Communication & Society · Universidad de Navarra, Spain · 2026 · Peer-reviewed
Gen Z doesn't distrust legacy media — they respect it. But they don't consume it. My study examines how college-age audiences navigate news across social platforms, revealing a generation that has built an entirely parallel news ecosystem around immediacy, social integration, and short-form content. The implications for broadcast, digital newsrooms and journalism universities are direct and urgent.
1. Gen Z recognizes legacy media as more reliable — but that credibility advantage is not translating into consumption.
2. Social networks win on immediacy and seamless integration with daily life — two attributes traditional newsrooms can adopt but rarely prioritize.
3. The real competition for Gen Z attention is not between news organizations — it is between journalism and the rest of social media.
Understanding how the next generation of news consumers behaves is not optional — it is operational. This research directly informs how Newsroom Coaching & Consulting approaches digital transformation, audience development, and content strategy with clients.
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