{"id":8554,"date":"2025-10-01T20:44:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T00:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cntiwpedev.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=8554"},"modified":"2025-12-02T10:39:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T15:39:52","slug":"building-news-relevance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnti.org\/issue-primers\/building-news-relevance\/","title":{"rendered":"Building News Relevance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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CNTI’s Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CNTI aims to help news publishers and policymakers understand the current challenges of news relevance as a means to enabling more informed internet and media policy and a healthy information system. The importance the public places on the news media inherently impacts the digital news environment and any feasible solutions to its current challenges. Even the best internet policy cannot ensure the future of independent journalism and an open internet if the news media, at large, does not carry credibility and relevance with the audiences it strives to serve. This is particularly important when it comes to younger audiences and those in underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Issue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The public\u2019s perceived relevance of journalists and the role they play in providing fact-based accounting of events and issues is an essential ingredient in building policy that protects a strong, diverse and independent press, a crucial principle of democracy. <\/strong>Yet, achieving relevance seems harder than ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The internet provides new opportunities for producing news, telling stories and reaching and connecting with audiences. It also poses new challenges \u2013 including entirely new structures and formats of news as well as a wider range of content and creators competing for the public\u2019s attention, trust and value. The public\u2019s ability to share information and opinions through social media also holds journalists accountable in ways they weren\u2019t in the age of traditional media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a digital environment where publishers no longer serve as the sole gatekeepers<\/a> of news and information, they must find new ways to stand out by developing relationships with audiences that reflect their lifestyles and habits. This means rethinking the very concept of news: how people define it, what news they\u2019re looking for and where they access it. The \u201cunbundling<\/a>\u201d of news and its financial structure are only the beginning of what has changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Younger<\/a> generations require particular attention. In addition to being digital natives<\/a>, many also have grown up in the social media<\/a> age, when news is just one of many kinds of content mixed into online spaces which include messaging apps<\/a>, private groups, video games<\/a> and social<\/a> feeds. Information sources are global. With so many choices, access to verified and independent reporting can be difficult. With habits<\/a> already different from other age groups, how will their relationships with news evolve as they move further into adulthood? More broadly, how do they differentiate news from other kinds of content? What do they look for versus happen upon<\/a>? How do they recognize brands<\/a>, if at all? Who do they trust<\/a>, and why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of historically marginalized<\/a> and underserved communities<\/a> also require attention. They often have well-earned<\/a> skepticism of news media broadly, having been historically underrepresented<\/a> in newsrooms<\/a> and misrepresented in (and actively<\/a> harmed<\/a> by) news coverage<\/a>. They face unequal targeting from disinformation<\/a> campaigns<\/a> and often have less access<\/a> to news<\/a> and information. Inequities in representation, coverage and access impact people with disabilities through insufficient accessible<\/a> and inclusive<\/a> news, particularly for visually impaired<\/a> news audiences and\/or people with cognitive disabilities<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many newsrooms have taken significant steps to connect with and serve<\/a> marginalized and underserved communities, but there is still much ground<\/a> to cover. One of the positives of the digital realm is the low cost to publishing, which has enabled<\/a> the creation of niche<\/a> news publishers. That said, building audiences can be incredibly challenging because it involves creating content specific populations connect to and value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For journalism to be relevant today, publishers must <\/strong>listen<\/strong><\/a> to audiences and evaluate what they want and need so they can both meet their audiences\u2019 wants and needs and offer accountable, fact-based work. <\/strong>As important as independent, competitive journalism and an open internet are to the future of functioning societies, neither can be ensured if the press, at large, does not gain the recognition, relevance and trust of audiences in the communities it strives to serve. Publishers and journalists need to think hard about what news means in the future and how people find it, value it and understand<\/a> who produces it. Neither further regulation nor revenue alone can solve this part of the equation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One challenge publishers face is gathering research and analysis that differentiates between their audiences\u2019 expressed desires for news and actual media practices. This research and analysis is complex, expensive and falls largely on the news industry and research communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Makes It Complex<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What publishers think about news \u201crelevance\u201d does not always align with what the public<\/em> considers relevant to them.