The digitalization of information is accelerating

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Photo credit: Kon Karampelas – Unsplash[Study] Digital News Report 2020: what impact does the coronavirus have on online information?
COVID-19
August 07, 2020
Reading time: 7 min
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By Diana Liu, France Télévisions MediaLab

According to the Digital News Report 2020 , the Reuters rcs database Institute ’s annual report highlighting recent data on the digital transformation of news media, the pandemic has been something of a double-edged sword. Digitalization is accelerating, while the economic crisis is deepening, requiring new business models. The pandemic has positively influenced trust and value in news media, although this trend is likely only temporary. But other changes are moving us toward a more digital, multichannel, and platform-dominated media landscape.

The main survey was conducted in 40 countries across Europe, North and Latin America, Asia and Africa in early 2020, before the crisis broke out. Additional surveys were added in April to understand the impact of the coronavirus on media consumption in 6 countries — the UK, US, Germany, Spain, Argentina and South Korea. The study should therefore be understood as a mix of historical trends and trends triggered/accelerated by the pandemic.

TV news and online news on the rise

The pandemic has significantly increased news consumption in all six countries where surveys were conducted before and after the outbreak of the coronavirus. Television news consumption, previously in decline relative to online news, is up 5 percent on average.