How Are Millennials Getting Their News?

An Invoke Xperience Takeaways Report
August 2014
How are Millennials Getting
Their News?

© Invoke Solutions - Confidential| Introduction to Invoke2
 Why did we do this research?
 Understand Millennial attitudes towards news currently.
 Gather information about how Millennials currently get their news, specifically
touching on the role of social media.
 Gauge the impact of type of reporter/newscast on interest and perceptions of news
stories.
 What did we do?
 Live 45-minute real-time Large-Scale Focus Group™ (153 participants).
 Coupled with Dialsmith’s Perception Analyzer® Online for online, moment-to-moment
“dial testing” of news clips (explained more in-depth on slide 15).
 Who did we talk to?
 Millennial – 18-34 years
 Interest in current events/news
 Mix of political stances on a ten point scale - Liberal, Conservative and Neutral
 In order to more naturally analyze Millennials, political stance was based on
natural fallout – Liberal (43%), Neutral (45%) and Conservative (12%)
Methodology

How Engage Live Works
Participants
• Take part from the
privacy of their homes
or offices
• Answer anonymously,
proving candid,
unbiased responses
• Experience a fun and
highly engaging
process!
Observers
• Watch sessions from any
location with an Internet
connection
• Analyze live feedback
using a dashboard with
built-in analytical tools
• Discuss and react to
results with rest of the
decision-making team
Host
• Controls the session and leads back-room
discussion about the results in real-time.
• Sends out questions and stimuli to participants
• Adds additional questions on the fly if necessary
Engage Live brings research to a higher level by creating an event that involves decision makers,
researchers, and current and potential customers
3

• Tools and services for the collection of continuous, moment-to-
moment feedback
• Develop, market and sell the Perception Analyzer® line of dial-
based solutions
For offline (focus groups, live events)…
…and online (surveys, online focus groups)

 Millennials claim that trust is the most important characteristic when it comes to the
news, often using words such as “accurate,” “reliable,” “unbiased” and “trustworthy”
when asked to name characteristics important to them. Additionally, 70% of Millennials
rank trustworthiness as most important when presented with a list of characteristics.
 When Millennials are presented with the different types of reporters/newscasts reporting on similar stories,
the most trustworthy clip is the one reported most straightforwardly (CNN) while the entertaining reporting
style of Jon Stewart and the op-ed style of Bill O’Reilly score lower on trust.
 Interestingly, though, likability does not line up completely with trustworthiness as Jon Stewart is actually
the most liked newscast among the three shown. This may suggest that The Daily Show is a well-liked
program by Millennials but may not be regarded as “real” news as CNN.
 Interestingly, social media remains a frequently checked news source for Millennials
despite it ranking low among this group in terms of trust. Millennials are fully aware of
the bias and unreliability of news sources in social media, but are still drawn to it for
news because of its “speed-to-news,” constant updating and accessibility.
 Facebook and Twitter are the most commonly used social networks for news amongst Millennials. Both
offer Millennials the most up-to-date news as well as the ability to connect (like/follow) news
networks/providers. Facebook also benefits from enabling Millennials to connect with friends/family and
discuss topics, while Twitter appears to be perceived as a more unfiltered news source.
 A few Millennials say that while they do find it important to stay up-to-date, the news
can be hard to watch at times because of the overabundance of negative stories.
Research Highlights

6
MILLENIALS: NEWS ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS

Millennials overwhelmingly find it
important to stay up-to-date on news
World and
local news is
important,
finding trust
and time hard
Millennials find it important to
stay current on what’s
happening globally and locally,
but some note lacking complete
trust in news reported. Others
note not having time do so.
“I like to be aware of what's
going on in the world, and
especially locally in my own
city.”
“I realize that it's important to
know what's going on in the
world around you, but I've
come to realize that it's not
always easy to trust the news
you hear, so I often take news
with a grain of salt.”
“I think you need to know what
is going around in the area
around you (but sometimes its
hard w a busy schedule to stay
completely up to date).”
A few say news takes a toll
“I like to be informed, but watching the news can be
very depressing because there are always so many
negative things being reported.”
“News is important but there is just so much negativity
sometimes that I have a hard time always watching.”
The Millennial Times
 57% of Millennials check the news at least 3-5 times
a day, with 19% saying they check the news at least
6 times per day.
August, 2014
How important is it for you to stay up-to-date on things
happening in the news?
96%
52%
45%
4% 0% 0% 0%
Top2
Veryimportant
Somewhatimportant
Neitherimportantnor
unimportant
Somewhatunimportant
Notimportantatall
Bottom2
96% of Millennials think its important to
stay up-to-date on things happening in
the news.

