The decline in print media
Part 1: Ofcom report into news consumption
Read this Ofcom report on the consumption of news in the UK and answer the following questions (bullet points/short answers are fine):
1) Look at the headlines from the report on page 5 & 6. Pick three that you think are interesting and bullet point them here. Why did you pick those three in particular?
The BBC is still the most-used provider of news in the UK.
- found it interesting as I thought social media would be the most well known news provider
Despite online being the main platform for news, the more traditional providers are rated more highly for trust, accuracy and impartiality.
- most people know that Newspapers have agendas so I'm Surprised that people use the news as a trustworthy source.
- I thought people age relied fully on social media for anything and everything based on the News
2) Now look at the motivations for following news which differs by age on pages 7 & 8. What are the main reasons people gave for following news? What are the percentages?
Main reason gave for following the news was 47% about the UK . 45& said around the world, while among 16-24 year old reasons was was to pass time said 21%. 18% Said providing entertainment 17% and to be knowledge for worthy jobs and 18% said for studies
3) Look at the platforms used, by age on page 9. What trends do you notice based on the platforms used and by the different age groups?
Figure 5 shows the top cross-platform providers used for news. With services across TV, radio and online, the BBC remains the provider with the largest cross-platform news reach, with 67% of all UK adults. This is followed by Meta (reaching 39% of the population), Google and ITV (both 34%). The picture varies when looking at cross-platform reach across different age groups: for those aged 16-24, at 56%, Meta has the largest cross-platform reach, followed by the BBC, at 52%. While among those aged 75+, the BBC reaches 83%, and Meta only reaches 11%.
4) Look at how online news continues to be a key platform for receiving news on page 14. How does the internet enable audiences to access the news in different ways? Can you provide any examples of news organisations with percentages?
The internet enables people to access news in numerous different ways to suit their needs and preferences. This ranges from news publishers, including established brands such as the BBC or press titles, through to online intermediaries. These intermediaries include: search engines, which provide links to a plethora of online news outlets; news aggregators, which provide selected sources based on different algorithms; and also social media services, which include direct contributions from news publishers, reposted contributions from these sources and also views from individuals and lobby groups, for example Our latest data shows that 71% of adults now access their news online, with online intermediaries used by 60% of adults. Meta services combined (39%) continue to be the most used intermediaries among all UK adults.
Looking at those who directly access websites and apps of news organisations for their news, BBC Online (59%) has the highest claimed use, while Sky News (21%), The Guardian (20%) and The Daily Mail (14%) take the next three positions. While The Daily Mail remains in fourth, it saw a decline from 19% in 2024 to 14% in 2025. The highest online exclusive source is LADbible (11%), followed by HuffPost (9%) and Buzzfeed News (8%)
5) Look at the news brands (print newspapers and digital offerings) on page 20. Can you provide percentages of readership of print vs. online?
Print and online newspaper use for news remained steady this year, with 34% of the total population using these for news, though only 19% read print newspapers for news. People who read print or online newspapers are split roughly equally into those who only read print versions (42%) and those who only read the online versions (43%), the remaining 15% read both print and online.
The Daily Mail / Mail on Sunday has the highest reach of all news brands, reaching 33% of all print and online users, followed by the Guardian / Observer reaching 31%. The Sun / Sun on Sunday rounds out the top 3 reaching 23% of print and online users.
6) Looking again at page 20 for news brands - how are print newspapers rated by their metrics - can you offer the different metrics with percentages?
Print newspapers, as with the other traditional news media platforms of TV and radio, are rated highly by their regular readers when evaluating them on metrics such as accuracy; 74% of regular users rate newspapers highly (7-10), 70% for impartiality and 73% for trustworthiness. However younger readers rate newspapers highly on these metrics more commonly than older readers, with% of 16–24-year-old regular newspaper readers rating them highly for accuracy, compared to 69% of those aged 75+. This pattern was also observed for other significant metrics such as ratings of trustworthiness (16-24: 79%, 75+: 71%) and impartiality (16-24: 81%, 75+: 62%). This was not observed among regular users of other traditional news platforms such as TV or radio
Part 2: Factsheet - The death of print media
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks (bullet points/short answers are fine):
1) What has happened to print media in the last 30 years?
last 30 years, print media was one of the main sources of information for audiences. The desire for information is not a new one. Since the first newspapers in 1660s, and the relaxing of British censorship laws in 1695, printed newspapers have been a primary source of this information. The introduction of radio in the 1930s had a minimal impact on newspaper circulations; television in 1950s had a larger impact with the introduction of TV news. However, it is the ubiquity of digital media which has had the largest impact on print media, and not just newspapers. When discussing this issue, we should avoid the sweeping statement “it’s because of the Internet.” The Internet did not ‘do this.’ It’s your fault – well, the audience’s. As we consume media differently, our needs or demands of the media changes.
2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?
It was founded in 1986 and was a newspaper that was free from political bias and preretail influence and the newspapers was caught plagiarizing.
3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?
pioneering only digital format (since 2016)
4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?
"Historic transition " "The newspaper industry is changing and that change is being driven by readers. they're showing us that the future is digital" He argued the industry is in denial about the decline of print, asserting that the moved allow them to all invest in high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.
5) How do online newspapers make money?
through advertising
6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?
2016 shifty to only threatened the future of quality Journalism and caused the paper to" lose it's soul ". He argued that abandoning the print product. Reaction to economic gravity. Meant sacrificing the tangible.
7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to? Fake new was created with the decline of print media sites are now easily set up and is now set up and is now set up by people who don't gather information. post truth when the new sites follow codes and conventions of reputable sights but their new content is fake or not founded in truth
8) What is your view on the decline in print media? Should news be free? Is it a concern that established media brands such as the Independent can no longer afford to exist as a printed newspaper?
The news should be free as people should be informed on differentiable that are affecting their lives weather directly or indirectly.
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