More men are looking at news in the loo on smartphones or tablets than women do anywhere at work.
The News & Media Research Centre, which on Thursday released its research on the digital news consumption habits of Australians, was not too shy to limit its scrutiny to public spaces.
"In fact, more men use laptops in the toilet or bathroom to access news than they do on public transport," said one of the report's contributors, former ABC journalist Virginia Haussegger.
"How and where people consume news is increasingly of critical importance to those who produce it."
The report was written as traditional news outlets Network Ten and Fairfax Media created headlines of their own in the face of financial difficulties.
It found just over half of adult Australians try to avoid the news often or occasionally, and only 63 per cent were extremely or very interested in news at all.
The report also found young people were more likely to consume "softer" cultural or entertainment news.
Participants under 35 were the biggest drivers of digital platforms, with one in three saying social media helped them distinguish fact from fiction, and there are many keeping up with news headlines via Facebook.
Trust in the news was low with only two in five Australians saying they trusted news in general.
"These kinds of challenges to established broadcast and print brands underline the ongoing impact of digital disruption on the content business, including news," said Jerry Watkins, Director of the News & Media Research Centre.
Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh writes in the report that while social media can expand the political conversation and help politicians reach people who might otherwise be disengaged, there was still a place for traditional media.
"A great strength of mainstream media is that it helps avoid the 'echo chamber' effect," he said.
WHERE AUSTRALIANS GET THEIR NEWS
* 26 per cent from television
* 16 per cent from social media
* 13 per cent from news websites and apps
NEWS PREFERENCES BY AGE BRACKET
* 18-24-year-olds prefer social media (38 per cent)
* 25-34-year-olds prefer online (32 per cent)
* 35-44-year-olds prefer TV (33 per cent)
* 45-54-year-olds prefer TV (39 per cent)
* 55-64-year-olds prefer TV (45 per cent)
* 65+ year olds prefer TV (50 per cent)