Millennials strongly value an unbiased news source they can
trust
 Words such as unbiased, accurate, reliable,
trustworthy and up-to-date are often mentioned
when Millennials are asked for the three most
important things they look for in a news source.
Importance of news characteristics (first and last ranked)
Q) Off the top of your heard, please tell me the three most important things a new source must be in order for you to consider them as a place to get your news. (n=157)
Q) Now I want to know what’s important to you when it comes to the news you use. Thinking about all the news sources you use (TV, radio, online, social media, newspaper, etc.), please rank the following
words from 1-10 with 1 being the most important characteristic and 10 being least important.
 When asked to rank specific characteristics, 70%
rank trustworthiness as their number one news
source characteristic.
 Over half rank opinionated as their least
important characteristic, followed by 20%
ranking humor last.
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
2%
4%
5%
14%
70%
53%
13%
20%
8%
0%
1%
1%
3%
0%
0%
Opinionated
Succinct
Humorous
Entertaining
Educational
Professional
Thorough/Detailed
Objective
Informative
Trustworthy
Rank 1
Rank 10
Most important news source characteristics for Millennials

Online websites and social media are most oft-checked
sources for news
 76% of Millennials check online websites at least once a day for their news and 69% check social media at
least once daily.
 Magazines and newspapers are least often checked sources by Millennials.
Q) Looking at the following list of ways one might get their news, please tell me how often you turn to these specific sources for your news. (n=157)
How often are Millennials checking specific news sources?
3%
4%
9%
14%
18%
23%
25%
43%
46%
3%
10%
12%
20%
19%
17%
28%
26%
30%
12%
13%
15%
17%
18%
13%
13%
14%
12%
19%
15%
12%
14%
13%
8%
13%
4%
7%
22%
16%
14%
8%
12%
6%
6%
1%
1%
30%
27%
17%
16%
12%
10%
8%
6%
3%
12%
15%
21%
10%
8%
22%
7%
5%
1%
Magazines (such as Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report)
Newspaper
Cable television channels that are not news-specific (Comedy Central,
HBO, MTV, etc.)
Radio
Cable television news-specific channels (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.)
Through an app (on a smartphone or tablet)
News on a local channel (network news)
Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
Online websites
Multiple times a day Daily A few times a week Once a week or so Once every couple weeks Less than once every couple weeks Never

While local news and online websites are most trusted,
Millennials have less faith in social networks for news
 28% of Millennials rank local news as their most
trusted source of news and 21% rank online
websites as most trusted.
 41% rank social media as their least trusted
source of news.
Q) text
News sources – ranked by trustworthiness
1%
3%
6%
10%
16%
17%
21%
28%
28%
41%
6%
8%
3%
6%
4%
4%
Non-news specific cable channels
Social media (Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, etc.)
Magazines (such as Time, Newsweek, US
News & World Report)
Radio
Newspaper
News-specific cable channels
Online websites
News on a local channel (network news)
Rank 1 Rank 8
Local news is often trusted because of
accuracy, up-to-date news and/or a perceived
duty to the community.
“My local news has been trustworthy and accurate.”
“Because the local news has a reputation to uphold to the
community.”
“You’re not waiting for the paper they are on the scene and have
live witnesses and viewers who call in.”
Millennials often trust websites because they
are updated frequently and/or can be fact-
checked easily.
“Online websites are always updating their content at a quick
pace.”
“At least online, you know where you are getting your
information and you can search to fact check.”
Social media is often not trusted because
anyone can post on it and/or a fear of bias.
“People who spread news on social media aren’t always experts
or have critical thinking to evaluate what they share. they can
also be overly biased.”

