">How identity and trust factor into what sources Americans consider news<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A number of our online discussion board participants acknowledged that their personal identities, including their race, ethnicity, gender, religion and political leaning, influence either how they consume or think about news. One woman in her 50s said that her identities \u201ccause me to think and react in certain ways that influence the way that I seek out certain types of news.\u201d Another woman in her 60s said, \u201cI am a Christian with conservative beliefs. I don\u2019t think it affects the way I get the news, but it affects the way I think about the news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">However, views varied greatly when it came to whether identities <em>should<\/em> influence how people define or consume news \u2013 with some feeling strongly opposed to the concept of identities playing this role. One man in his 50s said, \u201cNone of my identities should matter when I consume the news. I do not think identities are at all important. Facts are facts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">But <strong>political identity, whether explicitly stated or implied, was especially relevant for participants.<\/strong> This could stem from either the individual\u2019s own identity or their perception of a source\u2019s political bias \u2013 or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eeeaeb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eeeaeb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-06.png?resize=480,354 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-06.png?resize=782,577 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-06.png?resize=840,620 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"310\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-06.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing 55% of Americans say it\u2019s important that their news sources have political views similar to their own\" class=\"wp-image-238425 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In some cases, this helped participants make decisions about whether a source counted as news. One Republican man in his 30s said, \u201cI would consider this kind of like semi-news, I guess, because it\u2019s like coming from Fox.\u201d And a Republican man in his 40s dismissed CBS News and MSNBC stories about Trump, saying, \u201c[It\u2019s] the Democrats, that\u2019s not news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Even when participants didn\u2019t explicitly feel their identities matter or should matter, some acknowledged that they gravitate toward or are more inclined to choose sources that they feel align with their political affiliations or values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This mirrors our survey, which found that more than half of Americans (55%) say it\u2019s at least somewhat important for their news sources to have political views similar to their own. Republicans (56%) and Democrats (56%) are equally likely to express this view, while U.S. adults who identify as politically independent or something else and do not lean toward a party (43%) are less likely to see it as important for their news sources to share their political views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-fec9b7a822ba497bbaaeca14fc4bfe9e is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-4cf84ce35e4b66b4a5890da51c825ab7 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cI think people are just finding it harder to maybe get \u2018objective\u2019 information if it completely disregards a personal perspective or value that they have.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Mar\u00eda M\u00e9ndez, service and engagement reporter, The Texas Tribune<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Trust and politics are important to one another: Our research has found that political affiliations are linked with Americans\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/05\/08\/republicans-have-become-more-likely-since-2024-to-trust-information-from-news-outlets-social-media\/\">trust in<\/a>&nbsp;and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/10\/10\/where-americans-turn-for-election-news\/#how-election-news-sources-differ-by-political-party\">consumption of<\/a> news sources. Several right-leaning participants discussed changing news sources they use over time due to no longer trusting them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI used to listen to the mainstream media like everybody else, like CNN or MSNBC, but I have found these media outlets no longer supply me with the truthful information that I need.\u201d <em>\u2013Man, 70s, Republican<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI used to get information on politics from Fox News only, but now I try and seek out unbiased sources like Reuters and even more liberal organizations like Apple News and NPR to hear the stories from the other side.\u201d <em>\u2013Man, 20s, Republican<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPolitical stuff has changed drastically. I no longer view the news that come from sources that are [Democratically] biased and run. These news station[s] only make good comments on Democrats and negative on Republicans.\u201d <em>\u2013Woman, 60s, Republican<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;what-is-and-isn-t-news-on-social-media&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-and-isn-t-news-on-social-media\">What is and isn\u2019t news on social media?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Getting news is not the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2024\/06\/12\/how-americans-navigate-politics-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram\/\">main reason many users visit social media sites<\/a>, but people almost universally come across <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/06\/12\/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram\/\">news-related content there<\/a>. Social media is also a space where the lines between news and other content are especially unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">It is a reflection of the changing nature of how news is distributed that audiences <em>can,<\/em> and regularly <em>do,<\/em> make distinctions about what kinds of content they are seeing as they scroll through social media. Part of the scrolling experience is making snap judgments about whether content is news and whether to engage with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- Generated by ai2html v0.120.0 - 2025-05-07 10:51 -->\n<!