Oli Dugmore

"Trust is based on feeling over fact": How broadcasters are seeking out Gen Z

A panel of 3 men and two women sit on a stage in front of a screen with their pictures and names

The challenges that traditional broadcast news organisations face in finding an audience among a sceptical and media-saturated Gen Z were laid bare in a recent Channel 4/RTS panel discussion. “It’s all about the first five seconds… and stopping them scrolling on to the next video,” said former RTS Bursary Scholar Mahnoor Akhlaq, now working as a multimedia producer for Channel 4 News.

"Gen Z feels less and less able to trust what it reads and sees": Channel 4 presents landmark research on UK's young people

A woman in her 50s with dark hair and wearing a black blazer and white shirt stands at a lecturn covered with the words: 'Gen Z: Trends, Truth and Trust'

The UK risks sliding into “an American news swamp” unless urgent action is taken by British TV news organisations, policy-makers and regulators to future-proof the news they provide for young people. 

That was the stark message in what may have been a career-defining speech by Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon, addressing an eclectic audience of public service broadcasters, content makers, opinion formers, AI specialists and RTS Bursary Scholars.