A news outlet is a publication or platform that gathers and disseminates news to its audience. This can include newspapers, magazines, television and radio programs, online news websites, and social media. Some news outlets are owned by large corporations whose boards of directors and shareholders have influence over what is published and how. Other outlets are independent and rely on news agencies for some of their content but produce and publish their own reports.
The type of information a news outlet carries influences the public’s perception of events and issues. A journalist’s biases and worldviews may play a role in shaping how stories are reported, which in turn impacts the public’s interpretation of a story. Similarly, differences in the amount of time and depth of coverage provided by different news outlets can have an impact on how a story is perceived.
A good reporter makes it clear where she got her information so that readers can evaluate how reliable the source is. She also explains any factual inaccuracies or omissions.
A majority of Americans say they get news at least sometimes from a variety of sources on digital devices, with the most common being news websites or apps and search engines. This fact sheet focuses on the ways that Americans get news and compares how they use these digital platforms by age, gender, race, ethnicity, educational attainment, and political leaning.