It might not have the mass market appeal of a Marian Keyes or Richard Osman novel but if news bosses are heading away on holidays any time soon, chances are they'll be leafing through a copy of the Reuters Digital News report on the plane or by the pool.
This annual publication looks at news consumption worldwide and also provides statistics for individual countries. In Ireland, the report is funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with analysis from academics at Dublin City University.
The report makes for fascinating reading once again this year, both for those who consume the news and, crucially, those who provide it.
In terms of audiences, Ireland remains a country that is very interested in news. Just over half (52%) of people surveyed for this report said they were 'very', or 'extremely' interested in news - that's a drop from 70% in 2021.
However, that year’s figure was exceptionally, and possibly artificially, high given the huge level of public interest in Covid-19. This year, meanwhile, 69% of Irish people over the age of 65 said they were 'very', or 'extremely' interested in news.
However, the contrast with younger audiences is stark. In 2016, 53% of 18 to 24-year-olds said they were 'very' or 'extremely' interested in news but that figure has plummeted this year to just 28%.
And when this cohort do engage with news, they’re not sitting down to a nightly bulletin, but are turning instead to social media or online news.
This presents traditional news broadcasters with a major challenge. RTÉ, for example, is doing well with its television and digital output and is the most popular choice with consumers in both categories but its task now is to persuade younger people to engage with its output.
"Media should not give up on youth," according to Broadcasting Commissioner Celene Craig of Coimisiún na Meán.
She points out that although fewer young people have a high level of interest in news, 77% have some interest in it and therefore it’s important for news providers to find a way to engage with them.
If young people won’t come to the traditional bulletins then news producers have to bring it to them.
In the report, 39% of young people say they get their news from social media, with TikTok among their favourite apps and companies such as RTÉ are already putting their content, both repurposed and original on channels, including TikTok and Instagram.
Some of the younger people surveyed for this report said they liked news that "helps them understand complex stories", a request that seems tailor-made for a platform like TikTok with its combination of video and graphics and its conversational style.
Podcasting is also increasingly popular with Irish consumers, a good way for listeners to take in the news they want at a time that suits them.
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Another issue that news editors will be taking into account when they read the Reuters report is the issue of trust.
Irish people are increasingly worried about fake news, misinformation and disinformation, and recent developments in generative AI have made it more difficult than ever for consumers to separate the real from the fabricated. Some of the issues involved in battling this issue are explored here.
The good news for traditional news producers in Ireland, however, is that they still command a high level of trust.
Almost half of Irish news consumers (47%) either 'strongly agree' or 'tend to agree' with the statement that they can trust most of the news most of the time.
RTÉ is currently the most trusted service at 71% with The Irish Times at 70%, while local media also scores highly.
This is a major selling point in the fight for audiences across the country and indeed across all age ranges.
In an era where mass information is becoming more difficult to trust, a reliable news service can be the gold standard for audiences looking to separate the facts from the noise - no matter what platform it appears on.
