Media will face hard times and accelerated the transition to

an Outbreak of coronavirus led to a significant increase in the consumption of news, but the economic turmoil forced news companies to accelerate its transition to digital, according to a study of the Reuters Institute for the study of journalism.

Pandemic coronavirus caused a rise in the hits television and online news around the world. At the same time, in society there are still concerns about the misinformation and fake news, where the main channels of distribution deals with Facebook and WhatsApp.

Experts say strengthening the long-standing global trend caused by the technological revolution – the increasing use of smartphones as the main source of news.

“We are seeing a rapid transition to digital media and mobile media, as well as to different kinds of platforms. This trend is accompanied by a continuing decline of trust in news and growing concern with misinformation, particularly in social media and from some politicians,” — said the Director of the Reuters Institute, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen.

the Greatest concern about the misinformation in the media originated in Hong Kong, where anti-government protesters opposed to the attempts of China to tighten control over the former British colony.

Analysts predict bleak future for business media on the background of mass layoffs due to a sharp fall of advertising revenues.

the good: experts say a greater willingness of people to pay for news on the Internet, although it can also increase the digital divide because many can’t afford high-quality journalism.

as an example, when the “winner takes all” the report indicates that about half of the paid subscribers to the online editions in the US, choose New York Times or the Washington Post. A similar trend can be observed in the UK with “The Times” and “Telegraph”.

Reuters Institute also found that in several countries, including the UK, Australia, France and South Korea, people under the age of 35 I prefer to read and not to watch the news on the Internet.

the Institute for the study of journalism Reuters, is a research centre of Oxford University, which tracks trends in media.