Why do readers abandon quality news and what can we do about it?

News consumers today see their favorite news sources go behind a paywall, pump out numerous click-bait articles to increase their traffic, or simply go bankrupt. Something is wrong with the news environment, yet no one knows the solution. The result? Readers either succumb to the heated discussions on social media, often pushing out false information, or they grow apathetic to news altogether, especially the young readers.

On the flipside of the coin, the local news outlets are struggling to generate enough income to survive. Margins are thin as news do not generate traffic. A few very big names get most of the audience, or can charge for subscription. For smaller, unknown outlets, charging a subscription fee is unfeasible. Most readers do not feel like taking out their credit card for a news-site they just found. Lack of on-site traffic also limits the potential of advertisement revenues, cornering small outlets into a box.

Outlets with a name with a pull gradually move behind a paywall. All the other news outlets deploy tactics to increase clicks. They post articles with click-bait titles, or push out numerous, low-quality content to boost their traffic. It turns into a downwards spiral. Fewer readers push outlets to cheap low-quality content, and low-quality content pushes people away from outlets.

When we started working on the EU Media Wallet project, we first decided to disentangle and understand the dynamics of the industry better. For our project, in addition to reviewing the existing projects and studies, we conducted reviews with twelve experts from different sides of the issue.

An expert we interviewed, on British journalism, believes that the reason people move away from conventional media outlets to social media as a source of news, is a matter of trust. “When people turn on [the TV], they expect to hear or see something that they can believe. That trust is a little bit problematic at the moment,” our expert comments, pointing at polarization, impartiality and bias as some of the root causes. “That trust is about universality.”

When people cannot find media outlets they trust, they move to echo chambers of social media that exploit their existing beliefs, pushing them further to the extremes with inflammatory posts. This not only limits the income for news outlets further, but it also pollutes the information with every share.

This migration of crowds from conventional media to social media is apparent on viewership numbers. “Sometimes the audience for the mainstream news is in the region of thousands, not even tens of thousands,” our expert comments. As can be seen in our report, the news revenues have been steadily decreasing over the years.

What is the solution then? “News is like medicine, isn’t it?” our expert asks. “You have to give it to people (…), but there are lots of news avoiders in this world. How do you convince the people that they need medicine?”

A solution might be to lower the barriers to access good news. These barriers might be financial, as well as practical. While for some readers, access to quality news is simply too expensive, the others do not know where to find them in this news environment, even if they wanted to pay for it.

Our expert suggests: “Start with the audiences — what can you do to reach them and meet their needs?” The EU Media Wallet provides readers with a single hub for trustworthy news from eligible outlets. By meeting the standards of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), outlets with different views and political stances can gain greater visibility on the platform. This shifts the burden of distinguishing quality reporting from fake news away from the reader. Users simply choose the content they want to consume, whether free or paid.

Moreover, the Youth News Pass provides free access to news on the EU Media Wallet platform for young adults aged 18 to 24. This helps overcome the financial barrier that often prevents young people who may lack both the means and willingness to pay, from accessing quality journalism. At the same time, it helps smaller outlets to reach younger audiences at a crucial habit-forming age. Just as larger outlets offer free access to university students, smaller outlets can now connect with readers early and build lasting relationships.

The benefits of the platform to smaller outlets are not limited to exposure to younger and wider audiences. The outlets that are eligible to the platform acquire credibility from the platform itself, as only the trustworthy outlets get to post their content on the EU News Wallet. This should aid the trust issue that is driving most people to the social media in the first place.

“The only way to convince them is to provide them a very good product which they trust,” concludes the expert we interviewed. “As long as you make good content, people will find them.” Maybe the EU Media Wallet is the way to convince people to take their daily dose of health news? Time will tell.