Evasion of news”. This is the title of the Digital News Report España 2023 report for this June, its chapter dedicated to Internet users who occasionally or regularly try to isolate themselves from current news. They are less than a year ago, but they represent almost two thirds of the population (64%). Of these, 86% avoid “hard news” (politics, international, economy), compared to 58% who avoid “light news” (sports, heart, lifestyle, fashion, travel). Conversely, only 10% reject proximity information.
The Digital News Report – annual study on the press prepared by the Reuters Institute, the University of Oxford and coordinated in Spain by the University of Navarra – points out that “distrust in the news” is at its highest point ( 40%) and trust has stagnated (33%). Crossing mistrust with disinterest, the group of news “neither” emerges (37%): they show neither “interest nor confidence in the news”.
This situation did not arise overnight, but today it is accentuated by the battle of the technological giants for the attention of those of us who spend all day hanging on our mobile phones, waiting for Whatsapp, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram , Facebook… and newspaper apps and alerts.
But not all are bad news. 51% of respondents do want to be informed and 64% show a special “interest in positive news, constructive journalism and the latest news”, they are motivated by information that “proposes solutions instead of just presenting problems” and that help to understand complex matters.
Should we stop reporting bad news in order to reconcile with the ni-ni of the news and those who feel they need a news blackout in their lives? Sweeten chakras such as male violence, stop reporting on the war in Ukraine, minimize reports that warn of the climate crisis or avoid the complexities of politics or the economy? No way. This is what we are for: to select the most relevant facts for our readers and make them understandable and interesting.
But, at the same time, we must remember that in every relationship – including that of a newspaper with its readers – it is necessary to be close, share interests and know how to maintain a positive and constructive spirit despite the difficulties.
