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Fact checkers at their most constructive, as we discussed in the previous part, expose inaccuracies and falsehoods and point out skewed reporting. If successful, their ultimate effect may be to maintain some level of trust and a sense of consensus reality even in polarised societies. This part is about a global study of media habits and general level of trust.
The Reuters Institute have been carrying out studies of digital news consumption since 2012. Their Digital News Report for 2021 can be read here:
This study was conducted in several countries, based on a questionnaire as well as focus groups. It brings up media habits, trust in news media in general, the role of local newspapers, the perception of fairness and impartiality in news coverage. They also consider the willingness to pay for online subscriptions.
Amongst those who are not paying, just a small minority say they are likely to do so in the future for online publications that they like. Rates are higher in countries that are already some way down the line (16% in Norway) when compared with those that aren’t (8% in the UK) which suggests that (a) there is still some room for growth even in mature markets, and (b) abundant supply of free news, whether from commercial or public service providers, is a key factor for some of those not currently paying.
An underlying concern in this study is how to finance media and journalism. When specific television channels, news papers, or web sites are mentioned, they are almost exclusively drawn from a short list of established or mainstream media. Point (b) above may include the rise of independent news sources that provide high quality reporting, opinion pieces and analysis, and often for free.
The Reuters Institute questionnaire says:
We are now going to ask you about trust in the news. First we will ask you about how much you trust the news as a whole within your country. Then we will ask you about how much you trust the news that you choose to consume. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:
I think you can trust most news most of the time
I think I can trust most of the news I consume most of the time
How would one really answer the first question? "Most news" surely includes things you don't read or watch, but even assuming it is restricted to the media you actually are aware of the question is still rather vague. Maybe it doesn't matter too much since the study looks at differences across countries, which are significant.
The results for the top and bottom countries, based on roughly 2000 respondents in each:
Most trust in news:
...
Least trust:
Political divides fuel much of this mistrust in the United States, with those who self-identify on the right being more than twice as likely to distrust the news compared with those on the left. Resentment and anger are stoked by polarised TV networks such as right-leaning Fox News, One America News, and Newsmax and left-leaning CNN and MSNBC.
Although this media guide is more concerned with global or regional media, it is important to recognise the importance of local media too. The authors of the Reuters study write:
Our research this year also shows a link between how attached people are to their local community and levels of local news consumption. Respondents in both Austria and Switzerland are amongst those countries that feel most strongly attached and – like Norway – these are also countries where local news consumption tends to be higher and the value of local newspapers is more keenly felt.
Local media's role in the US deserves its own discussion. The media company Sinclair wasn't much known until a few years ago. Sinclair produces news segments for local stations across the US, which explains why quite a few of them have run the same news segments told in identical words. According to an article from 2017 in The Guardian,
Another cause for concern, and increased scrutiny, is what’s seen as the company’s pronounced political agenda. Sinclair forces its local stations to run pro-Trump “news” segments.
The Guardian on Sinclair News Media
Sinclair was founded in 1971, and runs or owns 193 stations across the USA. Because of its right-leaning profile it is considered a competitor to Fox News. Their opaque, centralised ownership of local broadcasters is perhaps a greater cause for concern than their political bias.
The next parts will look at the huge topics of propaganda and censorship.
Fifth part (this page)
Seventh part (information flow)
Part eleven (internet censorship)
Part twelve (conspiratorial thinking)
The Oxymoronist Media Guide is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
This part first published on September 20, 2021