-- ai file: PJ_25.05.13_WINAI2HTML.ai -->\n<style>\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box ,\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box .g-artboard {\n\t\tmargin:0 auto;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box p {\n\t\tmargin:0;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box .g-aiAbs {\n\t\tposition:absolute;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box .g-aiImg {\n\t\tposition:absolute;\n\t\ttop:0;\n\t\tdisplay:block;\n\t\twidth:100% !important;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box .g-aiSymbol {\n\t\tposition: absolute;\n\t\tbox-sizing: border-box;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box .g-aiPointText p { white-space: nowrap; }\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small {\n\t\tposition:relative;\n\t\toverflow:hidden;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small p {\n\t\tfont-family:franklin-gothic-urw, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;\n\t\tline-height:14px;\n\t\topacity:1;\n\t\tletter-spacing:0em;\n\t\tfont-size:12px;\n\t\ttext-align:left;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(0,0,0);\n\t\ttext-transform:none;\n\t\tpadding-bottom:0;\n\t\tpadding-top:0;\n\t\tmix-blend-mode:normal;\n\t\tfont-style:normal;\n\t\theight:auto;\n\t\tposition:static;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small .g-pstyle0 {\n\t\tfont-weight:bold;\n\t\tline-height:20px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tfont-size:18px;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small .g-pstyle1 {\n\t\tfont-family:georgia,'times new roman',times,serif;\n\t\tfont-style:italic;\n\t\tline-height:18px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tfont-size:14px;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(109,110,113);\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small .g-pstyle2 {\n\t\tline-height:15px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(128,130,133);\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small .g-pstyle3 {\n\t\tline-height:5px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(128,130,133);\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small .g-pstyle4 {\n\t\tline-height:12px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tletter-spacing:0.025em;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small .g-cstyle0 {\n\t\tfont-weight:bold;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large {\n\t\tposition:relative;\n\t\toverflow:hidden;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large p {\n\t\tfont-family:franklin-gothic-urw, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;\n\t\tline-height:19px;\n\t\topacity:1;\n\t\tletter-spacing:0em;\n\t\tfont-size:16px;\n\t\ttext-align:left;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(0,0,0);\n\t\ttext-transform:none;\n\t\tpadding-bottom:0;\n\t\tpadding-top:0;\n\t\tmix-blend-mode:normal;\n\t\tfont-style:normal;\n\t\theight:auto;\n\t\tposition:static;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large .g-pstyle0 {\n\t\tfont-weight:bold;\n\t\tline-height:20px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tfont-size:18px;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large .g-pstyle1 {\n\t\tfont-family:georgia,'times new roman',times,serif;\n\t\tfont-style:italic;\n\t\tline-height:18px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tfont-size:14px;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(109,110,113);\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large .g-pstyle2 {\n\t\tline-height:15px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tfont-size:12px;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(128,130,133);\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large .g-pstyle3 {\n\t\tline-height:5px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tfont-size:12px;\n\t\tcolor:rgb(128,130,133);\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large .g-pstyle4 {\n\t\tline-height:12px;\n\t\tpadding-top:10px;\n\t\tletter-spacing:0.025em;\n\t\tfont-size:12px;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large .g-cstyle0 {\n\t\tfont-weight:bold;\n\t}\n\n\t@media (max-width: 600px) {\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small {\n\t\tdisplay: block;\n\t}\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large {\n\t\tdisplay: none;\n\t}\n\t\n\t\n}\n@media (min-width: 600px) {\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small {\n\t\tdisplay: none;\n\t}\t\t\t\n\t#g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large {\n\t\tdisplay: block;\n\t}\n}\n\n<\/style>\n\n<div id=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-box\" class=\"ai2html\">\n\n\t<!-- Artboard: phone_small -->\n\t<div id=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small\" class=\"g-artboard\" style=\"max-width: 350px;max-height: 630px\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.556\" data-min-width=\"0\" data-max-width=\"599\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0 0 179.9929% 0\"><\/div>\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" id=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small-img\" class=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_small-img g-aiImg\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-07-small.png\" \/>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai0-1\" class=\"g-Text_Layer g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:2.0636%;left:0.2096%;width:99.7143%\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle0\">How Americans decide what is &lsquo;news&rsquo; when scrolling through social media <\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle1\">Some of the cues Americans rely on when navigating information on their own social media feeds <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai0-2\" class=\"g-Layer_1 g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:23.493%;left:69.2465%;width:29.7143%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Source: <\/span>Do I recognize and trust this name or logo? Is it verified? <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai0-3\" class=\"g-Layer_1 g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:36.0332%;left:69.2465%;width:28.2857%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Content: <\/span>Does the headline or post note BREAKING or other cues?<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai0-4\" class=\"g-Layer_1 g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:53.8116%;left:69.2465%;width:28.2857%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Attribution: <\/span>Does it provide evidence? Does it have sources or links? <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai0-5\" class=\"g-Layer_1 g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:73.0188%;left:69.3768%;width:29.4286%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Visuals: <\/span>Is there a video or on-the- ground footage?<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai0-6\" class=\"g-Assets_Layer g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:84.1303%;left:0.0996%;width:100%\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle2\">Source: Qualitative online discussion board with 57 U.S. adults completed Aug. 26-30, 2024.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle3\">&ldquo;What Is News?