Younger audience perceptions of journalists on social media.

This article examines Australian audience perceptions of journalists expressing personal opinions versus sticking to impartial reporting on social media, drawing on data from the Digital News Report: Australia 2022. It finds that while a majority of news consumers prefer journalists to maintain impartiality online, significant differences exist by age, education, political orientation, news motivation, and whether audiences pay for news. Younger audiences (under 35), those with higher education, left-leaning political views, and paying news consumers are more supportive of journalists sharing opinions on social media. Using Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT), the study highlights tensions between traditional journalistic norms of impartiality and evolving audience expectations shaped by digital media, with implications for news organizations, especially Public Service Media, balancing editorial independence and audience engagement.