The vast majority (87%) of Americans who listen to news on podcasts say they expect the information they hear to be mostly accurate, according to a new Pew Research Survey.At a time when trust in news is at a historic low, podcasts offer hope that media institutions can rebuild relationships with the public through a new medium.As podcast listenership grows in the U.S., so does news consumption.Of the roughly half (49%) of Americans that say they’ve listened to a podcast in the past year, about two-thirds (67%) say news has been discussed on the podcasts they’ve listened to.
The majority of Americans (55%) say they trust news from podcasts as much as the news they get from other sources.
Nearly one third (31%) say they trust it more. Only 15% say they trust podcasts less than other mediums.
While younger Americans report listening to podcasts more frequently than older generations, they are less likely to intentionally seek news from podcasts. Only 23% of 18-29 year-olds tune into podcasts for news and current events, compared 38% for those 65+.
Podcasts can also blur the lines further between trained journalists and commentators.
Most U.S. podcast listeners (60%) say they tune in for entertainment. Only 29% say they listen to stay up to date about current events.
Only around 20% of people who have listened to a podcast in the past year say the podcasts they listen to are connected to a news organization.
One area that tends to blur the line frequently is talk or opinion podcasts. Those shows in some cases end up “echoing the style of talk radio or cable TV news,” per the report.
As a result, more than half (64%) of podcast listeners say hosts or guests they listen to present their opinions on government and politics.
Nearly half (47%) of podcast listeners who have heard opinions on government and politics say those views line up with their own opinions.
Latinos are telling their own stories
Latinos spent twice the amount of time listening to podcasts in 2020 as they did in 2019, according to the most recent data from Nielsen.
Podcasts are also filling the major gap in storytelling that Hollywood has left open as it’s struggled to put Latinos on screen and behind the camera — despite the fact they’re avid consumers.
The second season of “La Brega,” a popular bilingual podcast about Puerto Rico’s people and history, is premiering Jan. 26.
The first season made several year-end best-of lists when it premiered in 2021.
Alana Casanova-Burgess, the co-creator and host of “La Brega,” says the new season provided an opportunity to have an even broader scope, celebrating more aspects of Puerto Rico and Latinos through its music.
The new episodes will tell more of those stories through eight specific songs across decades, including — naturally — one from Bad Bunny, as well as classics like Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente.”
Meanwhile, NPR’s “Code Switch,” the popular show about race and identity, just added Lori Lizarraga, the first-generation daughter of Ecuadorian and Mexican immigrants, as co-host.
Lizarraga made her debut on Jan. 11 on an episode about how she and her mom partly modified their names to versions easier to pronounce for English speakers.
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