Navigating The News: Why Credibility Is Key In The Age Of Audience Skepticism

Be it from traditional media sources, social-media sources, or word-of-mouth sources, news finds a way. 

And as new research from Ipsos, Muck Rack, and VaynerX shows, audiences aren’t afraid to be skeptical.

“Today’s audiences are buried in click bait and sensationalized headlines, but when something feels off, they don’t hesitate to fact-check,” says the report which found a majority of consumers are taking in news multiple times a day and only a third trust it most or all of the time. “When confronted with a news story that feels questionable, 44% of consumers say their first instinct is to fact-check on their own.”

 

Calling On Creators: Almost A Third Now Self-Publish Their Own Work

The publishing field is swarming with creators who do not write for legacy outlets, judging by The State of Creator Journalism 2025, a study from Muck Rack. Of those surveyed, 34% independently publish news, commentary or other content under their own name outside of a traditional media organization.

 

America’s Deepening Need For Human Connection In An AI-Driven World

The new research, fielded through Critical Mass Media for iHeartMedia, found that 82 percent of respondents worry about AI’s societal impact, and 9 in 10 believe it’s important to know the media they consume is created by a real person. Most respondents long to feel “human” again through deep, meaningful relationships, but simultaneously feel overwhelmed by their phones, hindering the ability to pursue these connections. These conflicting sentiments are driving new consumer behavior.

 

The State of Social Media Marketing

45% of marketers said they use AI for social media, and that number climbs to 53% among those posting multiple times a day. The heavier the posting load, the more likely teams are to rely on AI.