According to the Digital New Report, social media and video platforms have surpassed traditional television and publisher websites as the leading global source of news for the first time in the 15-year history of the survey. The data shows that 54% of respondents worldwide rely on social platforms and video apps for information, compared to 52% for television and 51% for direct publisher sites and apps. Online news video now reaches 77% of respondents globally, outperforming traditional television newscasts in 45 of the 48 markets studied.
French Media Trust and Public Broadcasting Skepticism
In France, public trust in news remains stable at 29%, trailing the global average of 37% according to the Digital New Report. Trust in news has declined across 29 of the 48 countries surveyed, reaching its lowest level since 2015, while overall interest in the news remains low at 36%. Regarding public service broadcasting, opinion balances positively across the 26 countries featuring such services, with 37% favorable views against 22% negative ones. France bucks this trend with 31% negative judgments compared to 22% positive ones, placing the country alongside Slovakia in a minority group of skeptics. Among French respondents who distrust public media, 65% attribute their skepticism to the influence of political leaders, whereas Nordic countries, Portugal, and Switzerland report the most favorable views.
Influence and Paywall Habits in France
When asked who exerts the greatest influence over news content, 66% of French respondents point to media owners, closely followed by 64% who blame political leaders, mirroring a hierarchy also observed in the United States and Australia. Financial contributions to journalism remain limited in France, where only 12% of respondents pay for online news, contrasted with a 17% average across twenty tracked countries, reaching up to 40% in Norway and over 20% in Ireland and Australia. Furthermore, only 39% of French digital subscriptions go to traditional media outlets, compared to 80% in the United Kingdom. France also records the highest proportion of free digital access obtained through bundled services like internet service provider box subscriptions.
Diversification Habits and AI Adoption
Data from vie-publique.fr shows that traditional broadcast channels such as TF1, France 2, France 3, Arte, CNews, and France Info remain the most widely used platforms, with television newscasts successfully reaching 75% of French citizens. When accessing news online, French users favor established television, radio, and print brands, consulting an average of nearly nine different sources regularly, a figure stable since 2023. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence integration is altering information habits, with 24% of French residents utilizing AI tools at least monthly for news discovery, predominantly relying on ChatGPT for rapid, customized, and targeted summaries. Conversely, daily social media usage for news captures 44% of the French public, down slightly from 47% in 2023, with Facebook leading at 32% followed by Instagram and YouTube.
Broader Institutional Defiance and Economic Resentment
The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer highlights a deep fracture between populations and governing institutions across 28 countries, based on online interviews conducted in November 2024 among 33,000 individuals. In France, 70% of surveyed citizens believe that government leaders deliberately mislead the public, while distrust in journalists hits 73% and distrust in corporate executives reaches 67%. Economic grievances compound this alienation, as 69% of French respondents feel that institutions serve exclusively the elite, and 70% state that wealthy individuals fail to pay their fair share of taxes. Richard Edelman, CEO of the Edelman group, notes that overcoming this widespread societal ressentiment requires a concerted effort from institutions, businesses, and media to address systemic issues including information integrity, economic inequality, and the integration of artificial intelligence.
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