Why millions of Americans avoid the news – and what it means for the US election

Benjamin Toff is one of the leading experts on the rise of news avoidance and one of the authors of this recent book on this issue, based on survey data and interviews with people in Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. He was also the leader of our own Trust in News Project and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota.As election day approaches in the US, I spoke to Ben about why news avoidance may be shaping this year’s election, how candidates are trying to reach these elusive audiences, and what news organisations are doing to reach those who don’t follow the news in its current form. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.Q. How many people avoid the news in the United States?A. According to this year’s Digital News Report, up to 43% say they avoid the news in some form. It doesn’t mean that 43% of the country is not consuming any news at all. But it’s a sign of a clear decline in interest in news. There is a smaller group of people...