Czechs read less news, citing powerlessness and news fatigue
Avoidance of the news is at a record high, according to the Oxford-based Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which produced the 168-page Digital News Report 2024 analysis. Nearly 39 percent of people worldwide said they sometimes or often actively avoid the news, up 10 percent from 2017. So how are Czechs doing in this respect?
Czechs are reading less news than ever before in Czechia’s modern history. That is largely because in Czechia trust in the news media is at 31 percent, below the EU average, down eight per cent since 2015. Other trends reveal that powerlessness and media negativity contribute to this downward spiral. At the same time, negative polarizing content and fake news are on an upward trajectory.
We spoke with journalist at Aktuálně.cz and disinformation and media researcher at Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI), Anna Dohnalová, about this trajectory:
“I would say some people get more and more exhausted every day from what’s going on in the world. And there is also the other aspect that people believe traditional media is manipulative that only invokes fear and applies censorship. And then they unfortunately often turn to alternative websites which claim to promote truth but often share fake news.”
According to the survey, Czechs' low trust in the news “reflects the country's problematic economic situation and polarised political climate.” As mentioned, one of the reasons for this is because people report feeling “powerless” in response to negative news stories. Others are generally fatigued with the influx of information.
This downward trend is similar across most developed countries. Worldwide, 46 percent of people said they were very or extremely interested in news - down from 63 percent in 2017.
Novel News Consumption Trends
In the Czech Republic, people mostly watch news online. Czech Radio and Czech Television have long been among the most trusted media outlets. Since 2015, the share of TV and print users as a news source has fallen by 25 and 22 per cent respectively. But the share of online and social media has also fallen significantly since 2022.
Globally, Facebook remains the most important social network, although its importance has been declining for a long time. YouTube and WhatsApp remain important news sources for many, while TikTok is on the rise and has now overtaken X (formerly Twitter) for the first time. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, up to 23 percent use the short video sharing app to get messages.
Ms. Dohnalová on the negatives with shorter forms of content typically found on TikTok, for example:
“Short content is very popular right now, it’s trending. And it’s becoming increasingly more popular even among older generations. What I would say is positive is you can get the news faster. The problem with platforms such as TikTok is that there is very little regulation in place so people can get their hands on any content they desire. And then you get into a disinformation bubble where you start watching other disinformation channels. ”
Interest in the news is also correlated with education level and the socio-economic level. People at the lowest socio-economic level and least educated tend to consume the least media.
The report by the Oxford-based Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is based on a survey conducted by YouGov in January and February among 94,943 adults in 47 countries.
