"An international survey reveals that Internet users' trust on the Internet has dropped significantly since 2019. That is among the key findings of a 20-country Ipsos survey released by The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany. Only six in ten (63%) Internet users on average across the 20 countries sai
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d they trust the Internet. That is down 11 points since a similar survey was conducted in 2019. The singular exception is Japan, which showed a 7 percentage-point increase in trust. But Japan is the rare exception, as the findings reveal that Internet trust shrunk by double-digits in India (-10 points), Kenya (-11), Sweden (-10), Brazil (-18), Canada (-14), the United States (-12), and Poland (-26)." (Publisher description)
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"This qualitative study report primarily details the reactions of local audiences in Lebanon, Iraq, and Sudan and their perception of media content produced by journalist trained by ENQUIRE (Enhancing Quality Information on Religious Freedoms). The content is compared with that of more traditional,
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local media, in order to assess the professional development of the trained journalists and better identify potential areas of improvement in terms of appealing to the audience and gaining traction and influence. It also adds another dimension, as it seeks to understand how these audiences, coming from different genders, ages as well as religions, consume and trust (or distrust) media content in general. Understanding their perceptions and opinions would allow for the production of more engaging and thought-provoking content in the future, while sparking conversations related to religious minorities. In that respect, although each country has its own set of individual findings, several common trends emerge. The online realm, namely Facebook and WhatsApp, dominates the audience’s media consumption patterns and is often the first resort due to its ease of access and its capacity to make users feel in control of what they consume. This presents its own set of risks and must be appropriately addressed in future endeavors. Regardless, it is too soon to completely discount offline media especially with the ever-present TV stations that manage to reach and influence a significant portion of the population, according to the participants. Despite the difficulty to precisely define it, trust remains an element that manages to greatly shape media consumption patterns. As for the ENQUIRE-trained journalists, their content enjoyed a mixed reception. On the one hand, it often proved to be highly educational and thought-provoking, which is one of the goals of this project. On the other hand, there were times where it was perceived as inflammatory and could not be told apart from typical media outlets’ production, which many participants often avoid." (Executive summary)
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"Syrians greatly desire news that is free from political partisanship and interference; are reflective and capable of making conscious and informed decisions; are resourceful, reflective and desire the full picture of news and events; value variety in terms of sources, and are therefore often drawn
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to digital platforms that facilitate a diversity of choice as a way to check news and besides valuing pluralism; afe flexible and partial to changing their consumption habits if they begin to notice too much perceived bias in the outlets they use; feel that the majority of content in the Syrian media landscape is not objective or credible enough; believe that media, if and when truly independent, has an important role to play in society as a watchdog and a unifier; prefer breaking news, accurate and exclusive news." (Key findings, page 4)
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"There are stark lessons to be learnt from this assessment: Social media has become the main source of news and information for majority of Kenyans, even though it suffers the greatest trust deficit. Radio remains highly important, while television is the most trusted source of information and newsp
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aper circulation and readership continue to decline — even though newspapers have the highest quality content. The study also found that self-censorship is rife; media sustainability remains a key concern and media freedom has been deteriorating since 2017. To improve media performance in Kenya, three key gaps were identified for plugging. These are skills gaps (the knowledge media personnel need to perform their work effectively); resource shortages (the resources media entities need to execute their mandate); and policy gaps (an enabling environment for the media to thrive)." (Publisher description)
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"The interviews and the analyses by the experts show that: –– Quality content increases safety. The editors interviewed for this publication confirm that fair and balanced journalism, which clearly distinguishes between facts and opinion and treats the people at the center of the story with resp
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ect tends to lead to increased respect from the audience and makes the journalists less of a target for potential attackers. It also increases trust on the part of audiences as well as with advertisers willing to pay for content. –– Audience engagement plays a crucial role in terms of safety. No matter whether through a membership model, regular informal exchanges or listener clubs — an audience that values a certain media outlet will be less likely to accept any attacks against it. –– Flexible and resilient business models are a must-have. They help organizations to react to new threats, to adapt strategies, and to maintain high quality and independent reporting in times of crisis. –– No viability without digital security. A media outlet that loses all its data or whose data gets hacked and its sensitive sources revealed, loses everything: content and credibility. Online attacks are more likely and easier to carry out than physical attacks. Digital security is an essential part of any safety concept. –– Diversity pays off. During the COVID-19 crisis, women and minority groups came under particular attack all around the world, online and offline. To include their stories and perspectives is not only a moral obligation but also makes business sense as they make up an essential part of audiences anywhere on the globe." (Synopsis, page 39)