Social media brings speed and shareability, but several worry
about bias
Q) Thinking about social media, what (if any) BENEFITS do you think there are to getting your news from social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)? (n=160)
Q) What, if any, DRAWBACKS do you think there are to getting your news from social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)? (n= 157)
…but several have trouble trusting the
source and/or bias.
“Since a lot of it is filtered through individuals, it falls
into the danger of being too biased and often context
can be lost after being rerouted, filtered, re-tweeted.”
“It will have so many opinions and people can alter
the information, that you can't be so sure it's the same
or correct news.”
“You are getting news that has been filtered by friends
or other news sources so that it may be biased or may
not present all sides of a situation. You often get
comments by others along with the news.”
“Sometimes I think anyone could just go onto social
media and post what ever they want without a
reliable source. I'm reluctant to believe the first article
I read about a topic when I see it on social media.”
Many Millennials like the speed,
shareability and accessibility of social
media…
“Quicker and all in one place. Not having to bounce
between a TV or radio and can be accessed almost
anywhere.”
“You generally can find out if something has happened
faster through friends and family posting about it
online.”
“If there really is a big topic of discussion, social media
has the most viewpoints on one subject. It is great to
see other opinions while forming my own.”
“Fastest to break news also easy to access anytime
and anywhere. (this can also be a down fall though.
Very easy to fake real news if something goes viral).”

Facebook and Twitter are most commonly used social media by
Millennials for getting news
 92% of Millennials currently use Facebook, 89%
use YouTube and 66% use Twitter.
 When it comes to what social media they use
for news, Facebook tops the list with 78% saying
they currently use Facebook to get their news.
 Though second in terms of usage, Twitter is the
second most used social media for getting news
with 44% of Millennials saying they use this
source for news.
Q) Before we get into the research, please look at the list below and tell me all the social media you currently use. Please select all that apply. (n=157)
Q) If you get your news at all from social media, which of the following do you use to get your news? Please select all that apply. (n-160)
Social media used/used for news
In addition to providing up-to-date news,
Facebook benefits from a large amount of
users/news, news pages for users to like and/or
the shared viewpoint of one’s network.
• “Friends with similar beliefs share stories I might find
interesting.”
• “A lot of news stations have a Facebook account and will post
news directly to their page.”
• “A great deal of people sign into Facebook daily so it is
convenient to get the news from news stations on here.”
• “Many of my friends have similar views.”
• “I chose Facebook because it seems as though almost
everyone in the world has a Facebook account LOL, it reaches
the most people.”
0%
10%
1%
6%
9%
1%
14%
11%
44%
31%
78%
6%
13%
14%
22%
42%
47%
57%
58%
66%
89%
92%
MySpace
reddit
Vine
Tumblr
Google Plus
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Facebook
Currently use Use for news
Twitter also has many news organizations to
follow and Millennials think it offers up-to-date
and unfiltered news.
• “It's up-to-date, stories can be tweeted and broken
immediately as it happens.”
• “I have a perception that Twitter is a popular platform for
delivering news. Many reputable people and organizations
have twitter accounts and use it to succinctly present
information.”
• “You can follow major news channels on Twitter like ABC, NBC,
etc. Even the CIA and the President has Twitter.”
• “Twitter helps news spread without censoring... sometimes
that helps us hear about news that might otherwise never be
known.”

 Each respondent was randomly exposed to 1 of 3 different news clips, all
reporting on the same story (the influx of immigrant children into the US). These
clips each represented a distinct reporting style:
 Jon Stewart (the Daily Show) – a comedic style with a Liberal slant
 Bill O’Reilly (The O’Reilly Report) – an op-ed piece with a Conservative slant
 CNN News Room - a straightforward, objective news piece
 While viewing each clip, respondents were asked to use a mouse-controlled slider to provide
continuous, moment-to-moment feedback. The slider gave respondents the ability to rate
their interest level for what they were watching at that moment on a scale from 0 to 100
with 100 indicating “Extremely interested” and 0 indicating “Not at all interested”.
Here’s the Scoop…(see what I did there?)
 Through Perception Analyzer Online, results
from the moment-to-moment testing were
seen and shared in the Live session in real-
time, and also are available on the back-end
to aid in reporting.
 After watching each video, respondents were
then asked questions to gather closed-end
and open-end feedback.
 Each video was shown to a similar breakout
of liberals, neutrals and conservatives.

