Facebook users fleeing to WhatsApp for stories over ‘fake news’ fears

Facebook users are turning to WhatsApp as a more reliable source of stories following concerns over “fake news.” Messaging apps are becoming more popular news sources amid concerns over low-quality material circulating on Facebook, the Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford reveals. More than half of respondents (54%) use social media as a source of news, according to the YouGov online survey conducted with 70,000 people in 36 countries. More than one in ten (14%) now say social media is their main source. But 33% said they can’t rely on the news they see to be true. Although many are sceptical of the “mainstream news media”, it still does a better job than social media in separating fact from fiction. In the UK people are twice as likely to have faith in the news media than social media, the study found. “Fake news could be the best thing that has happened to journalism in a long while.” Reuters Digital News report author Nic Newman However the Brexit debate has led to growing mistrust of the UK’s media, with only 43% of respondents
declared that the news could be trusted, down from 50% last year. The BBC was criticised for having both a pro-EU bias and failing to expose the “distortions” of the leave campaign. Across all countries the use of the Facebook-owned WhatsApp for finding, sharing and discussing news has risen to 15%. WhatsApp’s reach is as high as 51% in Malaysia. The BBC, a sponsor of the report, produced this analysis of popular news sources Use of Facebook for news fell in more than half of all the countries where a comparison was possible. Report lead author Nic Newman said: “Social networks are not going away but users are getting increasingly frustrated with the level of debate in networks like Facebook and Twitter. Messaging apps offer more control over what they share and with whom.” More news diversity However despite concerns over “echo chambers and filter bubbles”, social media users are exposed to a wider diversity of news about issues such as LGBT rights and migrants, which they might not find on other news sites. The report found a significant “Trump bump” with digital subscriptions to news organisations rising in the United States along with evidence that more people might be prepared to pay elsewhere. People aged 35 and under who subscribe to Netflix and Spotify are open to paying for quality news. Newman said: “Fake news could be the best thing that has happened to journalism in a long while. It’s an opportunity to re-establish the value of mainstream brands and focus on quality.” The Reuters research, covering countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, is considered the most authoritative annual analysis of attitudes towards digital media.

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