Young people haven’t stopped consuming news, but they have completely changed how they do it. New research from the Reuters Institute shows a decisive shift in habits, expectations and platforms among 18-24-year-olds. For communicators, these changes are more than trends: they’re a roadmap for how to stay relevant in a fast-moving media landscape.
Below, we break down the five key insights from the report – and what they mean for organisations trying to reach younger audiences.
We recently hosted a masterclass on ‘How to Tell Stories That Stick, bringing together communication professionals from across Brussels for an evening focused on practical storytelling techniques.
The session was led by Danny Scheinmann, a bestselling novelist, actor and award-winning screenwriter whose career spans more than three decades. Danny has worked across theatre, film and corporate communication, and has trained organisations such as the WHO, World Bank, Airbus, Microsoft and Unilever. His broad experience shaped a session that was grounded, accessible and highly relevant for anyone looking to strengthen how they communicate.
In a policy environment defined by complexity, competing narratives and shrinking attention spans, one trend is becoming impossible to ignore: storytelling is emerging as the most powerful tool for shaping influence in 2026.
This insight sits at the heart of the 2026 Policy Comms Trends Report by the European Campaign Playbook, a crowdsourced project built from the real experiences of communicators working inside the EU bubble. Gareth Harding, CEO and founder of Clear Europe, contributed to the report, offering his perspective on why stories matter more than ever.