Business decision makers place trusted and intelligent content as top factor when turning to online news brands, with half expecting their news consumption to grow, according to a survey published today by Reuters. The fourth edition of Tomorrow's News, a global survey of 1,700 professionals on Reuters.com from December 2019 to January 2020, also finds that those surveyed turn to news brands first for 'trusted content in a trusted environment' (87%) and have a more favorable opinion of a brand if it appears on a trusted news site (64%). Furthermore, 57% also agree that 'the advertising content seen on a trusted news site can influence opinion of the news brand'. Those surveyed consider accuracy and impartiality as the leading factors in what makes a news story trustworthy and are largely skeptical of news on social media — with 84% of those agreeing that fake news has made them doubt the reliability of news stories shared on social media. The survey also finds: -Intelligent and thought-provoking content is the top attribute that makes a news story appealing (89%) -Executives consider in-depth news analysis, credible sources of a story and easy-to-understand content as the most important factors that make a news story attractive. -Younger audiences are also more engaged in news brands, showing 65% under 25 years old believe mobile will increase their consumption of news; and 73% of those under 25 prefer in-depth articles and analysis over short articles. -Technology and innovation content registers the greatest level of consumption of non-news content, (74%), followed by energy and environment (54%). Buddhika Amis, Senior Marketing Director, Reuters, said, "The findings of this research are evidence of the need for quality journalism that audiences know they can trust as news consumption continues to grow. With a vast amount of misinformation being circulated amid the coronavirus outbreak, we're seeing how trusted and impartial news content from reliable sources is valued above all." The full Tomorrow's News survey findings can be found on Reuters Community. [Reuters PR blog post] Media contact: deepal.patadia @ thomsonreuters.com