&rdquo; <\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle4\">PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<!-- Artboard: phone_large -->\n\t<div id=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large\" class=\"g-artboard\" style=\"width:600px;height:660.147918664218px\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.909\" data-min-width=\"600\">\n<div><\/div>\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" id=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large-img\" class=\"g-PJ_25_05_13_WINAI2HTML-phone_large-img g-aiImg\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-07-large.png\" \/>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai1-1\" class=\"g-Text_Layer g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:1.6663%;left:0.0581%;width:100%\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle0\">How Americans decide what is &lsquo;news&rsquo; when scrolling through social media <\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle1\">Some of the cues Americans rely on when navigating information on their own social media feeds <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai1-2\" class=\"g-phone g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:18.3292%;left:57.7687%;width:28.6667%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Source: <\/span>Do I recognize and trust this name or logo? Is it verified?<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai1-3\" class=\"g-phone g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:32.5685%;left:59.5425%;width:32.3333%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Headline: <\/span>Does it note BREAKING or other cues? <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai1-4\" class=\"g-phone g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:53.7758%;left:58.7099%;width:33%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Attribution: <\/span>Does it provide evidence? Does it have sources or links? <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai1-5\" class=\"g-phone g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:75.8921%;left:59.3364%;width:38.1667%\">\n\t\t\t<p><span class=\"g-cstyle0\">Visuals: <\/span>Is there a video or on-the-ground footage?<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"g-ai1-6\" class=\"g-Assets_Layer g-aiAbs\" style=\"top:87.1017%;left:0.0581%;width:106.3333%\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle2\">Source: Qualitative online discussion board with 57 U.S. adults completed Aug. 26-30, 2024.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle3\">&ldquo;What Is News?&rdquo; <\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"g-pstyle4\">PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- End ai2html - 2025-05-07 10:51 -->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The online discussion board included a section that asked participants to navigate social media feeds, recording their screens and their own thoughts about what they saw as they did so. When participants scrolled through social media, they drew from similar cues related to both the topic and its source \u2013 including that source\u2019s political orientation \u2013 to make case-by-case evaluations about whether the information was news or not.&nbsp;<a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Trust plays a critical role in how people decide whether information they come across is news or not. Our online discussion board participants often decided what they trusted, and therefore what counted as \u201cnews\u201d to them, when actually scrolling through their feeds based on a few key factors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"source-familiarity-and-reputation\">Source familiarity and reputation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Participants typically mentioned trusting <strong>established and recognizable news brands<\/strong> and being more likely to consider stories from those sources as news within the context of social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some said they were more inclined to see something in their social media feed as news if they felt it <em>looked<\/em> like a news outlet. This included posts from \u201cverified\u201d accounts on social media platforms like Facebook and X, as well as those with a clear logo. For example, some participants responded in real time to the sources they encountered on their feeds with comments such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo being posted by ABC News, I would consider that to be news just because it is posted by a news organization.\u201d&nbsp;<em>\u2013Man, 20s<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would consider this to be news because this is from the CBS itself, and it\u2019s a verified account.\u201d <em>\u2013Woman, 20s<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Besides established news organizations, some participants trust <strong>individuals as credible news sources<\/strong> because they recognize the poster. When one woman in her 60s looked at a post about local traffic updates by a fellow member of a community Facebook group, she felt it was \u201cdefinitely news\u201d because the person who shared the update frequently posted this type of content. \u201cHe\u2019s legit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">When we asked participants to scroll through the social media site they use the most, it was not uncommon to see participants selecting online groups that post local updates, such as on Facebook. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/05\/07\/sources-of-local-news\/#americans-changing-local-news-providers\">2024 Pew Research Center study<\/a>, online forums or groups have become increasingly popular among Americans as a source for local news and information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visuals-evidence-and-depth\">Visuals, evidence and depth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Bold headlines and terms like \u201cBREAKING\u201d tended to make participants more likely to consider posts in their social media feeds as news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, participants often expressed interest in, or at least paid more attention to, content that included <strong>images or videos.<\/strong>&nbsp;Seeing something with one\u2019s own eyes, such as content presenting documented evidence or linking to sources, seems to make it feel more \u201cnews-like.\u201d \u201cEyewitness\u201d or on-the-ground footage is seen as more trustworthy, though several participants noted rising concerns around AI making it harder for them to trust what they see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Participants also placed value on perceived <strong>quality or depth<\/strong> in assessing whether a post was news. For example, clips of public figures or politicians\u2019 statements from news outlets didn\u2019t necessarily count as news for some participants because they \u201cdidn\u2019t get the full context\u201d or \u201cit wasn\u2019t novel information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"is-this-news\">Is this news?