🤡 Americans trade journalists for comedians and influencers
Traditional media outlets are definitively losing their status as the primary source of information in the United States.
A new study conducted by Ipsos for the Innovation in Journalism Center at the University of Mississippi confirms that Americans no longer trust newspapers and television news, preferring influencers, politicians, and late-night comedy hosts.
Key Figures from the Study:
- Digital Dominance: Approximately 70% of respondents get their news online every week. Television maintains its hold on only 55%, while newspapers are read by a mere 25% of those surveyed.
- The Power of Personality: Excluding professional politicians, podcaster Joe Rogan has become the most influential news source in the U.S. He is followed by Fox News stars Greg Gutfeld and Sean Hannity, as well as Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro.
- Partisan Preferences: Donald Trump’s electorate gravitates toward conservative commentators, while Kamala Harris’s supporters draw information from late-night shows. Their top list includes comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart.
Professor Andrea Hickerson notes that we are witnessing a fundamental shift from “institutional” journalism to personalized content consumption. According to experts, charismatic personalities and comedians now almost completely “drown out” professional journalists.
This process mirrors the era of “yellow journalism” in the early 20th century, when sensationalist and polarizing voices carried more weight than objective facts. However, the situation today is exacerbated by social media algorithms, which allow users to create their own “information bubbles,” selecting only the news that aligns with their existing worldview.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
