Despite the growing importance of digital platforms, television still plays an important role in consumers’ daily consumption habits. In particular, younger audiences (aged 18-24) use social media and video sites as their primary avenues for English-language international news, with television playing a more central role for older demographics.

Scholars have long pointed out that there is considerable variance in the way international news coverage of identical events takes shape across different countries. This is often a reflection of journalistic cultures and the way local concerns intersect with the significance of a given issue or event.

In addition, the concentration of global journalistic brands and their respective news agencies in some markets also introduces some structural concerns to international news coverage. In many cases, this translates into a tendency to favor developments in countries that are perceived as being of interest and relevance to the broader news organization’s audience. This is most pronounced in the case of the world’s superpowers and a select number of countries that are perceived as having geopolitical significance.

Having established these underlying challenges, the research then set out to uncover what consumers value in their consumption of international news. Consistently, a core set of themes emerged that go beyond traditional distinctions like age and gender to encompass broader, psychological and sociological motivations for the consumption of English-language international news. These include the desire for accessible content, the need for impartiality and inspiration, a balance in news cycles and a strong sense of personal connection to international events and their societal impacts.