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"In this review of the literature I have attempted to show how researchers in different areas of communication have conceptualized and operationalized trust and trust-related concepts. Trust has been associated most with the concept of credibility, but other words that have been used to operationali
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ze it include believability, accuracy, honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness, sincerity, competence, expertise, reliability, and goodwill, to name some. The concept of trust, just as credibility, is multi-dimensional, and it seems to depend on the context, the person, and the task that is evaluated, as one may not necessarily trust another with a personal secret but may trust that person to complete a work-related task well. As might have become evident to the reader, our discipline's interest in measuring trust has been mostly utilitarian: trust as a means to an end (e.g., persuasion, credibility, and effectiveness of the communicator, to name some). While not all of the trust-related research in communication has been self-serving, it has focused mostly on the benefits that communicators can derive from growing others' trust in them, and less on the benefit that the act of trusting may have on others beyond the communicator, or other possible outcomes stemming from trust. One of the few exceptions has been in the instructional communication literature, where measures of trust have been used to study levels of student satisfaction, development and learning; interpersonal communication, where measures of trust have been used to study satisfaction in relationships between friends and romantic partners; and health communication, where communicating trust in the patient-provider interaction can increase the patient's self-awareness and sense of well-being. The mostly transactional and utilitarian view of trust that has dominated so far is perhaps a reflection of the increased professionalization of the discipline, the need for practical applications within the business setting and the cultures that sustain them and are in turn sustained by them. It would be interesting for future research to consider trust from the perspective of the person who is doing the trusting what impact does trust have on them beyond being persuaded and returning as consumers of information and products? It would be interesting for future research to approach the study of trust from that perspective as well as from non-traditional (read non-Western/Anglo-Saxon) socioeconomic and cultural perspectives." (Conclusion, page 21)
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"This year's report reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a YouGov survey of over 92,000 online news consumers in 46 markets including India, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Colombia and Peru for the first time. The report looks at the impact of coronavirus on news consumption a
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nd on the economic prospects for publishers. It looks at progress on new paid online business models, trust and misinformation, local news, impartiality and fairness in news coverage." (Overview)
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"The Media survey indicates that Television remains the primary source of news, with 47% of respondents indicating it as their go-to platform for staying informed. Following closely is Radio, with 31% of respondents relying on it for news updates. The survey also revealed that Citizen Tv emerged as
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the most watched and trusted Tv. Similarly, Radio Citizen and Radio Jambo garnered substantial listenership, solidifying their positions as popular choices for radio news and entertainment. In contrast, the readership of newspapers has experienced a significant decline dropping from 29% in 2022 to 26% in 2023. This trend reflects the shifting preferences of consumers towards digital and broadcast media for accessing news content. Furthermore, the survey identified Tuko as the most visited news website, underscoring the growing prominence of online platforms in disseminating information. Notably, the survey highlighted the substantial consumption of online content by the youth demographic particularly those aged between 18 and 35. Additionally, the survey found that social media platforms are predominantly utilised for entertainment purposes, with both local and international content being equally popular among users. However, the survey also raised concerns regarding the level of trust in media sources, indicating a decrease from 42% in 2022 to 38.2% in 2023. The spread of misinformation and disinformation emerged as significant concerns stemming from the media survey in both 2022 and 2023." (Executive summary, page x)
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"A significant number of the surveyed citizens consider the media in Serbia under the control of political groups at both ends of the spectrum. At the same time, many of the surveyed citizens think that the media is free to collect and publish information on all the relevant issues. These findings r
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eflect the media reality in Serbia: after twenty years of reforms, the country has managed to create a system in which the freedom of the media implies (only) that our media freely report on issues relevant to the option whose interests they represent. Both the media workers in the focus group and the surveyed citizens agree that propaganda and hatred are ubiquitous in the media. The media instrumentalizes hatred based on gender, national and other stereotypes in order to realize the particular interests of the groups to which they are loyal for ideological or financial reasons. But as the media workers warn, the media is also abusing the hatred rooted in society to increase circulation, viewership, or reach, and again, in the end, to make a profit. The position of women journalists in Serbia is especially difficult. As many as 95% of the surveyed citizens agree that women journalists are exposed to attacks, threats, insults and harassment because they do their job well. The journalists and editors in the focus group do not see gender prejudices and stereotypes as a cause of attacks but rather as a tool to discredit female journalists. Not their work—because that is difficult to discredit—but rather female journalists personally, where attacks are dominated by discourse strategies stemming from classic misogyny." (Conclusion, page 25)
