Diversity key factor to build trust in news media

Author Moonshot.news

Published on: 25/09/2023

There is an increasing lack of trust in news media. Diversifying newsrooms is widely viewed as important for increasing this trust, a survey by Reuters Institute shows.  Having representative journalists concerning political views and economic class backgrounds is often seen as more important for diversity than gender and racial/ethnic diversity.

80% of UK journalists have one parent in one of the three highest occupational groups,  a key indicator of class,  compared to 42% in the overall population, data from National Council for the Training of Journalists shows. 

A prior report on digital from Reuters Institute shows that trust  in the news has fallen, across markets, by a further 2 percentage points in the last year, reversing – in many countries – the gains made at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. 

On average no more than 40% say they trust most news most of the time.The new survey on how to build trust in the news media comprises UK, US, Brazil and India while the Institutes annual digital news report comprises 46 markets.

Key findings in the new report:

• – The least trusting towards news also tend to see ‘no differences’ between news outlets. While levels of trust in news overall have declined in all four countries, it is often lowest among those who use news the least frequently, reflecting the degree to which trust is often linked to habitual use of news. Those who access news most frequently, regardless of mode, are also most likely to see at least minor differences between news organisations in their trustworthiness. In contrast, a small but significant subset of the public in all four countries do not differentiate between most news outlets in terms of their trustworthiness. These groups also tend to be the most sceptical of trust-building initiatives, underscoring the importance of communicating distinct brand identities.
• Minimal consensus around what trust-building strategies news organisations ought to prioritise. When asked to choose among the approaches news outlets might embrace to gain or regain their trust, different groups in each country say they would be most receptive to different initiatives. These findings point to the importance of tailoring strategies to specific audience preferences and needs, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
• The already trusting are generally most receptive to trust-building efforts. While the public generally say they look favourably towards many initiatives designed to foster trusting relationships, these approaches typically appear most effective at deepening trust among those who already hold positive attitudes about journalism and tend to be most interested in news. Changing the minds of the broader public, including those who do not trust news, may require convincing people of the value and relevance of news altogether to establish a firmer foundation for trust to take root.
• Editorial strategies for building trust appear to resonate most in the UK and the US, and somewhat less so in Brazil and India. While audiences in all four countries say they would welcome changes in news coverage, including more attention paid to regular, everyday people, more solutions-focused coverage, and less sensationalism and inaccuracy, overall evaluations of performance in many specific coverage areas is generally fairly positive, which suggests that the link between editorial content and trust is not always straightforward. Thre is meaningful variation in terms of how much emphasis certain audience subgroups place on specific concerns, such as making news more inclusive with respect to the range of diverse voices featured, or reducing emphasis on subjects that may cause social division.
• Audiences rank transparency highly as a strategy for building trust, especially about ownership and funding but also editorial practices and ethical standards. Despite widespread agreement about the importance of transparency, the survey also shows somewhat divergent views about whether news organisations are committed to treating all sides fairly – and different expectations about such coverage – which suggests varying receptivity to transparency initiatives in practice. There is some evidence of potential backfire effects, with some interpreting efforts to be transparent about, for example, correcting errors in reporting, as evidence mainly of sloppiness or carelessness.
• Most place blame for problems in news coverage at the management and ownership level. Individual journalists are often perceived as doing the bidding of owners and leaders who are guided by ulterior commercial or political agendas. Additionally, audiences express a preference for more inclusive funding models for news organisations that include the public as stakeholders through individual subscriptions (Brazil, the US, and the UK) or public funding through taxes (India). Some forms of funding (such as advertising or donations) tend to be viewed more suspiciously in ways that vary by media environment.
• Diversifying newsrooms is widely viewed as important for increasing trust, but we find less consensus around what aspects of diversity ought to be prioritised. Achieving more representative staffing amongst journalists in terms of their political views and economic class backgrounds often ranks highest, ahead of racial/ethnic or gender diversity. However, these aggregate results mask important differences within countries, with more marginalised groups typically prioritising diversity in areas seen as less critical to broader majorities. Despite these sometimes divergent perspectives, few say that news organisations focusing on diversity in any area is likely to reduce their trust.
• Many see current efforts to engage the public as lacking and say they would be more likely to trust news outlets that do more to listen to and connect with audiences. Engagement initiatives such as those that involve soliciting feedback and involving the public more in the production of news were viewed positively in all four countries; however, those most interested in participating in such efforts tend to be concentrated mainly among those who are already trusting of news and those with relatively more resources available in terms of time and money. Reaching the more indifferent public through these types of efforts may prove more challenging.

The previous report shows that Finland remains the country with the highest levels of overall trust (69%), while Greece (19%) has the lowest after a year characterised by heated arguments about press freedom and the independence of the media.

Public media brands are amongst those with the highest levels of trust in many Northern European countries, but reach has been declining with younger audiences.