01 — Overview
The shifting media landscape
A mixed-methods study combining 243 student surveys, a 9-person focus group of FIU graduates, and in-depth interviews with 9 South Florida media executives reveals how Generation Z is reshaping journalism — from both sides of the screen.
surveyed FIU
comm. students
0
get news via social
media "always/often"
0
%
spend 2–6 hrs/day
on social networks
0
%
consume news via
radio daily
0
%
agree legacy media
has higher ethics
0
%
fully trust news
on social media
0
%
Core Finding
"Gen Z knows legacy media is more reliable — yet barely consumes it. They prefer social networks for their immediacy, variety, and seamless integration with social life."
Sample demographics — gender
n = 243 FIU Communication students
Sample demographics — ethnicity
Reflects Miami-Dade County diversity
Study design — three-method approach
Mixed-methods triangulation for a holistic view
Quantitative
243
Student Survey
30-variable questionnaire; FIU School of Communication. Oct–Dec 2023. Cronbach's α = 0.746.
Qualitative
9
Graduate Focus Group
FIU alumni, 5 yrs post-graduation, working in media & communications. 90-min Zoom session, Nov 2023.
Qualitative
9
Media Executive Interviews
Executives from Telemundo, WLRN, CBS Miami, The Miami Herald, NBC Miami & more. Apr–May 2024.
02 — Platforms
Where Gen Z gets its news
Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube together account for 85% of the platforms preferred for news consumption. Legacy media channels — radio, TV, newspapers — lag far behind.
Social network sites used for news consumption
Percentage of students citing each platform (multiple selections allowed)
Daily time spent on social networks
Total connected hours per day
Time dedicated to news within social media
Of total connected time, how much goes to news
A statistically significant relationship was found between total social media use and news consumption time within it (χ² p = 0.01). More social media time = more news consumed on those platforms.
How news consumption happens on social media
Premeditated vs. incidental discovery
Over a third of respondents stumble onto news incidentally while browsing. Only 1 in 20 visits social media with the explicit intention of seeking news content.
03 — News Habits
Social media vs. legacy media
When asked how frequently they use various channels for news, students show a dramatic preference for social networks. Daily legacy media use is near zero.
Frequency of news consumption by channel — "Always" or "Often"
Combined "always" + "often" responses; n = 243
"Always" use — daily champions
Who owns daily news consumption
"Never" use — total avoidance
Channels students completely skip
Why social media beats legacy media for news
Student motivations for preferring social network sites — % agreeing or strongly agreeing
Chi-square finding
Gender significantly conditions trust in content shared by friends and contacts on social media (p = 0.042). Female students show markedly higher skepticism than male peers.
Verification habits
39.7% say they always verify news found on social media. 34.9% say "almost always." Only 76.5% agree social media spreads misinformation more than legacy media.
04 — Trust Paradox
They trust it but don't watch it
The central contradiction of this study: Gen Z Communication students overwhelmingly believe legacy media is more professional and reliable — yet they almost never consume it. The data reveals a generation that has decoupled trust from behavior.
The Paradox, Visualized
Trust legacy media
70%
agree higher ethics & professionalism
≠
Consume legacy media daily
1%
get news from radio (daily)
→
Social networks win on immediacy, variety, and seamless integration with entertainment — regardless of perceived reliability.
Trust levels across media types
% agreeing they are a reliable news source
Motivations for using social media
% citing each motivation (multi-select)
Gender & trust in legacy media — chi-square finding
Statistically significant association: p = 0.03 (error 5%, confidence 95%)
There is a statistically significant association between gender and trust in current affairs content from legacy media. Female students show notably higher skepticism toward social media friend-shared content but also display distinctive patterns in how they trust broadcast versus print legacy sources. The null hypothesis is rejected at p = 0.03.
05 — Newsroom View
What media executives see
Nine executives from South Florida's top legacy outlets — Telemundo, CBS Miami, The Miami Herald, NBC Miami, WLRN, Sun Sentinel, Miami Times, Voice of America — shared their perceptions of Gen Z as both audience and future journalists.
💡
Gen Z Strengths
Digital-native assets
Native fluency in social media platforms and audience engagement
Can produce broadcast-quality content on a smartphone
Inherently understand visual storytelling for new formats
Connect with younger audiences in ways legacy staff cannot
Navigate and discover stories across multiple digital platforms
⚠
Identified Gaps
Traditional journalism deficits
Insufficient depth in research and source verification
Limited in-depth reading habits impact formal writing style
Difficulty contextualizing information beyond surface level
Low tolerance for sitting with and consuming legacy media
Structural writing skills weaker due to less long-form reading
Voices from the newsroom
Direct quotes from the nine in-depth interviews
"It's very common that when we're in an interview with an intern candidate, we say: 'Have you recently listened to...?' They haven't. They won't have listened to WLRN at all."
Caitie Muñoz — News Director, WLRN Radio
"They were raised in an era where it's not necessary to watch or consume any live entertainment. They don't have the patience to sit down and consume anything of any size."
Emily Cárdenas — Executive Editor, Miami Times
"All of this generation are social media genius kids, they love making TikTok. They are definitely more aware of and connected to the social space."
Dana Banker — Chief Editor, The Miami Herald
"They say: 'I don't believe in CNN, I don't believe in brands.' That's why they look for information without seeing the brand — although they end up going to see the brand afterwards."
Iscar Blanco — Marketing Director, Voice of America
"They don't need expensive camera equipment to produce a story. They know how to record and edit using their smartphones and find story ideas on multiple platforms."
Erika Draper — News Executive Producer, NBC Miami
"Read the Associated Press every day — for the information, but also for the structure. How do they form an article? They don't know how to tell a story."
Sergio Bustos — News VP, WLRN
Graduate voices — post-graduation media diet evolution
Focus group, 9 FIU alumni (26–30 years old), November 2023
6 of 9 subscribe to
The New York Times digital
All use social media professionally; more strategically than as students
All trust legacy media for professional fact-checking
"My media diet is super unhealthy — 100% digital. There's no balance here."
Christian — Bachelor's in Broadcast Journalism · Marketing Project Manager, Nicklaus Children's Hospital
"I currently pay for access to reliable information outside of my work. I'm subscribed to The New York Times and The Washington Post. I'm considering The Wall Street Journal."
Ingrid — Double Major, Journalism & Marketing · Marketing Specialist, Sentinel Publishing