UAE residents ‘trust media but prefer TV for breaking news’

Four in every five UAE residents have trust in the country’s media outlets, one of the largest surveys of its kind suggests.

The authors of the study, commissioned by the UAE’s National Media Council, interviewed 2,500 people, half Emiratis and half residents.

While 80.5 per cent trust media, the study found that when it came to breaking local news, such as emergencies and crises, 33 per cent turned to television first.

Twenty per cent went straight to Facebook and 12 per cent directly to print outlets. Less than 10 per cent went to Twitter or to other news websites.

More broadly, for local and international news, 30 per cent also chose television and 25 per cent chose Facebook.

“We have seen people around the world lose trust in the media over the past 10 years,” said Dr Basim Tweissi, dean of the Jordan Media Institute, which carried out the study.

“And in the US over the past year only 32 per cent said they have trust in the media. Even the number of Republican Party members who trust the media dropped by 14 per cent.”

Among the criticisms was how the media portrayed young people, the speed at which news was delivered, a lack of diversity, freedom of expression and critical opinion.

Jaber Al Lamki, acting executive director of media and strategic communications at the National Media Council, said he was surprised that television news viewing figures remain so high.

“We were expecting the majority to follow digital media sources, but, surprisingly, people still watch most of their news on TV,” he said.

“We wanted to work with the study’s samples directly to hear their perceptions, so that we can work with local media channels on improving the distribution of information and news.”

He said the Jordanian institute was chosen to conduct the survey to ensure credibility of results, because it is an objective party.

Dr Tweissi said that television remained widely regarded as immediate and reliable for breaking news.

“The number of people who watch the main Jordanian channel has declined in recent years, but when there is a crisis many people turn to it,” he said.

The study also asked candidates how much they thought local media outlets portrayed a positive image of the UAE, and 71 per cent strongly agreed they did.

Less than 10 per cent of people turned to Twitter or news websites for breaking local news