Study reveals complexities of audience demand for impartial news

A new study published in the International Journal of Communication has found that while many people say they want impartial news, large sections of the public actually prefer journalism that reflects their own beliefs. The findings suggest that assumptions about audience preferences – long held by newsrooms and media academics – may not reflect the full picture.

The research, led by Camila Mont’Alverne of the University of Strathclyde and Richard Fletcher of Oxford University, analysed data from 80,000 participants across 40 countries, originally gathered for the 2020 Reuters Digital News Report. It examined how factors such as age, income and political engagement shape people’s appetite for impartial versus ideologically aligned content.

Young people, women and those on lower incomes were more likely to favour news that aligns with their perspectives. Researchers suggested this group often sees so-called impartial journalism as reinforcing dominant narratives and power structures that have historically excluded them. Politically engaged respondents also tended to prefer news that reflects their own ideological positions.

“People who want news with a point of view can do so for quite different reasons – from political motivations to feeling a lack of representation,” said Mont’Alverne. She said the study challenges the idea that impartiality is a universal journalistic ideal, and instead shows that audiences come to news with a wide range of expectations shaped by their place in society.

The study also found that media systems and political conditions matter. In countries with low press freedom or where journalism is seen as closely tied to government agendas, people were less likely to value impartiality.

In the US, partisan divides were stark. Conservatives expressed deep distrust of mainstream outlets and gravitated towards aligned sources such as Fox News. Liberals, meanwhile, were more likely to support impartial media as a counterweight to right-leaning coverage during the Trump years.

The authors argue that these patterns are not simply about bias or misinformation, but about power. For many marginalised groups, “impartial” journalism may feel unrepresentative or detached from their lived realities. By contrast, audiences with more social and economic privilege may favour a neutral tone that does not challenge their worldview.

The study concludes that the meaning of impartiality is fluid – shaped as much by political and cultural context as by journalistic norms. For newsrooms, the findings are a reminder that audience trust and relevance depend not just on editorial standards, but on understanding who the audience is and what they’re looking for.

Source: Noah Wire Services