Social Media Overtakes News Sites as Main Source of Information for Aussies

Over 1 in 5 Australians are comfortable with news produced mainly by AI, with some human oversight, according to a survey about news consumption.

Former Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan is filmed through a mobile phone as he speaks to the media during a press conference in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 1, 2021. Tony McDonough - Pool/Getty Images

For the first time, social media platforms are the main source of news for more Australians (26 percent, up 1 percent from last year) than online news media sites (23 percent, down five), according to a survey.

The Digital News Report is conducted annually, with the University of Canberra’s News and Media Research Centre handling local data collection and reporting as part of a global effort spearheaded by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University.