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of the posts participants encountered in this activity. <strong>Click to find out whether they said each is news.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-dynamic-wide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained block-visibility-hide-medium-screen prc-block-visibility__tablet block-visibility-hide-small-screen prc-block-visibility__mobile\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-dynamic-wide is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56f9fcf wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-300-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-5&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"8d8d9c\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=480,917 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=782,1494 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=960,1834 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=1026,1960 1026w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1223\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238341 has-transparency\" style=\"--dominant-color: #8d8d9c; object-fit:cover\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-f73dfcce3b2514028822432eb3107b21 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:12.29rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:12.29rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 30s thinks a TikTok post about the Russia-Ukraine war IS news because it comes from CBS, which she sees as a news source.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-collapse-row-on-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-6&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-09.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238342\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-3db7a6cddc1973261472ddb6cf86e2d1 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:12.26rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:12.26rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 60s thinks a Facebook group post about local traffic IS news because the poster is a \u201clegit\u201d source who frequently posts about traffic accidents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-300-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-7&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"bcb9b4\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" style=\"--dominant-color: #bcb9b4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=480,918 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=782,1495 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=960,1836 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=1025,1960 1025w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1224\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238343 has-transparency\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-69f9fe5673cf3f062222fa8ee8d0225b wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:12.28rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:12.28rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 40s thinks a clip of Donald Trump at an event IS NOT news \u201cin and of itself,\u201d though she thinks \u201cit could be made into a news story.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-dynamic-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained block-visibility-hide-large-screen prc-block-visibility__desktop block-visibility-hide-small-screen prc-block-visibility__mobile\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-dynamic-wide is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56f9fcf wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-300-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-8&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"8d8d9c\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" style=\"--dominant-color: #8d8d9c;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=480,917 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=782,1494 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=960,1834 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=1026,1960 1026w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1223\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238341 has-transparency\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-2c9684d7db191ffdba5c8e83b1794841 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:10.9rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:10.9rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 30s thinks a TikTok post about the Russia-Ukraine war IS news because it comes from CBS, which she sees as a news source.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-collapse-row-on-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-9&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-09.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238342\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-680f5e17ec0f7c05f1ec8cd65646eaf4 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-width:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:9.98rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:9.98rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 60s thinks a Facebook group post about local traffic IS news because the poster is a \u201clegit\u201d source who frequently posts about traffic accidents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-300-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-10&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"bcb9b4\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" style=\"--dominant-color: #bcb9b4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=480,918 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=782,1495 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=960,1836 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=1025,1960 1025w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1224\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238343 has-transparency\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-c346abfb9ead0a58bfd495f658617692 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:9.1rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:9.1rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 40s thinks a clip of Donald Trump at an event IS NOT news \u201cin and of itself,\u201d though she thinks \u201cit could be made into a news story.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-dynamic-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained block-visibility-hide-large-screen prc-block-visibility__desktop block-visibility-hide-medium-screen prc-block-visibility__tablet\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-300-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-11&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"8d8d9c\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" style=\"--dominant-color: #8d8d9c;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=480,917 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=782,1494 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=960,1834 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?resize=1026,1960 1026w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1223\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-08.