Creating Value for the Digital Reader in the Context of Sustainable Journalism

Abstract

Because of spreading digital technologies, the usage of social media platforms for news follow-up, the changing news consumption habits of young readers, and the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional journalism has been in a crisis for a while. Social media became a serious competitor as free news and advertising platforms for news outlets. Using the findings of the news consumption habits survey conducted with 200 participants in London and Cardiff in the United Kingdom, this study discusses changing readers' expectations and how their news consumption habits have changed in the digital age. The survey constitutes a part of large-scale research carried out with the financial support of TÜBİTAK. The findings reveal that readers heavily prefer digital platforms, including social media, for news follow-up, especially young readers who rely on digital sources rather than traditional media outlets, and the Pandemic has had a significant impact on their news consumption habits. Reader-based avenues are regarded as the most crucial income for sustainable journalism. It is seen that the media needs to understand the reader's expectations and produce news content that will create value for them to generate reader income in the crisis environment. The main expectations of the consumer/reader are reliability, easy access/use, personalised / reader-specific content, and less advertising.