Richard Fletcher

Richard Fletcher is the Director of Research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. He specializes in digital news consumption patterns, comparative media research, and the intersection of technology and journalism. His work focuses on global trends in news use, audience trust dynamics, and the role of social media in journalism. He leads the Digital News Project, co-authoring the annual Digital News Report—the world’s largest survey of global news consumption habits.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, University of Surrey
• MSc in Science, Medicine, Technology and Society, Imperial College London
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science

Research Interests:

• Algorithmic curation and platform effects
• Trust in news media and misinformation
• Generative AI's impact on journalism
• Cross-national comparisons of news consumption

Awards:

• Wolfgang Donbach Award (2018) for 'Are News Audiences Increasingly Fragmented?'
• Nominated twice for Bob Franklin Award

His research explores how audiences navigate digital news ecosystems, with recent emphasis on generative AI’s role in news production and consumption. He also investigates strategies to rebuild trust in media through audience-centric approaches.