Change of platform or news exodus?

According to the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026, news consumption in the Philippines has undergone a profound transformation over the past six years. Between 2020 and 2026, weekly television news use fell from 66% to 42%, newspaper readership declined from 22% to 10%, radio use dropped from 25% to 14%, and news websites fell from 60% to 42%. In contrast, social media remained largely unchanged, moving only from 68% to 70%. At first glance, these figures suggest audiences are abandoning traditional media in favor of social media. If that were the case, however, the data do not add up. While traditional news sources collectively lost tens of percentage points over the period, social media gained only two. This suggests that many Filipinos are not switching platforms but consuming less news overall. The Philippines mirrors a broader Reuters Institute observation that social media’s growing role in news stems from the faster decline of traditional sources rather than a shift to new platforms. What makes the Philippine case particularly noteworthy is the absence of a clear successor to the declining news ecosystem. By 2026, podcasts and AI chatbots each reached only 9% of Filipinos, far too small to compensate for the losses experienced by television and news websites. The evidence therefore points to something more fundamental. People increasingly encounter news incidentally through digital platforms. Social media persists not because demand for news is increasing but simply because it is embedded in everyday online activity. Taken together, these patterns suggest not substitution but a steady weakening of direct news consumption.