Kat Matsa

Composite graphic labeled “DATA” summarizing Pew Research Center findings about Politico. Text notes that nearly 20 years after launching in the U.S., about half of Americans have heard of Politico, and that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to use Politico and to trust it as a news source. Two bar charts are shown: one displays awareness of Politico, with about half of U.S. adults saying they have heard of it, higher among Democrats than Republicans and higher among older adults than younger adults; the second shows trust in Politico, with 13% of U.S. adults saying they trust it, including 21% of Democrats and 4% of Republicans. Source: Pew Research Center, 2025.

As Politico moves into Australia, our @pewresearch.org survey data show that about half of adults have heard of Politico and 8% say they regularly get news there — with differences by party.

One data point that adds context: most Americans say they feel confident they’d know steps to take to check a news story — but far fewer say the same about other people.

The confidence is there, but it’s uneven.

We talk a lot about “media literacy” — but do people actually experience checking the news as a skill they’ve mastered?

What people describe instead often sounds like a stream of everyday judgments, made under uncertainty.

That gap feels worth paying attention to.

One thing I didn’t expect going into this work was how much agreement there is on the importance of “doing your own research,” alongside tension about what that actually involves.

This is actually a good example of the problem our data gets at.
“Doing your own research” isn’t one thing. For some people it means checking accuracy or comparing sources; in other contexts it’s used to signal skepticism toward institutions/experts.
Different meanings, very different implications.

One thing I keep noticing:

“Do your own research” has become a near‑universal norm about the news.

But people mean very different things by it — and that difference matters.

If you’re at KMF, come say hi — and if you’re following from afar, I'll share takeaways soon.

This year we’ll be digging into:
📰 The New News Reality — Wed 11:10am (Main Stage)
👀 Today’s News Consumers — Wed 1:15pm (Chopin)
🌎 Spanish‑Language News Ecosystem — Thu 12pm (Chopin)

Heading to Miami for #KMF26 — always a highlight for anyone thinking about the future of news and civic info. Excited to share new @pewresearch.org insights across three sessions this year. ✨
@knightfoundation.org

In @niemanlab.org predictions for journalism 2026, I share 3 forces shaping news:
1️⃣ AI as a news interface
2️⃣ Influencers as anchors
3️⃣ Trust gaps in a polarized world
At @pewresearch.org
✔️ 38% of adults <30 get news from influencers
✔️ Trust in national news is declining
✔️ AI adoption is coming fast

What Is News? As people are exposed to more information from more sources than ever before, how they define and feel about “news” has become less clear-cut. Pew Research Center.

Just saw this—thanks for asking! The Q was broad: whether you paid/gave money to any news source—by subscribing, donating, or becoming a member. We don’t have details on how people decide to subscribe; hope to dig into that soon.
Here’s a recent study on how Americans define news: pewrsr.ch/4m7tpXf

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Jen Psaki's Advice For Republicans: Repeat The Message Coming Out Of The White House

💔Are Americans breaking up with news?
@colbertlateshow.bsky.social called out the trend.
"In 2016, 51% of Americans said they follow the news all/most of the time. Now it’s 36%."
youtu.be/DF1NjFbhXY4?...
That stat? Our new @pewresearch.org data-decline spans every age group.
📊Read: pewrsr.ch/3QvVY2I

Young Adults and the Future of News U.S. adults under 30 follow news less closely than any other age group. And they’re more likely to get (and trust) news from social media.

What does the future of news look like?
Our new @pewresearch.org study shows young adults stand out:
• Follow news less closely
• Get news incidentally—esp. via social media
• Trust social media as much as national news orgs
• Have a broader definition of “journalist”
Full report → pewrsr.ch/4rFixD0

📊 New @pewresearch.org data on news + social media:
• 20% of U.S. adults regularly get news on TikTok (3% in 2020)
• Under-30s: 43%
• 55% of TikTok users get news on the app
🔗 pewrsr.ch/49Er7sE

Other sites: Facebook (38%), YouTube (35%), Instagram (20%), X (12%), Bluesky (2%)
🔗 pewrsr.ch/46zu9h4

The Experiences of LGBTQ Americans Today How lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults view the impact of Obergefell and social acceptance for LGBTQ people more broadly 10 years after the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex...

Today we released a major @pewresearch.org survey of LGBTQ adults looking at:

▶️ Views of social acceptance for LGBTQ people
▶️ Personal experiences with acceptance, discrimination
▶️ Experiences with coming out
▶️ Identity
▶️ Community, friends and LGBTQ spaces

Read on for findings from each section.

