Digital News Report: Declining Trust in News Across Europe, Including Netherlands and Portugal

The Digital News Report highlights a continued decline in public interest and trust in news across various countries, with social media and online video projected as primary sources by 2026. Findings include a significant drop in trust and interest in news in the Netherlands, alongside a report from Portugal revealing that only 24% trust news presented by chatbots, despite algorithms gaining prominence.

16 Jun, 00:32 — 16 Jun, 15:17

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Why this matters

Declining trust in news can undermine informed public discourse and democratic processes, making citizens more susceptible to misinformation. The shift towards social media for news, despite low trust, highlights a critical challenge for traditional journalism and media literacy.

Key entitiesDigital News Report Netherlands 2026 Digital News Report Portugal 2026 Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Dutch Media

The Story

What 4 sources agree on, dispute, and miss

What sources agree on

Trust and interest in news are declining in the Netherlands
The Digital News Report 2026 is the source of these findings
Social media and online video platforms are significant sources of news for many respondents

Key claims1 agreed · 3 unverified

✓

Trust in news media is declining in the Netherlands

agreed·nl-timesnos

Interest in news has fallen from 61% in 2018 to 45% in 2026 in the Netherlands

unverified·nos

Only 24% of Portuguese trust news presented by chatbots

unverified·publico

54% of respondents got news from social media or video platforms in the week prior to the survey

unverified·japan-times

Where they diverge

Specific focus of the report's findings

nl-timesnos

Primarily focuses on declining trust and interest in news within the Netherlands

publico

Highlights Portuguese distrust in news presented by chatbots and the role of algorithms

japan-times

Emphasizes the global trend of social networks and online video surpassing traditional media

Coverage gaps

Specific percentage of Portuguese who trust news from chatbots

Reportedpublico

Missingnl-timesnosjapan-times

Percentage of Dutch people with high interest in news in 2018 vs. 2026

Reportednos

Missingnl-timespublicojapan-times

Percentage of respondents globally getting news from social media or video platforms

Reportedjapan-times

Missingnl-timespubliconos

The Story

Analyzing sources…

Source Diversity

High (51/100)

4 sources30/33

Spectrum spread— 2/5 buckets covered8/33

Far L

Left2

Left (2)

publicojapan-times

Center2

Center (2)

nl-timesnos

Right

Far R

Geographic diversity— 3 regions13/34

Netherlands2Portugal1Japan1

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

publico

japan-times

nl-times

nos

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyToneFactuality

publicocenter-leftcenter-leftanalytical—focus on reader skepticism of new tech

japan-timescentercenter-leftanalyticalMostly Factualemphasis on global digital media trends

nl-times

Coverage leans: balanced

The coverage is largely factual and data-driven, focusing on report findings without significant political framing, resulting in a balanced overall lean.

Sources

Showing 2 of 4 sources

japan-timesMostly Factual5d ago

Social networks, online video outweigh traditional media in 2026

The report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found 54% of respondents said they got news from social media or video platforms in the week before the survey.

Read full article →

nl-timesMostly Factual4d ago

Trust and interest in news continue to fall in the Netherlands, report finds

Trust in news media and overall interest in news continue to decline among people in the Netherlands, according to the Digital News Report Netherlands 2026, published on Tuesday by the Dutch Media

By 89585

Read full article →

Coverage Timeline

First report: japan-times · 16 Jun, 00:32|Full coverage: 4 · 15h|Window: 15h

Left-leaningCenterRight-leaning

japan-times16 Jun, 00:32First to report

Social networks, online video outweigh traditional media in 2026

8h later

nos16 Jun, 08:14

Sociale media vaak gebruikt, maar niet vertrouwd als 'bron' van nieuws

2h later

publico16 Jun, 10:07

Só 24% dos portugueses confiam nas notícias apresentadas por <em>chatbots</em>

5h later

nl-times16 Jun, 15:17Latest update

PERSPECTA

PERSPECTA

Digital News Report: Declining Trust in News Across Europe, Including Netherlands and Portugal

Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims1 agreed · 3 unverified

Where they diverge

Coverage gaps

The Story

Source Diversity

Source Diversity

Political spectrum

Sources

Social networks, online video outweigh traditional media in 2026

Trust and interest in news continue to fall in the Netherlands, report finds

Coverage Timeline

Social networks, online video outweigh traditional media in 2026

Sociale media vaak gebruikt, maar niet vertrouwd als 'bron' van nieuws

Só 24% dos portugueses confiam nas notícias apresentadas por <em>chatbots</em>

Trust and interest in news continue to fall in the Netherlands, report finds

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PERSPECTA

Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims1 agreed · 3 unverified

Where they diverge

Coverage gaps

Political spectrum

Coverage matrix