85% of Singaporeans now get news online: report

WhatsApp (33%), YouTube (32%), and Facebook (31%) are now the most commonly used platforms for accessing news.

Digital news consumption continues to rise in Singapore, with 85% of residents now getting their news online, according to the Digital News Report 2025 by the Reuters Institute. 

The report highlighted a growing shift toward video and image-based platforms, with YouTube and Instagram each gaining four percentage points in weekly news use, and TikTok increasing by three. WhatsApp (33%), YouTube (32%), and Facebook (31%) are now the most commonly used platforms for accessing news.

Amidst the digital shift, the Singapore government has tightened media regulations ahead of the 2025 general election. A new law bans deepfake content involving political candidates, with penalties of up to $1m for platforms that fail to comply with takedown orders. The law builds on the existing Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) and other regulatory frameworks.

POFMA was invoked in late 2024 to issue correction orders to Meta and X over online claims made by an activist. While the companies complied, the activist declined to do so and may face legal consequences. Bloomberg also received a correction order related to its reporting on government ministers, complying under protest.

Despite the regulatory pressures, public trust in news remains steady. The report shows that 45% of Singaporeans say they trust most news most of the time—up slightly from 42% in 2017. Traditional media brands continue to perform well in trust metrics, with The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia (CNA) each scoring above 70%.

CNA, the most-used online news brand at 47%, has expanded internationally and integrated more automation into its operations, including AI-generated content summaries. Mediacorp shut down TODAY newspaper in 2024 and merged its digital team into CNA to streamline operations.

The report also found that 16% of Singaporeans pay for online news, whilst 31% share news via messaging or social platforms. AI chatbots are beginning to play a small but growing role in news access, with 7% of respondents reporting use of such tools.

Whilst Singapore leads in digital trust and news platform adoption, its press freedom remains constrained. The country is ranked 123rd out of 180 in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index. The Reuters Institute concludes that Singapore’s media environment is evolving rapidly, shaped by both technological adoption and an assertive regulatory stance.