Newspapers: The decline in print media

Part 1: Ofcom report into news consumption

Read this Ofcom report on the consumption of news in the UK and answer the following questions (bullet points/short answers are fine):

1) Look at the headlines from the report on page 5 & 6. Pick three that you think are interesting and bullet point them here. Why did you pick those three in particular?  

• Six in ten UK adults claim to use some form of online intermediary (social media, search engine or news aggregator) for their news. Meta (39%) and Google (34%) services are the most commonly used intermediaries - I thought it would be higher

• While the BBC, across its own services on TV, radio and online, has the highest reach of any news provider, reaching 39% of this age group, TikTok (31%), YouTube (30%), Instagram (24%) and Facebook (21%) are the most-used individual access points for news. These services host news from other providers which may include established news brands such as the BBC. - The BBC is still the most used amongst 12-15 year olds however Tiktok is very close

• Despite the tendency to use online for news, as with adults, 12-15-year-olds also rate traditional platforms more highly than online sources. Half (52%) of this age group using social media for news said that it ‘provided trustworthy news stories’, compared to 82% in relation to using TV and 78% in relation to using radio for news. However, trust in news on social media is rising among this age group, with a significant increase from last year (45% in 2024, 52% in 2025). - I'm surprised that the trust is increasing and not decreasing

2) Now look at the motivations for following news which differs by age on pages 7 & 8. What are the main reasons people gave for following news? What are the percentages? 

to know what was going on across the UK (47%), in their region (45%) and around the world (45%). However, there are differences by age with those aged 75+ showing significantly higher levels of interest in these topics (UK: 61%, region: 59%, world: 61%) than those aged 16-24 (UK: 32%, region: 32%, world: 33%). While among 16–24-yearolds, reasons such as ‘to pass the time’ (21%) ‘providing entertainment’ (18%) and ‘to be knowledgeable for work/job/studies’ (18%) were more prominent than for any other age group.

3) Look at the platforms used, by age on page 9. What trends do you notice based on the platforms used and by the different age groups?

Social media is used predominantly by the 16-24 age range and they use print the least with it only being 10%. Similarly when looking at all adults 16+ majority (70%) use online news but TV is very close with 68% and the least being print. Radio is quite even across  all the age groups compared to the other platforms.

4) Look at how online news continues to be a key platform for receiving news on page 14. How does the internet enable audiences to access the news in different ways? Can you provide any examples of news organisations with percentages? 

71% of adult get their news online including from search engines, social media and news aggregators. This allows audiences to see a range of different news sources and also sources specifically picked for them by an algorithm. The Daily Mail gets 14% whilst BBC online gets 59%, The Daily Mail saw a decline from 19% in 2024 to 14% in 2025.

5) Look at the news brands (print newspapers and digital offerings) on page 20. Can you provide percentages of readership of print vs. online?

Daily Mail - 17% Print only, 13% Online only, 3% Both

The Guardian - 9% Print only, 18% Online only, 4% Both

6) Looking again at page 20 for news brands - how are print newspapers rated by their metrics - can you offer the different metrics with percentages? 

 

Younger audiences feel that traditional print media was more trustworthy and impartial and so do older audiences however younger audiences have more trust in them. 

Part 2: Factsheet - The death of print media

Go to our Media Factsheet archive and open Factsheet 165: The death of print media. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can find it online here - you'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks (bullet points/short answers are fine):

1) What has happened to print media in the last 30 years?

It was one of the main sources of information for audiences, Radio had minimal impact on the decline in print media whereas the introduction of television in the 50's and TV news had a larger impact. Audiences can consume large amounts of news instantly and for free making it hard for print media to survive. 

2) Why is the Independent newspaper such a good case study for the decline in print media?

In 2010, the company was purchased by Evgeny Lebedev for a nominal £1 and £9.25m over the next 10 months.

3) What was the Independent newspaper famous for?

The reporting contained inaccuracies and had plagiarised causing the reporter Harri to be stripped of his Orwell prize ruining the reputation of the paper 

4) What did the then-owner of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev, say about the newspaper's digital-only future?

“The newspaper industry is changing, and that change is being driven by readers. They’re showing us that the future is digital. This decision preserves the Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms.”

5) How do online newspapers make money?

Digital advertising or through reader revenue where the audience pay for websites or sponsored content 

6) What did the Independent's longest-serving editor Simon Kelner warn regarding the switch to digital?

“For me, the power of the Independent came from the variety of voices, the originality in its design and the iconoclastic feel of the paper. It is very difficult to replicate that in digital form. And

it is even more difficult to do that with a paper like the Independent.”

7) What is the concern with fake news? What does 'post-truth' refer to?

You don’t always have a context when reading/sharing online content and the switch to digital makes it much easier for fake news to spread. It is a post factual environment where misinformation spreads quickly. 

8) What is your view on the decline in print media? Should news be free? Is it a concern that established media brands such as the Independent can no longer afford to exist as a printed newspaper?

I think that the decline in print media was bound to happen and all forms of entertainment eventually get replaced by something else. I think that news should be free although there is an issue with misinformation, I think that generally the public listen to trustworthy sources.