How Americans Get News on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram X is still more of a news destination than these other platforms, but the vast majority of users on all four see news-related content.

We shared insights from a few @pewresearch.org studies at this year’s #AAPOR25 on how people get news.

Sharing if anyone wants to dive deeper!

• What’s news: pewrsr.ch/4m7tpXf
• Getting news on TikTok, X, Facebook & IG: www.pewresearch.org?p=169348
• The rise of news influencers: pewrsr.ch/4emDUB2

Public Opinion Polling Basics How do polls work? What are the different kinds of polls? And what should you look for in a high-quality opinion poll? A Pew Research Center survey methodologist answers these questions and more in si...

Being at #AAPOR this week reminded me what a great resource this is: @pewresearch.org free short course on the basics of public opinion polling.

Clear, accessible & super useful for anyone trying to make sense of polls.

Check it out: www.pewresearch.org/course/publi...

‼️ I am so proud of this work. A thorough analysis of what is news.
👏 Kudos to @kirstenaeddy.bsky.social for leading the project for over a year!

🌟 Excited for #AAPOR next week!

📅 Thurs May 15 ⏰8:30–10:00 AM📍Regency B
Presenting: Media Trust & Info Quality in the Digital Age
📅 Fri May 16 ⏰8:30–10:00 AM📍Midway Suite 3/4
Moderating: Designing & Assessing Surveys about Pol Opinion

Lots of @pewresearch.org folks will be there. Let’s connect!

Americans largely foresee AI having negative effects on news, journalists About six-in-ten Americans (59%) say AI will lead to fewer jobs for journalists in the next two decades.

Republicans tend to have much less trust in national news organizations than Democrats do. But the groups are largely aligned in their views of the impact of AI on news and journalism. www.pewresearch.org/...

Americans more likely to support than oppose continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to support ending federal funding for public media.

🚨 As the NPR/PBS funding debate continues, here’s @pewresearch.org data:

🔹 43% of Americans support the funding to continue
🔹 24% oppose it
🔹 33% unsure
🔹 20% get news from NPR; 21% from PBS

📝 In all questions, there are clear partisan splits.

More data here: pewrsr.ch/41Mldne

The call for papers for the APSA Political Communication Preconference in Vancouver is now open!

Together with @ashleymuddiman.bsky.social and @patyrossini.bsky.social, we're thrilled to invite your submissions.

📅: May 25th, 2025, 11.59pm PDT (GMT-7)

More information: u.osu.edu/apsa2025/

🚨Our institutional account @pewresearch.org is here!

Research Assistant, News &amp; Information Position Summary Pew Research Center has an immediate need for a Research Assistant to support its News &amp; Information research agenda. The Research Assistant will be part of the News &amp; Informa...

🌟Join my team @pewresearch.org & get a hands-on w/ data analysis & research tasks!🌟

💼🏠Heads up: staff expected in our D.C. office on Tues & Wed, & remote the rest of the week.

Apply, share with your network or tag someone who'd be a perfect fit!
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...

📢 Join us for a free virtual event on news influencers!
🗓️ Feb 6, 12 PM EST
🎤 Moderated by @makenakelly.bsky.social ft Mosheh Oinounou & Raven Schwam-Curtis
📊 @gstocking.bsky.social will present findings from the Pew-Knight Initiative research
👉 Register here: tinyurl.com/563net2h

A closer look at Americans’ experiences with news on TikTok Many TikTok accounts mix in news with a variety of other topics, from celebrity gossip to jokes and memes.

And here is a full link to our post from this morning: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

🚫SCOTUS green-lights #TikTokBan. Read our research showing TikTok turned into a news hub for 52% of its users-without relying solely on traditional journos & often mixing news with celebrity gossip, humor & memes. The news landscape has been shifting.
💡More findings here➡️https://pewrsr.ch/3PG3Hdx

In Philly for #APSA! My personal favorite the PolComm pre conference, organized by the amazing @dannagal.bsky.social! Come say hi, especially if you have ideas/opinions about research we should be doing 📊‼️

Are you at #AAPOR? Excited to moderate a session at #AAPOR24 today at 4:15 PM in room 216! Join us for innovative approaches to News and Information - come say hi!

Most Americans say a free press is highly important to society Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, 73% of U.S. adults say the freedom of the press is extremely or very important to the well-being of society.

On World Press Freedom day, majority of Americans see the press as highly important to society’s well-being. But many express concerns about potential restrictions in the US – say that political & financial interests have a lot of influence on news orgs. www.pewresearch.org?p=141366