AsiaOne boosts online reach, brand trust in 2026: Reuters Institute report

AsiaOne's online reach and brand trust has improved over the past year, with weekly online reach by the news site almost doubling to 18 per cent in 2026, while trust rose to 63 per cent, according to a respected annual report.

The Digital News Report 2026 was published on Tuesday (Jun 16) by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism based on findings of online surveys conducted by YouGov from the middle of January to the end of February 2026. 

The report polled more than 2,000 Singaporeans and found that AsiaOne's weekly online reach increased to 18 per cent in 2026, up from 10 per cent in 2025 and 11 per cent in 2024.

AsiaOne ranked fifth in terms of weekly online reach, behind news outlets CNA (47 per cent), Mothership (45 per cent), The Straits Times (44 per cent) and Yahoo News (20 per cent).

Trust in Singapore news above global average

Based on the report, overall trust in news in Singapore remained stable at 46 per cent in 2026, exceeding the global average of 37 per cent — the lowest level on record.

In terms of individual brand trust, AsiaOne showed improvement, increasing to 63 per cent in 2026 from 58 per cent the previous year.

Mediacorp's CNA received the highest brand trust rating of 78 per cent, followed by The Straits Times with 77 per cent.

According to the report, online (87 per cent) and social media (59 per cent) remain the most common ways to access news in Singapore. Television (40 per cent) and print (17 per cent) have consistently declined in the past several years.

Additionally, the survey found that 11 per cent of respondents access news via AI chatbots.

Globally, the report found that 2026 represents a "significant milestone" with news consumers turning more to social media and video platforms than traditional outlets for information.

The report stated that "for the first time, social media and video network consumption is now ahead of other news sources as the most widely used source of news globally (54 per cent of all audiences)".

Moreover, 30 per cent of people globally now say social media and video networks are their main source of news – up from 22 per cent five years ago.

In all, YouGov conducted online surveys of almost 100,000 people in 48 countries earlier this year.

Now in its fifteenth year, the 2026 edition of the Digital News Report seeks to capture global trends while also reflecting the variation of news habits and attitudes across countries and also within them.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is structured as a research centre within the University of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations. 

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dana.leong@asiaone.com