Navigating the News: Access and Consumption During Election Season and Beyond
This is part of a series of SBS Comms Briefing Notes about the 2024 U.S. election. By: Grace Sakellariou, Sarah Rummler, Tenaya Goldsen
It's safe to say that the way we consume news has changed significantly, especially in recent years. Social media is a large contributor to this shift, with over half (54%) of U.S. adults turning to social platforms for news consumption. In 2024, 58% of U.S. adults shared that they prefer getting news on digital devices, with 32% choosing TV, and only 4% choosing print as a preferred medium. News organizations have had to adapt to the evolving landscape as traditional media continues to decline.
The transition to digital-first journalism has impacted both the ways we consume media, and how newsrooms operate. Not only have news organizations turned to digital strategies to continue reaching readers, the shift has driven financial challenges, causing publications to seek new revenue models like paywalls. Now more than ever, news organizations are competing with social media platforms, blogs and other online content providers to keep readers engaged and many have turned to short form content and social media themselves to keep up with the evolving trends.
Importance of Staying Informed During Key Moments
With the 2024 presidential election quickly approaching, educating oneself is a critical part of our civic responsibility. It’s not enough just to show up and vote – we need to stay informed, as the decisions we make have the power to shape our future.
Self-education is crucial during major events like elections because context matters. A well-rounded understanding of key topics helps us make better decisions, not only for ourselves but for the greater good. Elections affect policies that touch almost every aspect of our lives. Almost 7 in 10 Americans are closely following news about 2024 presidential candidates leading up to the election, so it’s important to find resources that offer the most up-to-date information in order to feel confident that we’re making choices based on facts, not just opinions or misinformation.
It is true, however, that today’s media landscape makes this more challenging. We have more news than ever at our fingertips, but navigating it can often feel overwhelming, and it can be tough to discern what’s credible and what’s not. This is exactly why self-education and media literacy is so important. Taking the time to stay informed allows us to cut through the noise, so we can approach these decisions with confidence, knowing our they are grounded in real information.
Bottom line: being informed leads to better choices and stronger civic engagement. So, while it might take extra effort to stay on top of things in today's complex news environment, it’s worth it – because informed voters make a real difference. And that starts with finding the right outlets that work for you.
Finding the Right News for You
As news consumers ourselves, it can be difficult to choose the best way to get the most up to date, accurate information, while being constantly bombarded with content. But to get straight to the point: there are so many good options out there; a lot of it comes down to finding what works for your lifestyle and learning style.
Decision fatigue is all too real, so we compiled some less traditional resources to access news ahead of the election and beyond to stay informed and educated on the current news cycle.
Newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to stay informed daily as they come directly into your inbox and many publications create campaign- and election-specific dailies in the lead-up. These are just a few:
Washington Post: The Campaign Moment
NBC News: From The Politics Desk
Fox News: Elections Newsletter
BBC: US Election Unspun
WIRED: Politics Lab
Politico: Playbook
electionline.org: Daily Election News
Podcasts
Whether you’re listening on your commute to the office or while sipping your coffee, podcasts are an easy way to get your news ahead of the day. News organizations that publish daily rundowns include:
Election-specific podcasts:
Social media
Almost half of U.S. adults under 30 (46%) most commonly use social media for political news, and it can be a great resource – as long as you’re cautious about where the information is coming from. Most major news organizations have social media accounts where they share the latest news and link to articles, so if you’re following a verified source, social media is a great way to be in-the-know.