Britain | Media and society

Britons are increasingly avoiding the news

Brexit and the pandemic have taken a toll on the British public

EVERY YEAR Ofcom, the media regulator, conducts research into where Britons get their news. And every year, the answer is roughly the same: mostly from television, decreasingly so from newspapers and more and more from social media. But this year’s “news consumption report” contained a surprise: after years of growth, the number of British adults getting their news from social media declined from 49% to 45%. People’s opinion of social media deteriorated too. Brits consider it the least accurate, trustworthy, impartial or high quality of all sources.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “No news is good news”

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