Perceiving the News as Toxic: A Longitudinal, Cross-National Analysis of Negative News Evaluations in Flanders and Ireland

Abstract

Abstract

In today’s media environment, where information overload, negativity, and news fatigue are increasingly common, news can feel toxic. Yet little research examines how users perceive this toxicity and adjust their news practices in response. This study addresses that gap through a repeated cross-sectional analysis of Flanders and Ireland. Drawing on DNR-data from 2017-2025 and latent class analysis, we identify three archetypal news repertoires: Panoramic, Limited, and Traditional. Our findings reveal a shift toward limited repertoires, particularly among younger and less socioeconomically advantaged groups, while panoramic repertoires have become rarer, and traditional repertoires have remained stable. These shifts are associated with negative news attitudes, including distrust, avoidance, disinterest, fake news concerns and perceived fake news exposure. The cross-national comparison highlights sharper transitions in Flanders, whereas Irish users retained higher engagement, though early disengagement emerged. By linking negative attitudes or evaluations with changes in repertoires, we contribute to audience research and underscore the need to reconsider the journalism-audience relationship as disengagement is no longer marginal but increasingly mainstream. From a user perspective, repertoire narrowing may be understood as a coping response, although it risks deepening informational inequalities.