The ACMA has published updated interactive data reports in its News media in Australia series, offering new insights into news consumption, trust, impact and the journalism workforce in Australia.
The updated reports draw on a range of new and existing data sources to provide a more detailed picture of media diversity in Australia.
Key findings from the updated reports include:
- News consumption remains high, with 92% of Australian adults consuming news in 2025, steady compared with 2024.
- Free-to-air TV and social media were the most accessed platforms for news in 2025, used by 51% and 43% of Australian adults respectively.
- Among those who accessed news via social media, Facebook was the most accessed platform, used by 63%, followed by YouTube and Instagram (33% each), and TikTok (16%).
- Among Australian adults who did not access news in 2025, the most common reasons were lack of interest (37%), finding the news too negative or distressing (32%) and lack of trust (24%).
- Of the 17% of Australian adults who said they accessed less news in 2025 than a year earlier, 43% said this was because news content was too distressing or negative.
- The most relied on news outlets among those who accessed news via free-to-air TV in 2025 were the ABC (30%) and Seven Network (28%).
- Among those who accessed news via social media in 2025, Facebook was the most relied on platform (42%).
A newly packaged data report on the news workforce also expands the evidence base on journalism in Australia, showing journalist numbers declined by 17% between 2011 and 2021, and that First Nations Australians remain under-represented in journalism, making up 0.9% of journalists in 2021.
The News media in Australia series reports against the Media Diversity Measurement Framework and provides a long-term evidence base on diversity in Australia's news landscape.