Not surprisingly, Liberals are the group that responds most
positively to the Daily Show clip
 As they watched the Daily Show video, Millennials largely hovered around an interest level of 60 (in a 100-point
scale), which shows a slightly above interest level in this particular clip.
Daily Show Key Measures
(Top 2 box)
Total
Liberals
(n=22)
Neutrals
(n=24)
Conservatives
(n=6) *
Likability 64% 86% 46% 50%
Trustworthiness 60% 73% 54% 33%
 64% of Millennials like the Daily
Show clip and 60% trust this anchor
when it comes to reporting the news
(top 2 box).
 Liberals most like this clip (86% top 2
box) and find Jon Stewart
trustworthy (73% top 2 box).
Liberals gradually increase interest as the story
continues and reach a levels above 70 when Jon
Stewart mocks the forms process for immigrants as
these are children entering the US.
Conservatives drop slightly when the show focuses on
those protesting sheltering immigrant children, but rise
again when the show switches to a non-Daily Show
anchor.*
* Please note small Conservative base size

Over half trust Jon Stewart, often because his knowledge shows
through the humor
 60% of Millennials trust Jon Stewart as
an anchor/reporter (top 2 box).
 74% of Liberals, 54% of Neutrals and
33% of Conservatives say this.*
 67% of Conservatives do not trust Jon
Stewart (bottom 2 box).
Q) How much would you say you trust this anchor/reporter when it comes to the news? (n=52)
Trustworthiness (top 2 box) – Daily Show
Millennials often trust Jon Stewart often
because, while he is funny, he also appears to
know his facts.
• “Just because he was not delivering news traditionally and
seriously does not mean it isn't valid. However, he is
presenting the news with heavily opinionated views.”
• “Because Jon Stewart has a smart and funny friendly vibe. and
he has consistently showed himself to report the news to the
best of his ability without putting on airs regarding his
infallibility.”
• “He clearly does research on his own and is very
knowledgeable.”
Those that do not trust him often say his first
job is to entertain, not to be a news anchor.
• “He is a talk show host...his job is not to report news, but make
satire in an effort to shed light on real issues and make people
laugh.”
• “It seemed to entertaining, and he didn't seem serious enough.
It was more like watching a comedian.”
• “It isn't news. He is an actor.”
• “He started off as an MTV VJ!?! He is a known comedian?
Have no idea if he is reporting actual news or telling a joke.”
60%
23%
37% 31%
10%
40%
73%
32%
41%
27%
0%
27%
54%
17%
38% 33%
13%
46%
33%
17% 17%
33% 33%
67%
Top 2 I trust this
anchor/reporter
completely
I trust this
anchor/reporter
somewhat
I hardly trust
this
anchor/reporter
I do not trust
this
anchor/reporter
at all
Bottom 2
Total Liberal (22) Neutral (24) Conservative (6)*

While CNN likability is lower for Millennials than the Daily
Show, trustworthiness increases
 Millennials appear to hover overall around an interest level of 60 (out of a scale of 100) throughout the CNN clip,
which shows a slightly above average level of interest.
CNN Key Measures
(Top 2 box)
Total
Liberals
(n=22)
Neutrals
(n=20)
Conservatives
(n=6) *
Likability 48% 55% 35% 69%
 Just under half of Millennials like the
CNN clip (48%) and 84% find it
trustworthy (top 2 box).
 While Liberals and Conservatives
show higher likability than Neutrals,
but Liberals and Neutrals trust this
anchor more than Conservatives.*
Conservatives spike slightly higher throughout the
video than Liberals and Neutrals. Conservatives spike
highest when the clip cuts to an interview with a
protestor in Arizona.*

Many trust the CNN anchor/reporter because of their no-
nonsense style
 84% of Millennials trust the CNN
anchor/reporter (top 2 box), which is
the highest level of trust out of all three
clips shown.
 While 86%of Liberals and 86% of
Neutrals trust these anchors/reporters,
67% of Conservatives trust her (top 2
box).
Trustworthiness (top 2 box) – CNN
Often, this trust is based on the straightforward
reporting style of the anchor/reporter and/or an
existing trust in CNN as a network.
• “He didn't really seem to be giving his opinion on the matter
just sticking to the facts.”
• “They were stating the facts.”
• “She gave the news like it is.”
• “She was reporting facts about the situation, even though I am
not familiar with her reporting style.”
• “The information is from CNN, a reliable source.”
• “Because it is being broadcast on CNN.”
A few distrust this anchor based on nothing
more than an preexisting proclivity towards
distrusting the news.
• “I have no context for the anchors, and rather than implicitly
trust, I distrust.”
• “I have a hard time trusting local news in general, but the
news anchor was very boring.”
• “I honestly don't know why I distrust them. Most likely the way
the news commentator was reacting.”
84%
26%
58%
16%
0%
16%
86%
27%
59%
14%
0%
14%
86%
27%
59%
14%
0%
14%
67%
17%
50%
33%
0%
33%
Top 2 I trust this
anchor/reporter
completely
I trust this
anchor/reporter
somewhat
I hardly trust
this
anchor/reporter
I do not trust
this
anchor/reporter
at all
Bottom 2
Total Liberal (22) Neutral (22) Conservative (6)

