Influencers, AI driving shift in news consumption: Reuters Institute report
Social media influencers and generative AI are “supercharging a fragmented alternative media environment” for news, according to the 2025 Digital News Report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The annual survey, covering 1 lakh news consumers in 48 countries including India, found that half of English-speaking Indian internet users — a sample not necessarily representative of the entire population — say they avoid news at least some of the time, ranking the country fourth globally in news avoidance.
Traditional media — television, print, and news websites — is losing audience share as more people turn to platforms like YouTube and news aggregators. Influencers, often with personality-led formats, are gaining ground: from U.S. podcaster Joe Rogan to France’s HugoDécrypte, who reaches over 20% of under-35s in his country.
In India, YouTube has emerged as a major news source, featuring talk shows across the political spectrum. The report cites Ravish Kumar (12 million followers) on political commentary, Dhruv Rathee (25 million) on social, political, and environmental issues, and Akash Banerjee’s The Deshbhakt (5.5 million) for satirical political takes. Lifestyle influencer Ranveer Allahbadia (“BeerBiceps”) also draws large youth audiences.
The study notes a growing preference in countries including India, the Philippines, and Kenya to watch rather than read the news — a shift that benefits personality-led creators. Globally, trust in news remains at 40%. Among 18–34-year-olds, 41% cite social media and YouTube as their main news sources, compared to just 24% for news websites.
While WhatsApp is generally viewed as less of a disinformation threat due to smaller, trusted groups, India is an exception, with the app’s largest user base and a history of viral fake news fuelling mob violence. Eleven per cent of Indian respondents said friends and family also contribute to spreading misinformation.
Generative AI is emerging as a popular tool for simplifying and summarising stories. In India, it is the most widely used option for “personalised” news, with 44% expressing comfort using AI tools, and nearly 20% using chatbots weekly for news.