FEWER people are choosing to get their news from social media compared with a year ago, a recent report revealed.

The proportion of UK adults using social media to keep up with the latest stories has fallen from 49 per cent last year to 45 per cent in 2020, with users rating social platforms less highly for trust and accuracy, according to Ofcom's annual news consumption report.

In contrast nearly half of adults get news from either print newspapers or their associated websites and apps (47 per cent), data collected from November 2019 to March 2020 highlights (the report did not explore news consumption during the Covid-19 lockdown).

This is reassuring information for people like me who are dismayed by the damage that unregulated, unverified and unreliable 'news' on social media platforms is wreaking on our democracy.

The great danger with social media 'news' is its tendency to reaffirm its readers' view of the world rather than seeking to challenge it and bring greater understanding of issues that affect their lives.

It encourages people to gather in echo chambers where existing opinions become ever more deeply embedded, and people who question the prevailing mood are too often bullied into silence or acquiescence.

I do not pretend that the Hereford Times is perfect. But we do provide a respected platform for all views, including some with which we disagree.

When we publish news about controversial issues we seek comment from all sides of the argument. We check facts, we verify, we respect copyright and other publishing laws, we work to a strict ethical code that is policed by an independent regulator.

We do the hard work, folks, that social media does not. That's why we ask you to contribute to proper local news coverage: www.herefordtimes.com/subscribe