If you’re under 30 and you’re getting your news from somewhere, chances are it’s not the evening news or your local newspaper. A 2025 Pew Research study found that 68% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 say they get news primarily from social apps - and Telegram is climbing fast. But here’s the real question: do they trust it?
Why Young Adults Are Leaving Mainstream Media
Mainstream media outlets - TV networks, newspapers, major online news sites - used to be the default source for reliable information. But trust in those institutions has been dropping for over a decade. By 2025, only 31% of young adults said they trusted traditional news organizations to report the truth, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report. That’s down from 52% in 2015.Why? It’s not just about bias. It’s about speed, tone, and control. When a protest breaks out in Chicago or a school board meeting turns heated in Austin, mainstream outlets take hours to verify, edit, and broadcast. Telegram channels, on the other hand, post raw video, screenshots, and eyewitness accounts within minutes. No filters. No corporate spin. For many young people, that feels more real.
It’s not that they think Telegram is perfect. It’s that they’ve learned to expect something else from traditional media: delay, sanitization, and sometimes, omission. When major outlets ignored early reports of police misconduct in 2020, then covered it weeks later with heavy context, young users felt misled. Telegram didn’t wait. It just showed what happened.
How Telegram Builds Trust Without a Brand
Telegram isn’t a news company. It doesn’t have reporters on payroll or editors fact-checking every post. So how does it earn trust?It’s all about networks. Young adults follow channels run by local activists, college students documenting campus events, former journalists turned independent reporters, or even anonymous groups with reputations for accuracy. Trust isn’t given by a logo - it’s earned through consistency. If a channel posts accurate info during a power outage in Atlanta, then correctly tracks a city council vote in Denver, people start relying on it. One user told me: "I don’t know who runs @NYCUndergroundNews, but they’ve never lied to me about a subway delay or a protest route. I trust them more than CNN."
Telegram’s encryption and anonymity features help too. Sources can share documents without fear of being traced. Whistleblowers, students with campus grievances, even small-town residents documenting zoning violations - they all use Telegram because it’s safe. Mainstream media can’t offer that kind of protection.
What Mainstream Media Still Does Better
Don’t get it twisted - Telegram isn’t replacing journalism. It’s replacing *broadcasting*. There’s a big difference.When a major event happens - say, a federal court ruling on student loans - mainstream outlets still provide context, history, expert analysis, and legal breakdowns. Telegram might post the headline and a screenshot of the ruling. But who explains what "summary judgment" means? Who tracks how this affects 45 million borrowers over time? That’s still the job of trained journalists at outlets like The New York Times, AP, or ProPublica.
And while Telegram spreads news fast, it’s also a magnet for misinformation. A 2024 MIT study found that false claims about elections, vaccines, and school policies spread 3x faster on Telegram than on Twitter or Facebook. Why? Because there’s no algorithm to downrank lies - only user judgment. And if you’re already skeptical of institutions, you’re more likely to believe the post that matches your worldview.
So young adults aren’t choosing Telegram *instead* of mainstream media. They’re using both. But they’re using them for different things. Telegram for real-time updates. Mainstream media for depth and verification.
The Hybrid News Habit
Most young adults don’t live in one world or the other. They move between them.Here’s how a typical news cycle looks for someone 19-25:
- They see a video on Telegram showing police at a downtown rally.
- They check a few other Telegram channels to see if others are reporting the same thing.
- Then they open Twitter to see if any verified journalists are on the ground.
- They scroll to The Washington Post’s live blog for official statements.
- Finally, they watch a 10-minute explainer video from Vox or PBS NewsHour to understand the bigger picture.
This isn’t laziness. It’s strategy. They’re not trusting one source. They’re cross-referencing. They know no single outlet has the full truth - so they build their own truth map.
This behavior is called "news triangulation." And it’s becoming the new normal. The goal isn’t to find the most trusted source. It’s to find enough sources to feel confident you’re not being fooled.