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238341 has-transparency\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-0f9f66bc4cc7854dea537d936526ba73 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:14.7rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:14.7rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 30s thinks a TikTok post about the Russia-Ukraine war IS news because it comes from CBS, which she sees as a news source.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-collapse-row-on-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-12&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-09.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238342\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-0319d8639e2cae303fe0b2b63f7f542c wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:14.7rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:14.7rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 60s thinks a Facebook group post about local traffic IS news because the poster is a \u201clegit\u201d source who frequently posts about traffic accidents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-300-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2267221d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-13&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"bcb9b4\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" style=\"--dominant-color: #bcb9b4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=480,918 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=782,1495 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=960,1836 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?resize=1025,1960 1025w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"1224\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-010.png?w=640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238343 has-transparency\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-aef1b5cda27895528c6d25067ff037b6 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;border-radius:30px;background-color:#733d47;padding-top:14.7rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:14.7rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">One woman in her 40s thinks a clip of Donald Trump at an event IS NOT news \u201cin and of itself,\u201d though she thinks \u201cit could be made into a news story.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"navigating-personalized-online-news-experiences\">Navigating personalized online news experiences<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As Americans increasingly rely on <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/news-platform-fact-sheet\/?tabItem=4ef8dece-845a-4b25-8637-ceb3114503c5#news-across-digital-platforms\">digital channels, including social media, to get their news<\/a>, exposure to content curated by algorithms based on user interests and interactions has become an everyday part of the news experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-52a0ff434f704ddd7d4408ebedd687c4 is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-1e85dcdd7b07f5346e60e88b0d8c9a20 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cI think tech has made how you get your news and what that news is very personalized, but for better or for worse, via algorithms or not, if you are actively pursuing information, it\u2019s gotten a lot more customizable \u2013 both as a consumer, as a reader, as a listener, as a viewer, but also on the news front as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Julia B. Chan, editor-in-chief, The 19th<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Our online discussion board participants were aware that algorithmic curation takes a variety of formats, such as within \u201cTrending,\u201d \u201cDiscover\u201d or \u201cFor You\u201d pages on social media sites and aggregators. Some participants purposely check for trending content that informs people about what is happening and is likely to cater to their individual interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For example, one man in his 30s discussed enjoying Google\u2019s Discover feed, saying, \u201cIt just gives me what I\u2019m interested in. The algorithm really knows me. And for some reason, everything here is of my interest. I\u2019m impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, some participants expressed confusion about recommended content that they didn\u2019t actively choose to follow. One man in his 40s said, \u201cWhat you\u2019re going to see on X for me is a lot of political stuff, and I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s coming from. I must have responded to stuff that, all of a sudden, links me to it. So my algorithm must be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The journalists we interviewed also recognized audience shifts toward personalized experiences and shared how this has changed their processes for determining what \u201cnews\u201d is and which stories to cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For them, the personalization of news has a big impact: News curation and editorial decisions are no longer confined to the newsroom. \u201cWe can tell just what people are clicking on,\u201d said Matt Collette, a former editor of Vox&#8217;s daily news podcast Today, Explained. \u201cThat\u2019s really a blunt instrument, but it can tell us, people seem to be really interested in this topic right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-a901440655c25a21750b0cdf9006b59e is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-d91d44e5bf9b52b2f9cb0e312cbc4421 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cYou can search for whatever you want. You can search for what you\u2019re interested in. That makes everyone like a wire service editor. That\u2019s good. That\u2019s also bad because they\u2019re not trained to be the best wire service editor.