A recent report by the Reuters Institute revealed that a majority of Africans trust digital news outlets compared to traditional media.
The 2023 report, which was carried out in 46 countries across the world, emphasised the prevalence of digital journalism across the world.
“Our data shows more digital, mobile, and platform-dominated media environments,” the report read.
The Digital News Report 2023, covered different parts of the world including Europe, Americas, Asia pacific and Africa.
News consumption in Africa
In Africa for instance, the survey explored audience behaviour of news consumers in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
63% of Kenyan respondents said they trust news outlets with trust levels in Nigeria and South Africa stood at 57%.
In Kenya, 88% of the total surveyed population trusted online news sources. Tuko had the highest readership, at 62%. Other top online platforms were Citizen Digital, Daily Nation, Opera News and Kenyans.co.ke.
“But there are deepening concerns for the sustainability of the sector as media organisations contend with a poor economic environment and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report explained.
In Nigeria, with significant internet penetration, 93% of the surveyed population expressed their trust in digital news sources.
The country’s top 5 online news sources were; Legit.ng at 46%, Punch online at 44%, Pulse.ng at 41%, BBC News online at 40% and Vanguard online at 39%.
In South Africa, 90% of news consumption happens on digital media outlets. The top online news outlets were News24, SABC News online and eNCA online.
News on social media
Besides the digital news outlets, the report also indicated that a variety of messaging apps were instrumental in sharing news.
“Meta-owned products such as Facebook and WhatsApp remain most widely used for news, followed by Twitter and YouTube.” The report read.
In all the three African countries, Facebook was leading as the top social media and messaging app used for sharing news.
Although many people are turning to digital news sources for information, it is important to note that traditional media like Television and Radio remain equally important in the market.
This especially applies to those audiences who have little or no access to the internet. However, with the rate at which internet access is growing, many countries will be primarily relying on digital platforms.