Survey shows where news media can improve
It is that time of year again when news organizations the world over examine closely what has become the most comprehensive and trusted source of global data on digital news and what its audiences think about their online news media.
The Digital News Report, an international survey done by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, provides some good news — and of course, some not-so-good news too — about Canadians and their trust and engagement with the news.
The topline: While Canadians’ overall trust in news has dropped 6 percentage points in the past year, Canadians still rank fifth of 38 countries for media trust, with 52 per cent trusting in Canadian news overall and 59 per cent trusting the news they use.
Across all countries surveyed, the average level of trust in the news in general is down 2 percentage points to 42 per cent and less than half (49 per cent) trust the news media they themselves use. Trust in news reached via social media is lower still both in Canada and overall.
Canadians report a more positive view of our news media and its mission than those in most other countries around the world. A majority of the 2,055 Canadians who participated in the detailed survey conducted Jan. 17-Feb. 18, believe news organizations in Canada keep them up to date, (70 per cent); help them understand the news (60 per cent); and fulfil the journalistic watchdog role of monitoring powerful people (49 per cent). Further, the report tells us, these positive assessments of the news may well be linked to higher trust in the news.
“Put simply, we find that people are more likely to trust the news if they feel it keeps them up to date with what’s happening, helps them understand it, and holds power to account,” the report tells us. And, increasingly, Canadians are turning to trusted news brands to counter significant concern about misinformation online. The survey reports that 61 per cent of Canadians are concerned about their ability to sort out what is real and what is fake on the internet. As well, a majority (70 per cent) have taken steps to assure the credibility of their news, by checking information against several trusted sites and declining to share news they believe might be inaccurate. The bad news: Only 9 per cent of Canadians indicate a willingness to pay for news — even the news they trust. Given the welldocumented breakdown in the advertising revenue that traditionally supported serious news, this is a concern for most news organizations, including the Star, that are building their news subscription business to fund trusted public interest journalism.
Of concern also to the news business and to democracies that require informed civic engagement is a stronger trend around the world this year to “news avoidance.” More than half of Canadians say they actively avoid the news at least occasionally and more than a quarter admitted to being “worn out by the amount of news there is these days.”
“People say they avoid the news because it has a negative effect on their mood (58 per cent) or because they feel powerless to change events,” the report states.
This exhaustive report provides considerably more data to dig into, to think deeply about and. perhaps, act on. Certainly, the Star newsroom is giving careful consideration to what more it can do to build greater trust with its audience. On trust, this survey ranks the Star ninth of 16 English-language news organizations with four broadcast outlets ranked in the top four.
While the trust scores are all close overall, this middle-of-the pack place is both puzzling and discouraging to me, given the extensive amount of work the Star has done to enhance reader trust. In the past year, the Star has participated in a global trust project that resulted in eight “trust indicators” being incorporated into our website content, including transparent labelling to make clear the difference between news and opinion, and journalism and paid content.
I know the Star takes seriously its commitment to accountability and transparency — the foundation of trustworthy news. Accuracy and fairness are core to our journalistic standards. So, what more can be done to encourage greater audience trust? That is a serious and important question: I want to know what you think and will share your insights with the newsroom and our trust committee. Please tell us: What do you think would build greater trust in Star content?