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Tracy Weber, managing editor, ProPublica<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A few journalists we interviewed mentioned the process of news curation being based more on virality nowadays than on journalists\u2019 experience or ideas of what might be societally important. \u201cSometimes maybe what constitutes news now is what people find interesting rather than necessarily what\u2019s in the public interest,\u201d said Rebecca Hutson, editor-in-chief of The News Movement. \u201cSometimes the output of news organizations can be governed a lot by where traffic and interest lies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, said, \u201cThe reason you have editors is because editors presumably know how to find and tell stories that are both of interest to their readers and also have some larger social good involved with publishing those stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;how-americans-feel-about-news&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-americans-feel-about-news\">How Americans feel about news<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">People have mixed emotional responses to news. While many of our online discussion board participants portrayed it negatively \u2013 usually citing the mental burden brought by news about politics, crime and war \u2013 they also showed both positive <em>and<\/em> negative feelings when we asked them to use images to illustrate how they feel about news.&nbsp;\u201cI need to know what is going on in the world, no matter how upsetting,\u201d one man in his 50s said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dfd0d2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dfd0d2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-011.png?resize=480,622 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-011.png?resize=782,1013 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-011.png?resize=840,1088 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"544\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-011.png?w=791\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Americans are more likely to say news makes them feel negative emotions than positive emotions, except when it comes to feeling informed\" class=\"wp-image-238426 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In our survey, we asked U.S. adults to indicate how often the news they get makes them feel each of several emotions. Of the emotions they were asked about, Americans generally say they feel negative ones more often than positive ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The one exception to this pattern involves feeling informed. <strong>Nearly half of Americans (46%) indicate the news they get makes them feel informed extremely often or often,<\/strong> and the vast majority of Americans (89%) say it makes them feel this way at least sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>But the next four most commonly felt emotions are all negative ones. <\/strong>Roughly four-in-ten Americans say the news they get makes them feel angry or sad at least often (42% and 38%, respectively). And about a quarter say it at least often makes them feel scared (27%) or confused (25%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Smaller shares say the news they get makes them feel hopeful (10%), happy (7%) or empowered (7%) extremely often or often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-320-wide has-border-color has-ui-beige-light-border-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained block-visibility-hide-medium-screen prc-block-visibility__tablet block-visibility-hide-small-screen prc-block-visibility__mobile\" style=\"background-color:#733d47;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\"><div style=\"margin-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);margin-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-14&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div style=\"background-color:#733d47;\" class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family wp-elements-73525659d35b76790ee8f584118e5dfd wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><strong>How news makes this participant feel<br><\/strong>Click to view the images the <br>participant chose<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-49c1118e35b179ca426ca63cfc6f757c wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:0;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:1.5rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\u201cI am trying to show my conflict between enjoying being informed, and feeling like I NEED to be informed, and my often disgust with what I read. Sometimes the really horrible stuff leaves me quite depressed for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family wp-elements-422873b8f3d0f17b4c0b65d84bd708db wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"><em>\u2013Woman, 60s<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-2d5c619c wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"938878\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #938878;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"601\" height=\"788\"  sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-012.png?resize=480,629 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-012.png?resize=601,788 601w\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-012.png?w=601\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238403 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter is-style-320-wide has-border-color has-ui-beige-light-border-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-596a9ffe wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained block-visibility-hide-large-screen prc-block-visibility__desktop\" style=\"background-color:#733d47;min-height:0px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-block-flip-card-controller-15&quot;,&quot;flipped&quot;:false,&quot;minHeight&quot;:null,&quot;fixedHeight&quot;:null,&quot;initialized&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-initialized=\"state.isInitialized\" data-wp-class--is-flipped=\"state.isFlipped\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onControllerInit\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-controller__inner-blocks\">\n<div class=\"is-style-front wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-18b29217 wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family wp-elements-5b226b00d7e92649be2e8f4383664828 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\"><strong>How news makes this participant feel<\/strong><br>Click to view the images the <br>participant chose<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-serif-font-family wp-elements-821f4e61da92331a46ae226609a0d70e wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-right:0;margin-left:0;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\u201cI am trying to show my conflict between enjoying being informed, and feeling like I NEED to be informed, and my often disgust with what I read. Sometimes the really horrible stuff leaves me quite depressed for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-ui-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family wp-elements-99742138fefd6e82921c9b60920efc66 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"><em>\u2013Woman, 60s<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"is-style-back wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-7b9115c8 wp-block-prc-block-flip-card-side-is-layout-constrained\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/flip-card-controller\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleFlip\" data-wp-style--min-height=\"callbacks.minHeightStyle\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=238403\"><img data-dominant-color=\"938878\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"601\" height=\"788\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-012.png?resize=480,629 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-012.png?resize=601,788 601w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-012.