A global milestone, not a Kern County head count

BAKERSFIELD — Social media and video networks have overtaken news organizations' websites and apps as a weekly source of news across the 48 markets studied in the Reuters Institute's 2026 Digital News Report. Researchers found 54% of respondents used social or video platforms for news, compared with 51% who used publishers' sites or apps.

Those percentages measure whether respondents used each route during the previous week. They do not mean 54% named social media as their single main source. The report separately found that 30% globally called social and video networks their main source of news.

The figures are averages across international markets and cannot be converted into a Bakersfield or Kern County percentage. The local significance is the behavior the report documents—not proof that Kern residents use platforms at exactly the same rate.

Read the source: Reuters Institute: 2026 Digital News Report executive summary ↗

TikTok grows as trust falls

The report found Facebook remained the largest individual social platform for news globally at 43%, followed by YouTube at 34%, Instagram at 26% and TikTok at 20%. These are overlapping audiences: one person can use several platforms, so the percentages should not be added together.

At the same time, overall trust in news fell to 37% across the surveyed markets. In the United States, only 25% said they trust news most of the time. Concern about misinformation rose to 62% globally, illustrating the tension between the convenience of platform news and doubts about what appears in a feed.

Algorithms reward attention and reaction, not necessarily accuracy or local importance. A fast-moving clip can accurately introduce an issue, but a confident delivery, large following or viral comment count does not establish that the underlying claim is true.

Read the source: Reuters Institute: 2026 report methodology ↗

Creators expand access—but should not become the only source

About 27% of respondents said they get at least some news from news-focused individual creators, while 46% get news from creators of any kind. Audiences described creators as relatable and easy to understand, but generally rated them lower on trustworthiness and impartiality than on authenticity.

The report also complicates the claim that creators simply replace journalism. Most creator-news users also consume traditional media; only 3% of respondents said creators alone meet all their news needs.

For independent publishers, the responsible model is to use social video for discovery and the publication's website for complete sourcing, corrections and context. The goal should be a verifiable trail—not asking audiences to trust a personality without evidence.

Read the source: 23ABC: Kern County voters and the shift toward social news ↗

Kern voices agree that speed needs verification

In 23ABC's local report, Kern County Young Democrats president Carter Beardsley described using social media for a broad view before seeking more context. Madeline Abernathy, the Central Valley chair of the Young Republicans, highlighted both the speed of short video and the limits of how much it can explain.

The comments came from partisan youth-group leaders with different viewpoints, not from a representative survey of Kern voters. Their agreement on the need for context is still useful: political information can reach people quickly while leaving out the governing document, full quote, opposing position or procedural status.

For election information, KernVote.com is the authoritative local starting point. It provides official dates, candidate and measure information, registration resources and voting instructions for the November 3 general election.

Read the source: Kern County Elections: November 3, 2026 general election ↗

A five-step check before sharing political news

First, leave the feed and open the original source. Second, check the publication date and whether the event has changed since the post appeared. Third, distinguish a proposal, allegation, tentative ruling or preliminary report from a final action.

Fourth, look for the primary record: a court order, ballot document, agency data, meeting agenda or complete interview. Fifth, check whether a credible source has corrected or contradicted the claim. Screenshots and cropped clips should be treated as starting points, not self-proving evidence.

Social platforms can bring more people into civic life, especially residents who rarely visit a news homepage. Their democratic value depends on whether publishers, creators and voters use that reach to widen access to evidence—or merely accelerate whatever provokes the strongest reaction.

Read the source: Wikimedia Commons: smartphone photograph and CC BY-SA 4.0 license ↗

Sources and further reading

Reuters Institute: 2026 Digital News Report executive summary ↗

Reuters Institute: 2026 report methodology ↗

23ABC: Kern County voters and the shift toward social news ↗

Kern County Elections: November 3, 2026 general election ↗

Wikimedia Commons: smartphone photograph and CC BY-SA 4.0 license ↗