Filipinos are increasingly getting their news from social media, video platforms and algorithm-driven feeds instead of traditional news outlets, a change that has contributed to a decline in trust in the news, according to VERA Files founder and University of the Philippines lecturer Yvonne T. Chua.
Speaking at a public debate titled “Why Filipinos Don’t Trust the News Anymore?” in Mandaluyong City on Monday, Ms. Chua cited the findings of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 which showed that only 28% of Filipinos responded to the news most of the time, down 10 percentage points from last year. He is the author of the Philippine section of the report.
The decline reflects a global trend. The Reuters Institute reported that trust in news across 48 markets fell to 37% this year, the lowest level since it began measuring trust in 2015. Confidence fell in 29 of the 48 markets surveyed, with declines of at least five percentage points recorded in 19 countries.
“What we’re seeing now is what we call platform-led media consumption. Or, if you want, the technical term, media platformization,” said Ms. Chua.
For the first time since the Reuters Institute began tracking digital news trends, social media and video networks are overtaking television and news websites as media outlets around the world. The report found that 77% of respondents across 48 markets use online news videos every week, while 27% now watch on-demand news through apps like YouTube on smart televisions.
Ms. Chua said Filipinos have adopted these consumption patterns earlier than many countries, noting that audiences now primarily get news through social media and video networks rather than through news websites, apps and other platforms controlled by news organizations.
“People now want news outside the spaces we control. They are coming from news websites and apps as well,” he said.
The Reuters Institute said part of the global decline in trust is due to changing spending habits, noting that social media, video networks and artificial intelligence tools have historically been less trusted than traditional news outlets. As audiences spend more time on these platforms, overall news trust tends to decline.
Ms. Chua echoed these findings, pointing to the Philippines’ growing reliance on platform-based news consumption and the decline in television news consumption. Citing a long-term study covering 46 markets, he said the researchers found that “the biggest decline in trust in the news is due to the decline in television consumption.”
“TV is really important. It is very important,” he added.
The change has become more pronounced as Filipinos increasingly use smart televisions and streaming services. Ms Chua said smart TV adoption has grown rapidly in recent years, creating new opportunities and challenges for media organizations seeking to reach audiences.
Globally, the Reuters Institute found that the growth in online news consumption is occurring almost entirely on third-party platforms. Video-led networks like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok continue to expand their reach, while mainstream news organizations have reported a five percent drop in video usage on their websites and apps.
While respondents generally view established news organizations as more credible than social media and artificial intelligence chatbots, convenience continues to draw audiences to other sources of information. Globally, trust in information from AI chatbots stands at 20%, while weekly usage has risen to 10% overall and 16% for people under 35.
“News is more reliable than AI chatbots. However, it helps. There is no need for them to look at it,” said Ms Chua.
The report also showed that concern about misinformation online remains high among Filipinos, with 66% of respondents expressing concern about false or misleading content online.
According to Ms. Chua, Filipinos are now “navigating a very confused information landscape where there is a lot of information being circulated both censored and uncensored,” which contributes to the growing skepticism of information sources.
At the same time, interest in the news continues to weaken. In the Philippines, interest in news has dropped to 43% from 69%, while news avoidance is on the rise. Globally, the Reuters Institute found that the number of people who are very interested in news has decreased by an average of 13 percentage points since 2021, while the share of regular or passive news users has increased to 25% from 16%.
Mrs. Chua said that this trend mainly affects the audience who are no longer interested in the news and do not trust the news.
“This is the biggest, fastest growing group.” “Those who have lost trust and don’t like news anymore.”
He also flagged the number of respondents who said the stories are difficult to follow or understand.
“If they tell us the stories are too hard to follow or understand, that’s 13%, not 5% or 2%. It means what did we do wrong in terms of storytelling?” Ms. Chua said.
Despite the decline in overall trust, the Reuters Institute noted that trust in established news brands remains stronger than trust in news in general. Ms Chua said this suggests that media organizations can still build on the credibility of their brands, as long as they remain relevant and accessible to audiences.
“Building trust cannot only be designed for an easily accessible audience,” he said. – Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba
