
Why are more and more people avoiding the news?
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15:08 min
The 2025 Digital News Report has found that the proportion of people with a high interest in news has fallen across every age group. Avoidance comes with a lack of trust and engagement. Some journalists advocate practicing "solutions-focused" journalism. FRANCE 24's media show Scoop discusses all this and more with Professor Charlie Beckett, head of the Journalism and AI project at the London School of Economics.
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Liverpool 'agree deal' for Parma prospect Leoni
According to reports, the Premier League champions will pay £26 million ($35 million) for the highly-rated prospect, who has played just 17 Serie A games for Parma. Liverpool have already splashed out £260 million on the signings of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to build from a position of strength after romping to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title last season. However, the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen had left Slot with just three centre-backs to choose from. One of those, Joe Gomez has missed most of pre-season due to injury, while doubts remain over the future of Ibrahima Konate, who has just one year left on his contract at Anfield. "The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn't signed for us yet. The moment when he signs for us I can go into more detail," said Slot at a press conference ahead of Liverpool's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday. Despite Leoni's arrival, Liverpool could add more centre-back cover before the end of the transfer window with reports linking them with a move for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. Liverpool have not won back-to-back league titles since 1984 and Slot expects it be an even tougher challenge to defend their crown given the turnover in his squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Caoimhin Kelleher have also departed, while the club is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month. "The main reason that is so difficult is because there are so many competitors who can win the league. It's unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league, "added Slot. "This year will be even harder than before. "We have lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it's normal there is adaptation." The fee to bring Wirtz to England from Leverkusen could rise to a British transfer record £116 million. Slot, though, believes the German international has the mentality to cope with the pressure of that price tag. "When you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn't get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else," added the Dutch coach. "Good players always find a way to play well in good teams. He has to adjust to England, the league and the intensity, and his team-mates. His adjustment has already gone quite well, more than we expected."


France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Germany's Thyssenkrupp cuts targets as US tariffs weigh
The group, whose products range from steel to car parts and submarines, said it now expects sales to fall by five to seven percent in the current fiscal year. This compared to a previous forecast of a drop of up to three percent. Thyssenkrupp's shares plunged seven percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following the announcement. The group has long been struggling, particularly as its traditional steel business faces competition from Asia, but the turmoil triggered by Trump's tariffs have worsened its problems. "The past quarter was characterised by enormous macroeconomic uncertainty," said Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel Lopez. "We are very much feeling the weak market environment in key customer industries such as the automotive, engineering and construction industries." The firm, one of Germany's best-known industrial groups that traces its history back to the 19th century, also posted a hefty net loss for the April-to-June period of 278 million euros ($325 million) -- five times greater than a year ago. The results were hit by an impairment in the troubled steel division as well as restructuring costs at its auto unit. The company also gave a more cautious forecast for operating profits for the current fiscal year, which runs to the end of September. The firm expects them to be in the lower end of a previously announced range of 600 million to one billion euros. On a brighter note, its unit that makes submarines and warships reported a jump in sales and orders, driven by a boom in the defence sector triggered by the Ukraine war. Thyssenkrupp shareholders voted last week in favour of spinning off the division so it can benefit more from growing demand. It is part of a broader overhaul to split the entire group into a series of standalone businesses, but the plan has fuelled fears of further job cuts at the historic conglomerate.


France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
UK economy slows less than feared after tariffs
Gross domestic product grew 0.3 percent in the April-June period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement -- beating analyst forecasts of 0.1-percent growth after reaching 0.7 percent in the first quarter. "Today's economic figures are positive with a strong start to the year and continued growth in the second quarter," said finance minister Rachel Reeves. "But there is more to do to deliver an economy that works for working people," she added in a statement, following a difficult first year in power for the Labour government as the economy struggles to grow significantly. ONS data Thursday showed that growth to UK construction and services in the second quarter helped to offset a drop in production. "Growth was led by services, with computer programming, health and vehicle leasing growing," noted Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics. Overall GDP grew 0.4 percent in June after contracting slightly in April and May, the statistics office added. June's figure "will be welcome news for the government, which has had a frustrating time chasing elusive growth", noted Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. Official data Wednesday showed UK unemployment at a four-year high of 4.7 percent in the second quarter. This is largely a result of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government increasing a UK business tax from April, the same month that the country became subject to US President Donald Trump's 10-percent baseline tariff on most goods. However, London and Washington reached an agreement in May to cut levies of more than 10 percent on certain UK-made items imported by the United States, notably vehicles. "A favourable trade agreement has enabled output to pick up again as June showed growth in all sectors including manufacturing," said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell. Tariffs fallout Despite the turnaround in June, exports of goods to the United States fell by £700 million ($950 million) in the month to their lowest level since February 2022, the ONS added Thursday. "The value of goods exports to the United States... have remained relatively low since the introduction of tariffs in April," it noted. Citing threats to growth from US tariffs, the Bank of England last week cut its key interest rate by a quarter point to four percent. "The weak global economy will remain a drag on UK GDP growth for a while yet," Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics research group, said following Thursday's data. "The full drag on business investment from April's tax rises has yet to be felt. And the ongoing speculation about further tax rises in the (UK) autumn budget will probably keep consumers in a cautious mood." Streeter added that "evidence of a more resilient economy may mean that the Bank of England policymakers are that bit more reticent about cutting interest rates in the months to come".