<\/strong><\/strong> What audiences personally want and value from the news can be contradictory<\/a> and can vary, particularly when it comes to younger<\/a> and historically marginalized<\/a> audiences. The mismatch between publishers\u2019 perception and the public\u2019s perception of what is relevant exists from the international level to the local level. For instance, research shows that large national<\/a> news outlets in the U.S. often skew coverage toward a wealthy, white and liberal audience, and local<\/a> U.S. newsrooms<\/a> often fail to cover<\/a> topics their local audiences are seeking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The primary challenges to producing relevant news are different in different contexts.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> For instance, in politically polarized societies like the U.S.<\/a> and Brazil<\/a>, partisanship plays a critical role in perceptions of and trust in news media. There are also countries where history influences the public\u2019s understanding of and relationship with news media. There is also variation in the degree of independence the news media has had from national governments. In many cases, larger institutional or cultural shifts are required before we can address broader issues of relevance through changes to news practices or content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

News publishers must make <\/strong>trade-offs<\/strong><\/a> to engage different groups.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Journalists cannot meet the needs and wants of every person. What appeals to one group might very well turn off another. This applies to everything from long-form to short-form content, and from news that carries viewpoints<\/a> and opinions to news that does not. It also applies to the use of visuals, source type, and topics. Publishers seeking to appeal to a mass audience rather than smaller, niche ones that share news preferences face the greatest challenge engaging their audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people do not see the news as central to their lives.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> While the future of independent journalism is critical for open societies, it is not often central<\/a> to people\u2019s everyday lives<\/a> or online experiences<\/a>. People are increasingly getting news via distributed discovery<\/a> (especially social media and search engines), but many use platforms primarily for other purposes and may actually be hesitant to get news from them. Further, people who are less trusting of news also pay less attention to and have fewer opinions about news practices, implying a broader lack of interest in what news is or what it should be. Persuading the public to see news as relevant will require communicating its value to people who do not consider news to be an important part of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people\u2019s media<\/strong> habits<\/strong><\/a> and attitudes make them harder for news publishers to reach than older audiences.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Compared with older audiences, under-30s in particular are increasingly reliant on digital and social media, more disconnected from news brands, and have different perceptions of what news is<\/em><\/a>. Younger and\/or less educated audiences are more likely to avoid news because they perceive it as hard to follow or understand<\/a>. Traditional media often assumes a certain amount of knowledge and often provides little explanation of context, which can alienate younger or newer news consumers. And, the spaces they find news and information online change. For instance, younger audiences increasingly use platforms like TikTok as both a search engine<\/a> and a news source<\/a> despite understanding that not all information on the app is credible<\/a> and\/or independent. It is critical that publishers meet audiences where they are, and with news formats<\/a> they can understand<\/a>, trust and connect with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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State of Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research continues to indicate global public interest and trust in the news media declining<\/a> and news avoidance<\/a> rising. Many news avoiders<\/a> perceive the news as irrelevant<\/a> for navigating their daily lives. The question of news relevance, and the public\u2019s perceptions<\/a> of it, tie into a broad range of research topics, including media trust<\/a> and engagement<\/a>, the changing<\/a> media environment<\/a> and business<\/a> models, and the public\u2019s news choices<\/a> and expectations<\/a> (and those of young<\/a> news<\/a> audiences<\/a> specifically). Together, this work \u2013 detailed at various points throughout this issue primer \u2013 paints a clear picture of the challenges facing publishers attempting to remain or become relevant<\/a> to their audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving forward, audience-centered work quantitatively and qualitatively measuring public perceptions and attitudes of news relevance and public trust in non-U.S. and comparative contexts is critical. In many countries, we simply lack evidence-based understandings of what different groups want and need from news publishers. For example, we could move beyond simple assumptions that news for younger audiences needs to have a \u201cyouth\u201d slant if the solution is actually hiring young talent and presenting stories in ways and on platforms that align with their lifestyles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research can also push to explore new ways of thinking about news. Many of the decades-old parameters of how news is defined no longer apply, making it less clear what news means to people today. Many initiatives aiming to connect with audiences \u2013 such as explanatory, \u201cgood news,\u201d solutions or constructive journalism \u2013 are also untested, and their effectiveness (as well as whether audiences actually want<\/em> them) is still unclear. And, while recent research has told us much about how audiences (including young people) either intentionally or incidentally consume digital news, opportunities remain for further exploring how specific audiences navigate an increasingly mediated and fragmented digital news environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Notable Studies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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