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-238403 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #938878; width:320px\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Online discussion board participants were asked to construct a collage of images and text that portrayed how they felt about the news. These images revealed people\u2019s mixed feelings when thinking about news. <strong>Participants noted feeling conflicted between desiring to be informed \u2013 or even feeling a <em>need<\/em> to be informed \u2013 and feeling sad, angry or overwhelmed by the information they come across.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"negative-feelings-toward-news\">Negative feelings toward news<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants noted that their negative feelings about the news are due to common <strong>topics of coverage, such as politics, crime and war.<\/strong> One woman in her 40s said, \u201cStories I react negatively to include stories about crime, mass shootings, war, political name-calling, people behaving badly, people dying, animals dying, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some said these types of news make them feel sad and have a negative outlook on the state of their community, the country or the world. For instance, one woman in her 50s felt that \u201creading the news on the Ukrainian war makes me feel sad and discouraged.\u201d One woman in her 30s said, \u201cI react negatively to political news because our nation is so divided.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Others indicated that their negative feelings originate from<strong> feeling overwhelmed by either the quantity or content of news,<\/strong> particularly online. \u201cAt times when there are big things happening, I seek out the news,\u201d one woman in her 60s said. \u201cI can become overwhelmed however and need to step away for a while.\u201d Another woman in her 60s, when illustrating her feelings about news, added a text box that simply said, \u201cSometimes I feel confused.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-74d262a6798615d55deb2bb7368f5f74 is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-9af1f7c0e00628eecf041781bb583e5e wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cThe consumers who felt like 20 years ago we were stuck with this very limited amount of information, now feel overwhelmed by there being too much information.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Ben Smith, editor-in-chief, Semafor<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">V Spehar, an independent journalist and creator of Under the Desk News, said, \u201cTo constantly just flood people with information and constant breaking news updates, it exhausts them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants explained that these feelings resulted in them actively avoiding news, at least occasionally. \u201cI think I\u2019m in the middle when it comes to [actively seeking out or avoiding news],\u201d one man in his 40s said. \u201cI like to stay informed, but I think sometimes too much information can cause an overload.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">People\u2019s negative emotions were also at times connected to a <strong>general distrust of news or the news media broadly, or to perceptions of political bias.<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s unknown whether anything we\u2019re told is true,\u201d one woman in her 40s said. \u201cI think I have a real distrust right now. \u2026 I think the truth is being hidden from us.\u201d One man in his 50s explained, \u201cI am negative towards election news, it is so biased depending on the nominees, more like cheerleading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, in some cases, <strong>participants\u2019 partisan identities or political leanings spurred their negative emotional reactions toward news.<\/strong> Our qualitative research took place ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and some participants specifically mentioned their dislike of news covering either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, depending on their political affiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHonestly, I automatically hate stories trying to show Trump in a positive light,\u201d one Democratic man in his 40s said. Meanwhile, one Republican woman in her 20s explained, \u201cI also don\u2019t like to hear anything about the presidential candidate Kamala Harris or I don\u2019t like to hear anything about the current president Joe Biden, it\u2019s always annoying or irritating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3dfdf\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3dfdf;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-013.png?resize=480,1044 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-013.png?resize=620,1348 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"674\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/PJ_2025.05.13_what-is-news_0-013.png?w=471\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Democrats are more likely than Republicans to feel negative emotions about news early in second Trump administration\" class=\"wp-image-238427 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These examples made it clear that for some, emotions about news can be tied to particular moments in time, and those feelings can change alongside shifts in political power. \u201cIt seems that any news stories about the current [Biden] administration I will react negatively to because I don\u2019t really care for them,\u201d one Republican man in his 70s said in the lead-up to the 2024 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Our March 2025 survey data further illustrates this point. After the change in administrations, Democrats and independents who lean toward the Democratic Party are substantially more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say the news they get makes them feel angry (53% vs. 32%, respectively), sad (50% vs. 27%) or scared (39% vs. 15%) extremely often or often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"positive-feelings-toward-news\">Positive feelings toward news<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, large shares of Democrats (51%) and Republicans (42%) say the news they get makes them feel informed at least often. And 14% of Republicans say it makes them feel hopeful, compared with 5% of Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some online discussion board participants had <em>positive<\/em> emotional reactions to news, particularly when it discussed certain 2024 presidential candidates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen Kamala was announced to be running for the presidential debate, I [had] a strong positive reaction to this, it made me feel interested and somewhat excited.