Reuters

The Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report finds that declining engagement, low trust and stagnating digital subscriptions are eroding the power of traditional news media. While the report notes that social media news use was up six percent in the wake of Trump’s election, traditional media sources experienced no such “Trump bump.” The social media and video platforms filling that gap are leading to what the report calls a “fragmented alternative media environment containing an array of podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokers.” Around a third of the report’s global sample use Facebook (36 percent) and YouTube (30 percent) for news each week. The report also uncovers what it says is a “deep divide” between the US and Europe, as well as between conservatives and progressives, about the role of content moderation and fact-checking in social media spaces. It also says that power of podcasts is growing, with 15 percent of respondents in the US accessing one or more podcasts in the last week. Not surprisingly, more than half of the study’s sample express concern about their ability to tell what is true from what is false when it comes to news online.

Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour

Anna Wintour is leaving behind her role as Vogue’s head of editorial content, though she will continue to oversee the magazine from her joint roles as chief content officer for Condé Nast and Vogue’s global editorial director. A search is underway for a new person to lead the magazine’s daily operations, but that person will report to Wintour. The 75-year-old Wintour went on to add that on a practical level, many of her duties at Vogue would remain the same, “including paying very close attention to the fashion industry and the creative cultural force that is our extraordinary Met Ball and charting the course of future Vogue Worlds and any other original fearless ideas we may come up with.” She has been editor of Vogue since 1988.

BBC

The BBC is putting up a paywall for US-based visitors who want to access all of BBC.com’s offerings. The price US users will have to pay is $49.99 a year (or $8.99 a month), allowing them to stream the BBC News channel and giving them access to “most BBC News stories and features.” Those not paying the fee will still have ad-supported access to selected global breaking news stories, BBC Radio 4 and the World Service. There will be no changes for the BBC's UK audiences or for those elsewhere around the world. The corporation hopes money from the US fees can supplement the £174.50 (about $240) license fee charged to UK households. The BBC has said it expected to have a £492m ($674) budget deficit for the latest financial year.