For the fourth year running, Edelman hosted the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s Digital News Report 2017 on Wednesday 28th June.

More news, more shocks than most of us have ever experienced. But how did we experience the news of 2016 and 2017? What filters did we use? Has the issue of ‘fake news’ damaged overall trust in digital news?

The report examines trends and issues across 36 countries with new insights on paying for news, the role of platforms, and trust in news media.

Moderated by Edelman UK CEO, Ed Williams, this year’s panel debating the findings were James Harding, Head of News and Current Affairs, BBC, Janine Gibson,  Editor-in-Chief, Buzzfeed UK,  Patrick Walker, Director of Media Partnerships, EMEA Facebook and Renée Kaplan, Head of Audience Engagement, Financial Times.

Highlights from the panel included:

  • In the era of fake news, 24% agree social media does a good job in separating fact from fiction, whilst 40% agree news media does;
  • Trust in the news media & social media is low, raising the question – is this making quality journalism more valuable?
  • Half of people in the UK and USA use social media as a source of news, but elsewhere it is slowing or in reverse;
  • Smartphones are becoming even more central and consumers are more dependent on mobile than ever;
  • Quality is getting more and more heavily prized in the news media, fake news spreads faster than verified truth;
  • Engagement and audiences are expected to grow to levels that couldn’t have been foreseen 5 years ago.

The full report can be found here, including essays by industry leaders, analysis by each country included and a full analysis. To view the full data, please see the deck below:

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A full summary of the digital news trends and key findings that are affecting the way we need to communicate, can be found below:

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