Worn down and worn out: Why people are avoiding the news

Are you feeling worn out by the sheer amount of news stories being churned out these days? Overwhelmed by what feels like a never-ending cycle of doom and negativity?

New Zealanders certainly are, going by the latest Trust In News report.

Produced by the AUT research centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD), the report found news avoidance is a very real issue facing media companies today.

After five years in decline, trust in news media now looks to be stabilising across the ditch. But, whilst New Zealanders had a high level of interest in news in 2024, around 75% of those surveyed say they’re now actively avoiding news to some extent

34% of respondents admit to feeling worn out by the news, particularly women.

Many also feel overwhelmed by what’s making news. So much so, they’ve chosen to disengage from it altogether, for the sake of their mental health.

The negative tone of news, fear-based content and sensationalism were all cited as reasons for giving news a wide berth.

‘Trump fatigue’ is now one of the key reasons why 73% of New Zealanders say they actively avoid the news to some extent.

“There’s far too much news about American politics and about Palestine which is depressing,” said one respondent.

“It is bad for my mental health – especially news which is written in a way that is intended to produce outrage,” said another.

2024 was a ‘perfect storm’ in New Zealand media, with companies including Warner Bros Discovery, TVNZ, Stuff, MediaWorks and The Spinoff together cutting hundreds of newsroom jobs, which continued into 2025.

NZME – one of the country’s biggest news publishers – announced it was planning to cut 40 roles from organisations including radio station Newstalk ZB.

Around 93% of respondents were at least somewhat concerned about poor journalism – defined as factual mistakes, dumbed-down stories and misleading or ‘clickbait’ headlines.

There’s been a significant increase in the number of people concerned about stories being completely made up for political or commercial purposes. On the surface, they look like news stories – but turn out to be little more than advertisements.

A lack of trust in the news is another reason why people avoid it. The perception of political bias, agenda setting … and opinion masquerading as news.

“Unfortunately the articles in most traditional news sources have become opinion pieces pushing a specific ideology or agenda rather than good solid unbiased journalism that just presents the facts.”

“I miss the days when news was balanced.”

There’s clearly a perception that the line between fact and opinion has become blurred. People are frustrated that news stories often feel more like commentary than impartial reporting.

In 2025, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) was perceived as the most trusted news brand

RNZ’s Editor-in-Chief Paul Thompson said being recognised as the country’s most trusted news brand reflects its strategic focus on initiatives which reinforce its role to serve the public.

This includes a appointing a Director of Editorial Quality and Training, committed to publishing a review of an aspect of RNZ’s editorial policy each year.