Tuesday’s election brought massive change to the balance of power in Washington, DC. The winning party in 2026 was different from 2024. But for half the country, the reaction to the results was the same. Surprise.
When I was a kid, we watched the network news each night, switching between Tom Brokaw (NBC), Dan Rather (CBS), and Peter Jennings (ABC). By the time I was in high school, cable news was rising. It began to pull audiences with a partisan bent.
The internet and social media have turbocharged this trend. We can now each create our own news bubble. The data shows how far that has gone.
Let's break it down into 3 big questions:
1) How do Americans consume news?
2) What share of Americans closely follow the local news?
3) Does the public trust the news?
How do Americans consume news?
Mostly on digital devices. TV still reaches 63%, but only 28% pick it first.
Share of adults who often/sometimes get news by platform (Pew):
1) Digital devices - 88%
2) Television - 63%
3) Radio - 43%
4) Print - 22%
The preferred platform for getting news:
1) Digital - 60%
2) Television - 28%
3) Radio - 5%
4) Print - 4%
Wow: Since 2020, social media rose from 11% to 19% as people's first choice for news. TV fell from 35% to 28%.
Preferred digital platforms for getting news:
1) News websites or apps - 21%
2) Social media - 19%
3) Search - 12%
4) Podcasts - 5%
5) Email newsletters - 2%
6) AI chatbots - 1%
US adults who regularly get news from each social media site (Pew):
1) Facebook - 40%
2) YouTube - 34%
3) Instagram - 23%
4) TikTok - 20%
5) X (Twitter) - 10%
6) Reddit - 9%
7) Nextdoor - 8%
8) LinkedIn - 6%
9) WhatsApp - 5%
10) Rumble - 2%
11) Truth Social - 2%
12) Bluesky - 1%
Facebook slipped after the 2020 election. It is now at a new high of 40%. TikTok grew from 3% to 20%.
About one in five, down from more than one in three in 2016.
Bear case for local news: As social media has risen, the share of people who follow local news very closely has fallen.
Americans who follow local news very closely (Pew-Knight Initiative):
1) 2016 - 37%
2) 2017 - 33%
3) 2018 - 31%
4) 2024 - 22%
5) 2025 - 21%
That is a 16-point drop in under 10 years.
Bull case for local news: Local TV still leads, with 34% saying it is their preferred source for local news.
What’s next: Local station groups like Nexstar and E.W. Scripps already have the news product. Now they need to move their audience to streaming.
Does the public trust the news?
Most people trust local news. Fewer trust national news. Trust in social media stays low.
Trust in information from news sources (Pew):
1) Local news organizations - 75%
2) National news organizations - 62%
3) Social media sites - 38%
Change in trust between 2016-26:
1) Social media sites - ↑ 4%
2) Local news organizations - ↓ 7%
3) National news organizations - ↓ 14%
By party, it gets interesting.
Trust in national news organizations:
1) Democrats - 73%
2) All US adults - 62%
3) Republicans - 50%
Trust in local news organizations:
1) Democrats - 81%
2) All US adults - 75%
3) Republicans - 69%
Trust in social media sites:
1) Democrats - 40%
2) All US adults - 38%
3) Republicans - 37%
Between the lines: The party gap is 23 points on national news (73% minus 50%), 12 on local news, and just 3 on social media.
Both parties trust their feeds about the same, and not much. They split on the institutions.
The bottom line: TV kept its reach and lost the default. Local news kept its trust and lost attention. When I was a kid, the whole country chose between three anchors. Now each of us gets our own. That's why election night surprised so many people. They were not watching the same thing.
