Seeking Nuance in News Avoidance: Implications for Individuals, Journalism and Society

How the public navigates the abundance of news, and why people choose to consume—or avoid—certain content, is key to understanding the changing informational role of news media. The aim of this PhD research is to gain concrete insights into news avoiders, their motivations, and how they stay informed. 

This PhD research is currently ongoing. During the research at least four papers willen be submitted to peer-review, ISI ranked journals. Results will also be published in trade magazines and on the blog of the research group journalismlab.nl. The results will also be used for educational material.

01 February 2020 - 11 December 2025

Five connected studies are conducted with distinct approaches and methodologies: 

1) A qualitative Delphi-study among journalism experts conceptualizing the characteristics of news avoidance.

2) A multi-wave panel-survey during the Covid19-crisis investigating the news use and avoidance dynamics during crises and its effect on mental-wellbeing.

3) A Latent-Profile Analysis amongst news avoiders, identifying seven different forms of news avoidance, based on socio-psychological background characteristic and motives.

4) Media-diaries and day-in-the-live reconstruction interviews investigating how news avoidance is embedded in daily routines and is related to the need to belong in society. This study demonstrates that while avoiding news, people develop alternative strategies to remain informed in ways that align with their social needs. 

5) And Experience Sampling Method among 210 news avoiders for two months to study how news avoiders engage with public information over time. The 3900 collected items demonstrated that many news avoiders continue to encounter socially relevant information, albeit through informal, incidental, or non-traditional sources challenging assumptions about news avoidance about being (un)informed and disengaged from public life. 

De Bruin, K., De Haan, Y., Vliegenthart, R., Kruikemeier, S., & Boukes, M. (2021). News avoidance during the COVID-19 crisis: Understanding information overload. Digital Journalism, 9(9), 1286-1302. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1957967 

Ohme, J., Bruin, K. D., Haan, Y. D., Kruikemeier, S., Meer, T. G. V. D., & Vliegenthart, R. (2023). Avoiding the news to participate in society? The longitudinal relationship between news avoidance and civic engagement. Communications, 48(4), 551-562. 

de Bruin, K., de Haan, Y., Vliegenthart, R., & Kruikemeier, S. (2025). Understanding the Complexity of News Avoidance: Insights from a Delphi Study among Journalism Experts. Journalism Practice, 1-18.

de Bruin, K., Vliegenthart, R., Kruikemeier, S., & de Haan, Y. (2024). Who are they? Different types of news avoiders based on motives, values and personality traits. Journalism Studies, 25(12), 1404-1422. 

Vliegenthart, R., de Bruin, K., de Haan, Y., & Kruikemeier, S. (2025). The news avoidance paradox? Exploring the relationship between news repertoires and intentional news avoidance. Communications, (0). 

Journalism cannot function without its audience. Without an audience, journalism cannot fulfill its democratic function. In today's media landscape, the relationship between journalism and the public is changing. More and more people seem to be turning their backs on the news. It's crucial that editors and (new) journalists understand the reasons for news avoidance and seek new, innovative ways to more actively engage the public and strengthen the relationship.