Under half of Millennials like The O’Reilly Factor clip
 Overall interest levels in the O’Reilly Factor clip hovers around an interest level of 40 (out of a scale of 100), which
shows a slightly below average level of interest.
O’Reilly Factor Key
Measures
(Top 2 box)
Total
Liberals
(n=24)
Neutrals
(n=22)
Conservatives
(n=7) *
Likability 42% 21% 59% 57%
 While The O’Reilly Factor’s overall
likability levels are at relative parity
with CNN, only 21% of Liberals like this
clip. 59% of Neutrals like this clip,
however, which is higher than this
group’s likability rating of CNN.
 Overall likability ratings are lower than
that of The Daily Show. Conservative
likability for The O’Reilly Factor is at
essentially parity with likability for The
Daily Show and slightly lower than
CNN.*
Liberals start to drop once Bill O’Reilly mentions the
“liberal press” and continue to drop as the coverage
switches to Rick Perry (R).
Conservatives somewhat mirror the below average
interest levels as well and drop off sooner than the
general base, when Bill O’Reilly begins talking about
the border war in the media.*

While O’Reilly’s bias is apparent to most, believing the facts
behind it drives one to trust or not
 Overall, 43% of Millennials trust Bill O’Reilly
(top 2 box), which is lower than the other 2
clips shown.
 17% of Liberals trust Bill O’Reilly, which is
significantly lower than their trust in both
Jon Stewart and the CNN anchor/reporter.
 57% of Neutrals trust Bill O’Reilly, which is
lower than trust in the CNN anchor/reporter,
but at parity with their trust in Jon Stewart.
 86% of Conservatives trust Bill O’Reilly, which
is higher than their trust in both CNN and Jon
Stewart.
Trustworthiness (top 2 box) – O’Reilly Factor
Although several note a bias when it comes to
Bill O’Reilly, several trust that the facts he
presents.
• “The story had factual information which I assume was
obtained from some government sources.”
• “Again the report seemed a little one-sided but I believe that
the points were valid and legitimate.”
• “O'Reilly doesn't just say stuff for not reason unlike other
news people. he will take the time to research his
information.”
• “The anchor is reporting the facts here in his own style. I trust
him for the detailed information and the overall
presentation.”
However, those that do not trust him often say
they cannot get past the bias in his reporting.
• “Despite claiming to be fair he always seems biased to me and
always is throwing his opinions in there.”
• “He was extremely biased and his reputation as an extremist
does not jive me with my views.”
• “I believe that he has a very biased opinion on political
matters.”
• “I have heard some of his previous stuff and find his credibility
to be biased.”
• “I don't like him or trust him and he seems fake and I know this
reporter is republican and reports the news in a biased way.”
43%
13%
30%
17%
41%
57%
17%
4%
13% 13%
71%
83%
57%
17%
39%
26%
17%
43%
86%
29%
57%
0%
14% 14%
Top 2 I trust this
anchor/reporter
completely
I trust this
anchor/reporter
somewhat
I hardly trust
this
anchor/reporter
I do not trust
this
anchor/reporter
at all
Bottom 2
Total Liberal (24) Neutral (23) Conservative (7)

© Invoke Solutions - Confidential| Introduction to Invoke
“Thanks for looking through the results. I hope you
find this data as interesting as I do. Please let me
know if you have any further questions about
Invoke or our services.”
Wayne Goodreau
25
ABOUT INVOKE
Since 1999, Invoke has helped
its clients better understand
their customers’ perceptions of
their brands, advertising and
communications.
2013 Ogilvy Award for Excellence
in Advertising
2013 “Hottest Companies in
Boston” Award
Wayne Goodreau
Vice President, Research & Insights
If Wayne could only choose 5 movies to watch for the rest
of his life, he would choose (in no particular order)
Goodfellas, Caddyshack, Jaws, Empire Strikes Back and
It’s a Wonderful Life.

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