What’s at Stake
The shift isn’t just about how young people get news. It’s about how they understand truth.When you rely on anonymous Telegram channels, you’re not just consuming information - you’re building relationships with people you’ve never met. You’re part of a community that shares your suspicion of authority. That’s powerful. But it’s also dangerous.
Research from Stanford’s Digital Civility Lab shows that young adults who get most of their news from encrypted platforms are 40% more likely to believe in conspiracy theories that align with their political views. Why? Because those channels reward confirmation, not correction. If you join a group that believes climate change is a hoax, you’ll rarely see evidence that challenges that. There’s no editor to say, "Wait, here’s the IPCC report."
Meanwhile, mainstream media is struggling to adapt. Many still write for an older audience. Their tone is formal. Their delivery is slow. Their websites are cluttered with ads. They haven’t figured out how to speak the language of Gen Z - casual, visual, fast, and skeptical.
Can Mainstream Media Win Back Trust?
Yes - but not by doing more of the same.The outlets that are gaining traction with young adults are the ones acting like Telegram: real-time updates, behind-the-scenes access, and transparency about their process. The Associated Press now has a Telegram channel where they post raw footage from war zones with timestamps and location tags. NPR’s "Consider This" podcast lets listeners text questions directly to reporters. The Guardian runs live Q&As after big stories.
These aren’t gimmicks. They’re trust-building tactics. They say: "We’re not perfect. We’re not omniscient. But we’re here, and we’ll tell you what we know - and what we don’t."
That kind of honesty matters more than polished headlines. Young adults don’t want a savior. They want a partner.
What This Means for the Future
The divide between Telegram and mainstream media isn’t going away. But it’s not a war - it’s an evolution.By 2030, we’ll likely see a new kind of media ecosystem: decentralized, hybrid, and user-curated. Mainstream outlets will need to become nodes in a network, not gatekeepers. They’ll need to share their sources, admit mistakes publicly, and let audiences help verify facts.
And Telegram? It won’t become a news organization. But it will keep growing as the nervous system of real-time truth-seeking - fast, messy, unreliable at times, but always alive.
The real winners? Young adults who learn to navigate both. Who know when to trust a channel, when to wait for a report, and when to ask: "Who’s behind this? And why should I believe them?"
Why do young people trust Telegram more than traditional news?
They trust Telegram because it’s faster, less filtered, and feels more personal. Mainstream media often takes hours to report events, while Telegram channels post raw footage and eyewitness accounts in minutes. Young adults also feel mainstream outlets sanitize stories or ignore issues that matter to them, like local protests or school policies. Telegram gives them direct access to unedited moments - even if the source is anonymous.
Is Telegram more reliable than mainstream media?
No - not inherently. Telegram has no fact-checking team, no editorial standards, and no accountability. False information spreads quickly there because there’s no algorithm to slow it down. Mainstream media, while sometimes slow or biased, still has reporters, editors, and legal teams that verify facts before publishing. The difference isn’t reliability - it’s speed versus accuracy.
Do young adults completely ignore mainstream media?
No. Most use both. They turn to Telegram for breaking updates - like a protest starting or a local shutdown - then check mainstream outlets like The New York Times or AP for context, background, and analysis. They’re not choosing one over the other. They’re using them together to build a fuller picture.
Can mainstream media regain trust with younger audiences?
Yes - but only by changing how they operate. Outlets that are winning back trust are being more transparent: sharing their sources, admitting when they’re wrong, and letting audiences ask questions in real time. NPR and The Guardian are doing this with live Q&As and behind-the-scenes content. It’s not about being perfect - it’s about being honest and human.
What’s the biggest risk of relying on Telegram for news?
The biggest risk is falling into echo chambers. Telegram channels often reinforce existing beliefs because users join groups that already match their views. Without fact-checkers or opposing perspectives, misinformation can feel like truth. A 2024 Stanford study found young adults who rely heavily on Telegram are 40% more likely to believe conspiracy theories that align with their politics.
Young adults aren’t rejecting truth - they’re redefining how to find it. The challenge for everyone else is to meet them where they are - not where we think they should be.
