{"id":311652,"date":"2026-02-19T15:38:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=email-newsletters-as-a-source-of-news"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:13:24","slug":"email-newsletters-as-a-source-of-news","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/email-newsletters-as-a-source-of-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Email newsletters as a source of news"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Right-wing media figures sue Washington state House over denied press credentials\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center: <\/strong>Email newsletters as a source of news<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> Stephen\u00a0Colbert says CBS pulled interview with Senate candidate over FCC concerns<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> Homeland Security seeking info on social media users who criticize ICE<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Americans are far more confident in their own ability to check the accuracy of news than in others<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three members of the media in Washington state have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/feature\/olympia-washington-press-corps-statehouse-credentials-lawsuit-brandi-kruse-jonathan-choe-ari-hoffman-correspondents-association-legislature.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed a lawsuit against the state House of Representatives<\/a> after their\u00a0<strong>applications for statehouse press passes were denied over their political advocacy. <\/strong>All three plaintiffs have been involved with both journalism and right-wing advocacy. They\u00a0claim that the denial of press credentials is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.khq.com\/news\/conservative-reporters-sue-washington-house-over-press-pass-rejections\/article_217c0e35-9f5a-4418-ad06-420ad28fff9a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a violation of their First Amendment rights<\/a>. But the House clerk, in a rejection letter related to the press passes,\u00a0maintained\u00a0that\u00a0<strong>\u201cthe press should<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>act as an independent observer<\/strong>\u00a0and monitor of the proceedings,\u00a0<strong>not as an involved party.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans express mixed views on the question of\u00a0<strong>whether journalists can also be advocates,\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/#americans-hold-mixed-views-on-journalists-as-community-advocates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. But they are much less likely to say\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0okay for journalists to\u00a0<strong>express their political views in their reporting<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 just 13% say this is always or usually acceptable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udea8 <strong>New from Pew Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email newsletters have become a familiar format for news. But this pathway to news\u00a0remains\u00a0somewhat niche, and even among Americans who get news from email newsletters, a majority say they\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0end up reading most of the newsletters they receive, according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2026\/02\/19\/email-newsletters-as-a-source-of-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Pew Research Center report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Stephen Colbert<\/strong>\u00a0says\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/02\/17\/colbert-blocked-talarico-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CBS pulled interview with Senate candidate <\/a>over\u00a0<strong>Federal\u00a0Communications\u00a0Commission\u00a0<\/strong>concerns\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Journalists arrested in Cameroon\u00a0<\/strong>while\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/18\/world\/africa\/cameroon-journalists-arrested-deportees.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NFA.8EHD.ydtMaFQioXI7&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">investigating facility holding migrants deported from the U.S.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Warner Bros. Discovery\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/netflix-warner-bros-paramount-skydance-fb7d13e9adc09b82da0332d6278c9b96\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reopens merger talks<\/a>\u00a0with <strong>Paramount<\/strong> alongside pending\u00a0<strong>Netflix\u00a0<\/strong>deal<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>CNN anchor\u00a0Anderson Cooper\u00a0<\/strong>is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2026\/02\/16\/anderson-cooper-60-minutes-cbs-exit\/88710368007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leaving 60 Minutes<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>German public broadcaster\u00a0<strong>Deutsche Welle<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/germanys-deutsche-welle-loses-millions-111354656.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faces budget cuts<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The Guardian\u00a0<\/strong>to launch new\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/02\/15\/2026\/the-guardian-debuts-new-flagship-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">flagship video podcast<\/a>, as\u00a0<strong>Apple\u00a0<\/strong>pivots its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2026-02-18\/apple-just-officially-ushered-in-podcasting-s-generational-shift?