News source preferences shifting — study

The interest of Filipinos in traditional news sources continues to decline, with more people turning to TikTok for news consumption, according to the latest Reuters Institute Digital News Report (DNR) released on Monday.

The report highlighted that the number of Filipinos who are “extremely or very interested” in news dropped to 45 percent this year from 52 percent in 2022.

It marked the fourth consecutive year of declining news interest in the Philippines since the country began participating in the DNR study in 2020. At that time, 69 percent of Filipinos relied on traditional news sources for information.

The decline in traditional news interest coincided with significant changes in social media platforms, which have shifted their focus away from news and publishers.

Legacy platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (the parent company of Facebook) have redirected their emphasis towards other types of content and engagement categories, a phenomenon the study describes as “platform resets.”

“This more complicated platform ecosystem, the end of mass referrals from legacy social media, and growing competition for attention means journalists and publishers will have to work much, much harder to earn the public’s attention, let alone convince them to pay for news,” said Rasmus Nielsen, director of the Reuters Institute.

Rise of TikTok

TikTok has surged in popularity as a news source in the Philippines. The app’s use for news increased from 21 percent last year to 23 percent this year, significantly higher than the 13-percent average across all markets surveyed.

Since 2020, when only 2 percent of adult Filipinos used TikTok for news, there has been a 21-point increase in its use for this purpose. The Philippines is now among the top 10 countries where TikTok is a primary news source.

Nic Newman, the lead author of the DNR, noted that traditional media outlets need to adapt to the growing preference for video content among consumers.

“Many traditional newsrooms are still rooted in a text-based culture and are struggling to adapt their storytelling while the business side is also reluctant because the sums don’t add up,” Newman explained.

Facebook, which has historically dominated the Philippine digital market, saw a decline in its use for news.