Trust in News Providers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/PN727

Overview

The United Nations states that people’s trust in the media is essential to “social and economic progress, allowing people to cooperate with and express solidarity for one another”. It highlights the potentially positive impact social media and increased connectivity has on public trust. However, research for UNESCO in 2023 found a high prevalence of false or misleading information on social media (see PN 719), which may reduce public trust in news providers.

International surveys suggest that the UK has relatively low, and declining, levels of trust in news. For example, the World Values Survey found that confidence in the UK press dropped steeply in the 1980s and has remained at one of the lowest levels of trust internationally.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has a priority outcome to “create a broadcasting and media system fit for the 21st century”. Ofcom, the UK statutory regulator, has a priority outcome to support “media we trust and value”.

Since 2020, various parliamentary inquiries have scrutinised aspects of trust in news providers. For example, in January 2024, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee launched an inquiry into the Future of news: impartiality, trust and technology.

Key points

• The news is thought to play an important role in a functioning democracy and in supporting civic engagement. However, public confidence in the UK press dropped in the 1980s and remains low in comparison to other countries. Trust may also be related to misinformation and the use of artificial intelligence.
• There are many different types of news provided by broadcast and print services and increasingly via online sources. In 2024, 70% of adults in the UK consumed news via the TV and 71% online. In the UK, Ofcom regulates broadcast news, while voluntary regulation applies to the press. Some sources of news, such as self-publishing journalists, are not regulated.
• The concept of trust in news can be complex, making it hard to measure. Research by Ofcom indicates that TV and radio news is the most trusted.
• Causal data on what drives trust in news is lacking. However, low levels of trust may be linked to social media use, a lack of diversity and representation in the media, and wider political events.
• Efforts to increase trust include accreditation schemes and improving the news literacy of audiences. Some contributors have suggested areas to consider in supporting trust in news, including potential gaps in the regulatory framework, the consistency of journalism standards, and how current funding models and funding pressures for news provision might affect trust.

Contributors

POST is grateful to Jodie Bettis for researching this briefing and to the Economic and Social Research Council for funding this parliamentary fellowship. For further information on this subject, please contact the co-author, Natalie Low.

POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer-reviewed. POST would like to thank interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing, including:

Members of the POST Board*

Ofcom*

Jo Allan and colleagues, Newsworks*

Professor Steven Barnett, Westminster University

Dr Jennifer Birks, Nottingham University*

Sophie Chalk, Voice of the Listener and Viewer*

Dr Precious Chatterje-Doody, The Open University*

John Davidson, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)

Professor Natalie Fenton, Goldsmith’s Leverhulme Media Research Centre*

Chloé Fiodiere, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Dr Richard Fletcher, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford*

Professor Marie Gillespie, The Open University

Jonathan Heawood, Public Interest News Foundation*

Balihar Khalsa, ITN News*          

Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana, Impress*

Helen Moor, BBC News

Fiona O’Brien, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)*

Dr Jonathan Tallant, Nottingham University*

Emma Theedom, BBC News

Peter Wright, DMG Media

 *denotes people and organisations who acted as external reviewers of the briefing

Related links

House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee Inquiry: The future of news: impartiality, trust and technology

Ofcom Broadcasting Code: The Ofcom Broadcasting Code