Digital News Report: Australia 2023

This report is part of a long-running international survey coordinated by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, an international research centre in the comparative study of journalism based at Oxford University. The report delivers comparative data on media usage in 46 countries and across 6 continents. There is good news for the industry this year. The number of people paying for online news continues to grow, placing Australia among the top countries globally. One in five Australians pay for online news and those who already pay are increasing the number of their subscriptions. The top reason consumers pay is to gain access to higher quality news than they find with free sources. This year’s data confirms Australians’ desire for high quality and trustworthy news while they struggle with the overwhelming volume of information and misinformation. Recognition of the role that algorithms play in filtering the news appears to be high. Consumers are sceptical of news curation enabled by algorithms, but they are also unsure about journalists and editors selecting the news for them. Many are also worried about missing out on important information due to the personalisation of news in online environments. In an increasingly digitalised news environment, Australian news consumers report an overall positive experience of engaging with news online or on social media. They also value publicly funded media with the majority saying it is important for society and for them personally. Trust in and access of the public broadcasters remains high.<p></p>