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc3MTQ0NzQzMywiZXhwIjoxNzcyMDUyMjMzLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUQU5YSENLSVAzS1gwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI2RjVFRDg4M0RCMDU0QUQwODc0QTE3MUNBOEI0MUY5NSJ9.alHqG56J8YS89IwNK17oXpBYJdGQ0aCZcm4TMAOfr3A&amp;leadSource=uverify%20wall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">podcasting platforms to embrace video<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Crooked<\/strong> <strong>Media <\/strong>podcasts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/business\/digital\/ms-now-crooked-media-pod-save-america-tv-1236507197\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to air on MS NOW<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A look at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2026\/02\/how-ai-is-transforming-freelance-journalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how AI is transforming<\/a>\u00a0<strong>freelance journalism<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Atlantic\u00a0<\/strong>essay on\u00a0<strong>measles\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/02\/18\/atlantic-measles-controversy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prompts confusion<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0debate about journalism ethics\u00a0<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Department of Homeland Security has been asking tech companies for information about accounts that criticize or track\u00a0<strong>Immigration and Customs Enforcement,\u00a0<\/strong>according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/13\/technology\/dhs-anti-ice-social-media.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York Times report<\/a>. The government has issued hundreds of subpoenas to several companies, including <strong>Google<\/strong> and <strong>Meta<\/strong>, seeking identifying data on individual users.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2023\/10\/18\/how-americans-view-data-privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2023 Pew Research Center study<\/a>\u00a0explored Americans\u2019\u00a0views on digital privacy,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2023\/10\/18\/views-of-data-privacy-risks-personal-data-and-digital-privacy-laws\/#privacy-laws-and-regulation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">finding that\u00a072%<\/a>\u00a0said they had <strong>little to no understanding about the laws and regulations to protect their data privacy that were in place at the time.<\/strong>\u00a0Majorities of U.S. adults\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2023\/10\/18\/views-of-data-privacy-risks-personal-data-and-digital-privacy-laws\/#feelings-of-concern-confusion-and-a-lack-of-control-over-one-s-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">also said<\/a>\u00a0they were concerned about how companies and the government use\u00a0their data.\u00a0And most\u00a0felt\u00a0they had little to no control\u00a0over\u00a0or understanding\u00a0of\u00a0what happens with this data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week\u2019s chart comes from a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2026\/02\/11\/americans-complicated-relationship-with-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent Pew Research Center study<\/a> of <strong>Americans\u2019 relationship with news,<\/strong>\u00a0which finds that Americans are much more confident in themselves than in other people to check the facts in the news. Most U.S. adults say they are very (29%)\u00a0or somewhat\u00a0(50%) confident\u00a0<em>they<\/em>\u00a0would know what steps to take to verify the accuracy of a news story. But only a quarter\u00a0are\u00a0very (3%)\u00a0or somewhat\u00a0(22%) confident in\u00a0<em>other people\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0ability to do so.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ebe4e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ebe4e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"544\" height=\"455\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-19-151541.png?resize=480,401 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-19-151541.png?resize=544,455 544w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-19-151541.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-288946 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That\u2019s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Mia Hennen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story Three members of the media in Washington state have\u00a0filed a lawsuit against the state House of Representatives after their\u00a0applications for statehouse press passes were denied over their political advocacy. All three plaintiffs have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Email newsletters as a source of news","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, right-wing media figures sue Washington state House over denied press credentials.","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311652","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":670,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/email-newsletters-as-a-source-of-news\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Email newsletters as a source of news","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: Featured story: Right-wing media figures sue Washington state House over&hellip;","og_title":"Email newsletters as a source of news","og_description":"","schema_type":"WebPage","noindex":false,"canonical_url":"","primary_terms":[],"custom_schema":[],"og_image":"5674","indexnow_submitted_at":null,"gsc_index_status":{"verdict":"PASS","coverage_state":"Submitted and indexed","robotstxt_state":"ALLOWED","indexing_state":"INDEXING_ALLOWED","last_crawl_time":"2026-06-06T09:08:40Z","page_fetch_state":"SUCCESSFUL","crawled_as":"MOBILE","mobile_verdict":"VERDICT_UNSPECIFIED","mobile_issues":[],"rich_results_verdict":"PASS","rich_results_issues":[],"inspection_link":"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/inspect?resource_id=sc-domain:pewresearch.org&id=UnjG8L2nmimCT_AV2nbCJQ&utm_medium=link&utm_source=api","fetched_at":1780935310}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign\/311652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/prc_email_campaign"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign\/311652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312906,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_email_campaign\/311652\/revisions\/312906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311652"},{"taxonomy":"bylines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bylines?post=311652"},{"taxonomy":"prc_newsletter_list","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prc_newsletter_list?post=311652"},{"taxonomy":"_post_visibility","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_post_visibility?post=311652"},{"taxonomy":"formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/formats?post=311652"},{"taxonomy":"workflow-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/workflow-status?post=311652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}