\u201d <em>\u2013Woman, 20s, Republican-leaning independent<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI do like to check up and see what Trump is doing. I find him very interesting.\u201d <em>\u2013Woman, 20s, Republican<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Although many participants depicted or described negative feelings toward news in their canvas illustrations, they also drew upon positive emotions and images, ranging from smiling faces and lightbulbs to depictions of human connection or progress. At times, these appeared to serve as a counterbalance to their negative emotions, with participants portraying both side-by-side to depict their contrasting feelings about news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Aligning with our survey findings, <strong>being informed was mentioned by many participants as both an important factor in why they consume news and a feeling they experience from doing so.<\/strong> Some mentioned being informed as a reason they enjoy consuming news. Others said they balance feeling obligated to stay informed about news with knowing it would ultimately make them feel bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;what-do-people-want-from-their-news&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-do-people-want-from-their-news\">What do people want from their news?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, what people want from the news they consume is more complicated than it appears. When we asked online discussion board participants what one thing they would change about the way news is currently presented, some said they want news to be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright is-style-420-wide has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-radius:12px;background-color:#e8d3d7;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-3450f479890f490953dd01f217ccdf7c is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" style=\"color:#733d47;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-color has-link-color has-sans-serif-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-elements-9bbba8764cf04bb1d2f6d31131539073 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#733d47\">\u201cWatching the news just became really stressful for people, and think about what people have going on in their lives outside of interfacing with us. What product are you going to spend time with or engaging in that makes you feel like s&#8211;t or stresses you out?\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><em>\u2013Sean McLaughlin, vice president of news, Graham Media Group<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size\">\n<li><strong>\u201cJust the facts.\u201d<\/strong> In our qualitative research, people generally said they want information without opinions or commentary. However, participants\u2019 actual behaviors at times contradicted this preference, and in our March survey, a majority of Americans still say it\u2019s important that their news sources have political views similar to their own.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More positive.<\/strong> \u201cI would change how negative stories are just presented with no warning,\u201d one woman in her 20s said. \u201cSometimes I don\u2019t want to know about that. I wish they had an option for only positive news stories.\u201d Several participants said they enjoy human-interest stories because they are often more positive and less opinion-driven. At times, this desire for positivity can conflict with people\u2019s ideas of topics such as politics, war and crime as being more news-like \u2013 and their perceptions of those very topics as inducing negative emotions \u2013 as well as with the overwhelming perception that \u201centertainment\u201d is not news.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transparent,<\/strong> both among news institutions and in news coverage. For a few participants, this included sharing information at the organizational level, such as ownership structure or political donations, as well as at the individual level, such as sources\u2019 or journalists\u2019 biases and interests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These include some vexing contradictions that mirror the messiness of the modern information environment. But they also reflect people\u2019s enduring and shared desire to get a clear and unvarnished \u2013 and, if possible, uplifting \u2013 perspective on the world around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>CORRECTION (Aug. 13, 2025): Due to a vendor error, this essay originally misstated demographic details of two online discussion board respondents cited in our sample quotations. These respondents were not part of our quantitative research, so no findings were affected by this change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;about-this-essay&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"about-this-essay\">About this essay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This is a Pew Research Center analysis from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/\">Pew-Knight Initiative<\/a>, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This was a collaborative effort based on the inputs and analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news-acknowledgments\/\">a number of people<\/a> at Pew Research Center. We are thankful for the work of former Pew Research Center senior writer Mark Jurkowitz, who conducted this study\u2019s interviews with journalists and editors, and the PSB Insights team, who conducted the online discussion board. Finally, this project was guided by an advisory board who provided invaluable feedback at several stages throughout this project: Matt Carlson, Stephanie Edgerly, Rachel R. Mour\u00e3o and Jacob Nelson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-georgia-font-family has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Collage images are from Getty Images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As people are exposed to more information from more sources than ever before, how they define and feel about \u201cnews\u201d has become less clear-cut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":675,"featured_media":238376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"layout-essay-no-breadcrumbs","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"How Americans decide what \u2018news\u2019 means to them \u2013 and how it fits into their lives in the digital era","sub_title":"How Americans decide what \u2018news\u2019 means to them \u2013 and how it fits into their lives in the digital 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