Tipsheet

Traditional Media Is Dying a Slow Death – What Comes Next Could Be Worse

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  March 27, 2026 2:15 PM

A shrinking percentage of Americans are turning to their favorite news organizations for information about breaking news events.

Pew Research Center published the findings of a survey assessing how Americans gather details about the news of the day. It showed a remarkable trend of people moving more toward digital sources such as search engines and social media.

When a breaking news event happens, 36% of U.S. adults say they typically turn first to their preferred news organization to get more information, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative. Another 28% look to search engines like Google or Bing, and 19% make social media their first destination. A smaller share (5%) usually asks friends, family or acquaintances for more information.

In a similar question from 2018, a slim majority of Americans (54%) said they turned to their preferred news organization when they wanted to learn more about a breaking news event. The shares of U.S. adults who said they turned first to search engines (15%) and social media (9%) were both lower than they are today. Similar shares in both survey years said they turn to people in their lives.

Interestingly enough, very few Americans (one percent) use artificial intelligence chatbots to get more information about breaking news. However, it’s worth noting that search engines like Google tend to provide AI breakdowns of news stories when a user looks them up, so more people are using the technology — albeit unintentionally.

Even though the percentages have fallen, traditional news outlets still dominate when it comes to people using them for breaking news. However, younger adults are increasingly turning to the digital realm and are more willing to trust information from these sources. Pew Research Center noted that “Americans ages 65 and older are around four times as likely as adults ages 18 to 29 to say they turn to their preferred news organization.”

Younger people are more inclined to turn to online platforms like TikTok or Instagram for news updates. Indeed, about 31 percent of adults under 30 say they look at social media first to gather information about breaking news events. Only six percent of people over 65 say the same.

This data suggests that traditional media is dying a slow death. With digital news sources and artificial intelligence becoming more ubiquitous in everyday life, it’s easy to see where this trend is headed.

At first glance, this might appear to be a positive trend given how traditional media outlets have often served as propaganda mills for the left. Trust in media has been in the toilet for years. But this does not necessarily mean that bad actors can’t also use digital platforms to deceive the public.

A Syracuse University study examined over 2,200 Facebook and Instagram groups running presidential candidate related ads that included misleading claims and even scams aimed at extracting money or personal information from users.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate found that 209 of 283 misleading election posts on X did not feature a Community Note debunking the misinformation.

As someone who is on social media frequently, I’ve observed several instances in which lies spread like buckshot while the truth struggles to catch up. People can post whatever lies or false information they want without repercussions — and they often do. This is especially true of foreign influences seeking to mold public opinion.

X’s Community Notes has still been a helpful feature, allowing users to fact check posts in real time. But without a more robust system used on multiple platforms, younger generations could wind up less informed than prior generations.