TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Public trust in news across Taiwan has fallen to 25%, matching the United States at a record low, according to the Digital News Report 2026 released Tuesday (June 16) by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The finding signals a deepening credibility crisis across Asian media markets.
The annual survey, conducted by YouGov in January and February across 48 markets, found statistically significant drops in trust in 29 countries, including the Asia Pacific region. The Philippines saw a 10-percentage-point decline, Thailand dropped 8 points, and Malaysia fell 7 points.
"Audiences are anxious, disengaged and searching for new ways to make sense of things," Mitali Mukherjee, director of the Reuters Institute, wrote in the report's foreword. "That's the environment that we're all operating in."
The report marks the first time social media and video networks have overtaken television and news organizations' own websites as the most widely used source of news globally. Lead author Jim Egan described the shift as a "drift" rather than sudden migration.
The commercial implications are becoming stark. Egan noted that publishers' digital properties, built over two decades, now behave more like traditional broadcast and print media than innovative digital platforms.
As consumption shifts toward social media and AI chatbots—platforms audiences trust significantly less than news overall—Egan warned aggregate trust figures are likely to decline further.
Joanna Webster, global editor for agency news strategy at Reuters, framed the challenge. "The challenge, of course, is closing the gap between what audiences believe journalism should be and what they feel they're getting," she said.
Despite the trust erosion, the report found that core journalistic values retain support. People who prefer impartial news outnumber those who prefer news reflecting their own viewpoint by more than two to one.
News avoidance has reached 42% globally, with the United Kingdom at 50%. Fake news concerns have also risen to 62% across the 48 markets surveyed.
The rise of news creators — individuals who produce news-focused content on social platforms — represents both a challenge and an opportunity. A quarter of respondents globally now use such creators for at least some of their weekly news diet, rising to nearly half in Thailand.
Creators appear complementary rather than substitutional: only 13% of global audiences say creators meet most or all of their news needs.
AI chatbot usage for news has grown significantly from 7% to 10% globally, with adoption accelerating in South Korea, Greece, and Spain. However, trust in AI-delivered news remains low. Egan said audiences have yet to find a "killer application" for AI chatbots in news consumption.
Online video consumption has grown from 69% to 77% globally over five years, but nearly all gains have gone to third-party platforms like YouTube and TikTok. In Thailand, more than half the audience now accesses news through these platforms, which Egan said offer formats publishers have not historically mastered.
Some regional outlets are attempting to bridge the gap. Taiwan's public media has launched the "Public Media AI Chatbot Collaborative Project." The initiative provides traceable sourcing in an environment Webster described as plagued by "information slop."
In Australia, the government announced a AU$180.5 million (US$127 million) News Media Assistance Program, the largest direct public investment in journalism in decades. South Korea's AI Act, which took effect in January 2026, mandates labeling for AI-generated news content.
CommonWealth Magazine (天下雜誌), one of Taiwan's most trusted news brands at 55% trust, has focused on deep engagement and knowledge monetization rather than broad traffic. The model offers a potential template for regional publishers facing similar pressures.
TVBS News (TVBS新聞) ranked among Taiwan's most trusted news brands in the report, with 52% of respondents expressing trust — tied with public broadcaster TBS (公視新聞) and trailing only niche publications. TVBS also led television news brands in weekly reach at 29%, outpacing competitors SET News (三立新聞) at 26% and CTI News (中天新聞) at 14%.
Webster concluded with a call for newsrooms to adapt without abandoning core principles. "We must find new ways to meet audiences where they are," she said, "while holding fast to the values that make journalism essential." ◼