{"id":311710,"date":"2024-11-21T13:04:14","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T18:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=a-look-at-americas-news-influencers"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:25:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:25:53","slug":"a-look-at-americas-news-influencers","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/a-look-at-americas-news-influencers\/","title":{"rendered":"A look at America\u2019s news influencers"},"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 data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" href=\"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\"><em>The Briefing will be on hiatus until Thursday, Dec. 5.<\/em>\u00a0<em>Happy Thanksgiving!\u00a0<\/em>\ud83e\udd83\ud83c\udf3d<\/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> Trump taps Brendan Carr for FCC head<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center:<\/strong> A look at America\u2019s news influencers<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> The Associated Press to reduce workforce<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> Will Trump stop the impending TikTok ban?<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Young adults more likely than older people to see content from news influencers as helpful<\/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\"><strong>President-elect Donald Trump<\/strong> tapped <strong>Brendan Carr,<\/strong> a Republican and critic of Big Tech who is supported by Elon Musk, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-fcc-brendan-carr\/\">to lead<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-fcc-brendan-carr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> the Federal Communications Commission<\/a>. Carr supports the incoming Trump administration\u2019s <strong>push to punish television networks<\/strong> accused of political bias. Trump has repeatedly called to strip major broadcasters such as ABC, NBC and CBS of their licenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans and Democrats differ substantially in their uses of major news brands for political and election news, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/10\/10\/where-americans-turn-for-election-news\/#which-news-organizations-americans-turn-to-for-election-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">September 2024 Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. <strong>Most Democrats (82%) say ABC, CBS or NBC is at least a minor source of political news for them,<\/strong> compared with 54% of Republicans who say the same. By contrast, Republicans (69%) are more likely than Democrats (32%) to use Fox News as a source.<\/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\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/11\/18\/americas-news-influencers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Pew Research Center study<\/a> looks at the makeup of the news influencer landscape and its audience. The project includes an in-depth examination of a sample of 500 popular news influencers and the content they produce and a nationally representative survey of Americans to better understand who regularly gets news from news influencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Here are some key findings from the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>About one-in-five Americans \u2013 including a much higher share of adults under 30 (37%) \u2013 say they regularly get news from influencers on social media.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>News influencers are most likely to be found on the social media site X, where 85% have a presence.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Slightly more news influencers explicitly identify as Republican, conservative or pro-Donald Trump (27% of news influencers) than Democratic, liberal or pro-Kamala Harris (21%).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A clear majority of news influencers are men (63%).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Most (77%) have no affiliation or background with a news organization.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more about the findings from this <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/11\/18\/americas-news-influencers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unique study of news influencers<\/a> in the U.S. media environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This report is from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">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<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>The Associated Press<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/biz\/news\/ap-staff-cuts-buyouts-layoffs-1236213058\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announces plan to reduce workforce<\/a> by 8%<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Trump<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-press-act-freedom-reporters.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">instructs congressional Republicans<\/a> to \u201ckill\u201d <strong>bipartisan press freedom bill<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Comcast <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/19\/media\/comcast-nbcuniversal-cable-spinoff-msnbc\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">will spin off most of their cable TV networks, including MSNBC<\/a>, into separate company<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>PBS writers<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2024\/11\/pbs-writers-authorize-strike-wga-1236180418\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announce possible strike<\/a> over inability to secure <strong>protections<\/strong> for animation writers, <strong>fair compensation<\/strong> for writer-producers<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Guardian <\/strong>and <strong>Observer <\/strong>journalists <a href=\"https:\/\/pressgazette.co.uk\/publishers\/nationals\/guardian-observer-tortoise-strike-december-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plan strike in protest of the planned sale<\/a> of The Observer to Tortoise Media<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Joe Biden <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/current.org\/2024\/11\/white-house-nominates-two-new-cpb-directors-as-three-depart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nominates two new Corporation for Public Broadcasting directors<\/a> after three leave<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Murdoch family<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2024\/nov\/20\/rupert-murdoch-family-news-corp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remains in control of News Corp<\/a> after shareholder vote on ownership structure<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A look at how <strong>Google <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/20\/technology\/google-antitrust-employee-messages.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controls internal communications<\/a> amid <strong>antitrust lawsuits<\/strong><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\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\"><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/questions-loom-tiktok-trumps-cabinet-shape\/story?id=116029231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Questions remain<\/a> as to <strong>whether President-elect Donald Trump will try to stop the ban of TikTok,<\/strong> which must either find a new U.S. owner by Jan. 19 or face a ban. Although Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/08\/06\/900019185\/trump-signs-executive-order-that-will-effectively-ban-use-of-tiktok-in-the-u-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tried to ban<\/a> TikTok during his first term, he has repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-tiktok-ban-congress-president-282d8df7b91dce270316509badd39978\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledged to oppose a ban<\/a> on the 2024 campaign trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Support for a TikTok ban has also fallen among Americans, <\/strong>and half of adults doubt it will happen, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/09\/05\/support-for-a-us-tiktok-ban-continues-to-decline-and-half-of-adults-doubt-it-will-happen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">summer 2024 survey<\/a>. The share of Americans who support the U.S. government banning TikTok now stands at 32% \u2013 down from 38% in fall 2023 and 50% in March 2023. And half of U.S. adults think it\u2019s very or somewhat <em>unlikely<\/em> that TikTok will be banned in the U.S, while 31% say a ban is at least somewhat <em>likely<\/em>.<\/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 of the week comes from the Center\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2024\/11\/18\/americans-experiences-with-social-media-news-influencers\/#young-adults-more-likely-to-see-content-from-news-influencers-as-helpful-unique\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent study on news influencers<\/a>. <strong>Younger people are more likely than older people to say news influencers help them better understand current events and civic issues. <\/strong>Among those who get news from influencers, almost three-quarters of those ages 18 to 29 (72%) say this about news influencers on social media, compared with about half of those 65 and older (53%).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4dedb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4dedb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/11\/PJ_2024.11.18_news-influencers_01-08.png?resize=480,487 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/11\/PJ_2024.11.18_news-influencers_01-08.png?resize=782,793 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/11\/PJ_2024.11.18_news-influencers_01-08.png?resize=840,852 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"649\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/11\/PJ_2024.11.18_news-influencers_01-08.png?w=640\" alt=\"Bar chart showing younger adults are more likely to say news influencers help them understand current events\" class=\"wp-image-191648 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&#8217;s 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, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Kirsten Eddy and Michael Lipka and copy edited by Anna Jackson.<\/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>Plus, Brendan Carr tapped for FCC head, The Associated Press to reduce workforce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5591,"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":"A look at America\u2019s news 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