More platforms, less attention to news? A multi-platform analysis of news exposure across TV, web, and YouTube in the United States

We gain exposure to news across a range of platforms and, within each platform, across a range of sources. How does a multi-platform media environment shape the news choices we make and the gaps that result from those choices? We address this question tracking news exposure across TV, the web, and YouTube for approximately 55,000 unique US panelists over a period of 39 months. We find important variations in the demographic profiles of those who choose to consume news within platforms and those who consume news across, casting light on the contingencies of news divides. We also show evidence of a systematic amplification effect: the slice of the population that chooses to consume news across platforms increases their overall levels of exposure, suggesting that a multi-platform media environment widens the gap between news consumers and those who decide to opt out.