Today, Wednesday 29 January 2025, our EU-funded project Deaf Journalism Europe (DJE) is publishing the results of a cross-national study on how deaf people consume news in our partner countries. The research was conducted under the direction of Jorn Rijckaert (Visual Box) and is based on the responses of 877 participants from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Sweden. It provides valuable insights into news consumption and the willingness to pay for sign language news services.

Key findings of the study:

• A clear majority prefers news presented directly in sign languages by deaf presenters or translators.
• Digital platforms such as social media and the internet are the most important sources of news.
• There is a strong demand for “deaf news”.
• The willingness to pay for sign-language news services varies significantly between countries.

The research report serves as a basis for developing sustainable business models for deaf-led media companies. It also helps to formulate recommendations for governments and public broadcasters to improve their sign language news services.

“This research clearly shows that deaf people want high-quality news in their preferred language, presented by a deaf person, not interpreted by a hearing person,” says Jorn Rijckaert, who led the study.

The full 85-page research report is now available here.