How Americans are engaged with news, politics, religion and civic life
The Briefing ☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today's email: Featured story: Germany says AI-generated information is…
July 16, 2026The Briefing☀️ Happy Thursday!The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here!In today’s email:Featured story:Germany says AI-generated information is subject to its media lawsNew from Pew Research Center:How Americans are engaged with news, politics, religion and civic lifeIn other news:DOJ subpoenas New York Times reporters as Trump administration cracks down on leaksLooking ahead:Tech startup plans to put reporters in statehouses, plug information into AI model and sell subscriptionsChart of the week:How four groups vary by key measures of social and civic engagement🔥Featured storyGerman regulatorssaid this weekthat the country’s media laws apply tocontent generated by artificial intelligenceafter acourt ruled last monththatGoogleis liable for inaccurate information in its AI summaries. In aPew Research Center survey last year, seven-in-ten German adults said they had at least some trust in their country toregulate the use of AI effectively. This is a higher share than in most other European countries surveyed. Meanwhile, two-thirds of U. S. adults say they have little to no confidence in theU. S. governmentto regulate the technology effectively, according to aFebruary survey. 🚨New from Pew Research CenterHow many Americans show up in public life – and in what ways?Anew Pew Research Center studyfrom thePew-Knight Initiativelooked across a range of behaviors from political involvement to news consumption and found that, rather than falling along a single spectrum, U. S. adults can be sorted into four distinct groups that reflect different patterns of participation. 📌In other newsDOJsubpoenasNew York Timesjournalists overreporting about Air Force Oneas Hegsethannounces anti-leak task force12 statesfile lawsuitto blockParamount-Warner Bros. mergerFCCto vote onrepealing national ownership capfor TV stationsMore print reporters arelearning how to make videosabout newsNew York Timesannounces Twin Cities newsletter as part oflocal news initiativeCaliforniapledges $20M contribution tolocal news fund,Googleto matchJournalistsattacked by Israeli settlersin theWest Bank; offices of two news organizationsvandalized in Tel AvivThephysical challengesof reporting on data centersThe Associated Pressjoins SPUR coalition, dedicated to shared licensing standards for AI contentFrench journalist identifies thousands offake AI news sites📅Looking aheadMedia startupState Affairsplans todeploy statehouse reportersand useAIto share the information they gather. Access would come through high-cost subscriptions for companies and government offices. The startup has gained high-profile funders in Silicon Valley, includingPeter Thieland other figures who have long been critical of news organizations. The total number of statehouse reporters in the U. S. increased modestly between 2014 and 2022, butfewer reporters were covering state government full timeby the end of that period, according to aPew Research Center study. The number of statehouse reporters employed by newspapersdeclined noticeably, while most growth came from nonprofit news outlets. And there were 91 statehouse reporters working for commercial digital outlets in 2022, more than double the number in 2014 (36). 📊Chart of the weekThis week’s chart comes from our new Pew-Knight Initiative study onhow Americans engage with society, which sorts U. S. adults into four categories based on their patterns of participation. Mobilizers,the most engaged group, are among the most likely to report participating in all the activities we asked about, such as volunteering and contacting elected officials. Connectorsare also highly engaged in many ways, but less so when it comes to direct political action. Spectatorsfollow the news but participate less in other ways. AndOutsidersare consistently less involved across all measures of engagement. How 4 groups vary by key measures of social and civic engagement% of U. S. adults in each engagement group who say they …Note: Engagement groups are based on a cluster analysis that sorted Americans into four groups based on their responses to 19 questions about political activity, civic involvement, religious attendance and attention to news. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U. S. adults conducted July 9-Dec. 5, 2025. “How Americans Are Engaged With News, Politics, Religion and Civic Life”PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVEHow 4 groups vary by key measures of social and civic engagement% of U. S. adults in each engagement group who say they …MobilizersConnectorsSpectatorsOutsidersSay they voted in 202487874941Contacted an elected official in the past year651373Volunteered in the past year77421713Made a nonpolitical donation in the past year83902121Attend religious services in person at least monthly45432524Follow national news at least somewhat closely95888441Note: Engagement groups are based on a cluster analysis that sorted Americans into four groups based on their responses to 19 questions about political activity, civic involvement, religious attendance and attention to news. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U. S. adults conducted July 9-Dec. 5, 2025. “How Americans Are Engaged With News, Politics, Religion and Civic Life”PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE👋 That’s all for this week. The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Anna Jackson. Do you like this newsletter? Email us atinfo@pewresearch. orgor fill out thistwo-question surveyto tell us what you think.