Most impartial news platforms according to adults in the UK 2024

A survey exploring British consumer attitudes to news outlets revealed that television was considered the most impartial news platform, with 61 percent of respondents aged 16 years of age or above who watched TV news weekly rating it highly in this regard. Social media fared less well with only 42 percent considering it to be impartial. This comes despite social media ranking among the most used platforms for news consumption in the UK.

The pros and cons of news on social media

Impartiality is of growing importance at a time when only around a third of UK consumers trust the news media. But is social media news really the most reliable source? Data shows that local groups or accounts on social networks are now the main source of online local news and information, ahead of search engines, local and regional news media sites and apps, and the BBC. These groups have their advantages in that local people can gather and share information with others in their community. But, a major drawback is that this information is often unverified, prone to bias, and hearsay. On the other hand, social media allows for quick and easy access to a wealth of news and information from a variety of sources. 

Why is impartiality important?

Impartiality in news is vital in ensuring that the public have access to information that does not lean one way or the other – and this applies in particular to topics like health and elections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey on perceptions of bias in news organizations in the UK highlighted this as an issue, with many Brits concerned that news organizations were more concerned with supporting an ideology than with keeping the public informed.