Hot Topic: Where do you get your news?
The results are from a highly-respected global annual survey about how news is sourced and consumed, by the Reuters Institute and Oxford University.
I actually first heard about this news neither from social media, nor from going to a traditional news outlet. I got it from being on a distribution list for an emailed newsletter – what you might call a “new-old trend” – which I’ll come to in a minute.
Anyway, 54% of respondents said they used social media or video platforms to access news in the 2026 survey.
By comparison, just 51% said they accessed news from traditional news organisations – for example by going to a newspaper or broadcaster’s website, or opening their app.
Of course, lots of people get their news from both – it’s not either / or.
The direction of travel has been clear for a long time now, but we’ve finally reached crossover.
Why does this matter to you – who I’m guessing works in biopharma, or as a life sci investor?
Because you need to know where to put your communication efforts. And this crossover is another nudge to ensure you’re paying enough attention to your social media and video output.
Some of our biotech clients have more than 10,000 followers on LinkedIn; others have fewer than 1,000. So, the former’s reach on that platform is more than 10 times the latter’s.
It also bears repeating that having a well-followed social media profile gives you more control when it comes to publicising your news. Because you can’t guarantee a news outlet is going to cover your announcement – be that a new hire, trial results, or even a financing.
Just to return to the “new old” subject of email lists. Marketing email lists have been around for decades. But the new trend is using email to actually tell your news.
Building a database of people who are really engaged with your story, and actively want to hear your news, is well worth considering.
Because with emailed newsletters you don’t have to rely on people “coming across” your news in their social media feed. And because you know they want to hear from you, you can perhaps go into a little more detail.
It also means you are a little bit less vulnerable to the whims of a social media platform.
Optimum, by the way, has built a good-sized email list, to whom we email our weekly news update. It keeps steadily growing – so there’s certainly an appetite for it.
Despite all these changes, don’t neglect traditional media. It still has immense reach. And it also provides powerful third-party validation – a sort of seal of approval – which AI large language models – the readers of tomorrow really take notice of.
Thanks for watching another Hot Topic!
