The confusing landscape of mainstream media (MSM) – think fake news, questionable sources, and more partisan coverage than ever before – has been under intense scrutiny over recent years, leaving readership and trust on a rapid decline.
Now, new Gallup research finds that trust in the news media has hit a record low – only less than a third (28%) of people now say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. That’s down from 31% a year ago and 40% five years ago. Meanwhile, about 70% of U.S. adults express “not very much” or “none at all” confidence in the media.
Admittedly this is a U.S. poll, but this is the home of the world’s most powerful and globally read media so we should take note.
We’ve been charting the decline in MSM trust ourselves. Earlier this year we sat down with mainstream media expert, Leon Emirali, as part of our Talking Propeller Heads (TPH) series, to ask “Is there any value in B2B marketing companies pitching to the mainstream media?”
Today, news is being consumed from sources way beyond the traditional household names of the media. Whether it be social media or podcasts, traditional media outlets have been scrambling to change business models to keep up with this shift in consumption habits. In fact, the same Gallup research uncovered that age plays a role in how much people trust media.
Older and wiser, or stuck in a rut?
Older adults are more likely to trust the media than younger adults. In the latest three-year data, 43% of those aged 65 and older say they trust the media, while no younger age group exceeds 28%.
It’s all discussed in our IBA TPH webcast! From the BBC to Al Jazeera, Leon has covered it all. Hear Leon’s thoughts on whether we are really witnessing the death of the mainstream media or is it just more fake news?
He explains the value of cherry-picking stories and fog horning coverage out on social to exploit the multiplier effect of MSM. It’s MSM – but perhaps not as we know it!
Interested to learn more? Click here to stay up-to-date on the rest of our TPH series.
Georgia Harris is PR Lead Themes at IBA International.
