Consumers in Ireland are now more likely to source their news on the internet but television remains the most trusted medium, according to a new study.
Traditional media such as TV and radio were the main source of news for 23 per cent of respondents compared with 43 per cent for digital.
But the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2015 (Ireland) showed TV is still the most highly valued news source in the country, commanding the most trust because of its accuracy and reliability. The report, produced by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, has been running since 2012 but included an Irish sample for the first time this year after the BAI stepped in to fund the research.
Traditional news is perceived to be more accurate, reliable and trusted than online news in general. But 58 per cent of those surveyed said they favoured headlines over trust: an interesting digital headline is more likely to capture attention than a trusted online news brand or journalist.
The study said social media is not as highly valued as other news sources in Ireland with just 7 per cent considering it reliable and accurate compared to 37 per cent for TV and 12 per cent for print news.
Facebook dominates social media usage in Ireland at 71 per cent and usage as a news source at 46 per cent, both figures above international averages, the report states. YouTube and Twitter also show above average use in Ireland.
There is also a growing reliance on search engines and social media for finding news; an organisation’s own web page is less likely to be a starting point for users.
Searching is how 46 per cent of Irish respondents find news while 44 per cent go directly to news brand websites. Only 21 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds go directly to a news brand whereas 49 per cent of 35 to 55-year-olds and up do.
Irish news users are also half as likely to pay for online journalism as their counterparts in Finland and Denmark. Just 7 per cent of the 1,500 Irish respondents said they had paid for online news content in the year prior to the survey compared to 13 and 14 per cent in Denmark and Finland respectively.
Fewer than 2 per cent of consumers who don’t pay say they are very likely to pay for news in the future while 82 per cent say they are unlikely to pay.
In its conclusion, the report states Ireland is a “dynamic news environment straddling both traditional and digital markets with high levels of news consumption and engagement in both”.
With online news dominant, the study said the Irish have embraced digital devices with older generations largely using computers while smartphones are more popular among young people.
“However, most still follow traditional news output patterns such as tuning into scheduled TV news bulletins. Newspapers and radio too reach about half of the population in a given week.”
In the foreword to the report, DCU Institute for Future Media and Journalism director Jane Suiter cautioned: “Because this survey was conducted online it must be acknowledged that the results will under-represent the consumption habits of those who are not online. We wish to stress the importance of considering this in interpreting the data and analysis.”