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"Trust in the media varies across the region, with citizens in BiH, Serbia and North Macedonia divided in around half of those that trust and half of those that distrust the media, and a higher number of citizens in Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania having trust in the media. The highest trust is expre
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ssed by citizens in Kosovo (64% of citizens trust and 35% distrust the media) and the lowest in BiH (48% of citizens that trust, compared to 49% that distrust the media). Similarly, trust in the public service broadcaster varies across the region, being the highest in Kosovo (76%) and the lowest in BiH and Montenegro (in BiH between 32% for RTRS and 43% for RTVFBiH, and 48% in Montenegro). In some countries of the region, there is a clear division of trust-distrust in the public service broadcaster indicative of an ethnic and/or political divide." (Page 19)
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"This research analysis aims to assess perceptions of media coverage of social cohesion in Ninewah and understand how content is consumed and assessed by audiences in the province. What this report has demonstrated is that while there is a distrust of the media at a national level, local media are p
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laying a fundamental role in providing citizens with information and news about topics that are important and relevant to reconciliation and rebuilding communities in post-IS Ninewah. Social media and activist accounts are also playing a significant role in the media information ecosystem in Ninewah. However, the political environment in Iraq is having a huge impact on both media coverage and analysis of key topics as well as on audiences’ perceptions of media coverage of such topics. There is still a clear need for increased content and a focus on topics that will support peace-building and social cohesion as the province of Ninewah recovers from the events of its recent past. The report concludes that audiences across different groups are fairly coherent and in agreement that the media should be playing a larger role in covering important topics related to diversity and religious difference in particular. They felt that the media had painted a false picture of Ninewah as a sectarian society and should be providing more positive and inclusive programming in order to combat the challenges that they faced as a society. Levels of awareness of the positive role that the media could play were high although trust in the media in general was low. This view was tempered by reactions to inaccurate portrayals of life in Ninewah post-IS and audiences also wanted to see the realities of their life in media content. Violent content and images were rejected however which is a significant point to demonstrate the impact and trauma incurred as a result of the occupation by IS." (Conclusions, page 28)
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"Through a combination of qualitative in-depth interviews with alternative media outlets, quantitative audience surveys involving over 1500 respondents, and focus-group discussions with women and youth civil society actors, this media and information landscape (MILA) evaluates the level of trust tow
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ards different information sources and explores the information flow, dynamics, gaps, and needs experienced by vulnerable groups in marginalized areas. The findings detail gaps between alternative media outlets’ objectives and its organizational structure or capacity needed to achieve its vision, legal and regulatory constraints that limit the accurate sharing of information with audiences, and the detrimental impact of Lebanon’s economic hardships on media financing. The report thus analyzes the information needs of women and youth in marginalized areas, explores linkages between alternative media outlets and civil society actors, and offers recommendations to strengthen media outlet’s capacity to delivery quality news and scale up their reach." (Publisher description)
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"Social media (Instagram, Facebook, Telegram followed by Twitter) are the biggest information channels in general, but especially for youth, with preference for visual content (short videos, reels, pictures with quotes, little text). For example, in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan between 50% and 63% of l
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abour migrants and ethnic minorities report Instagram as their preferred information source. Labour migrants were the most covered vulnerable community among the three target groups of this study in all media across Central Asia during COVID-19. Only local media is reported to have, occasionally, addressed refugee and stateless persons and ethnic or other minority groups. High levels of Internet restrictions on information access are reported among vulnerable communities. At times, this correlates with Internet access, depending on connection strength. In many other cases, it however refers to blocked websites and censors hip directly imposed by governments. Thirty-six percent of refugees and stateless persons reported Internet restrictions, while the figure for ethnic minorities in Tajikistan is 50% and 56% in Kazakhstan [...] There is a strong tendency among media consumers to consider online media as a source of fake news. The survey data as well as in-depth interviews suggest that the trust in traditional media, such as television and radio, correlates with distrust in online media. On the other side, it is clear that a similarly large group of respondents distrust television and radio, primarily because these two types of media are associated with government control. International media is cited as more reliable and accurate for COVID-19-related news compared to local news, as there is a lack of credible, independent and financially sustainable local media, particularly targeting vulnerable communities." (Executive summary, page 2)
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"In this paper, we share selected insights from our work across seven countries facing complex and often protracted preexisting humanitarian crises before the pandemic. Over the past nine months, with Internews’ Rooted in Trust project, we have worked to understand the role of rumors and misinform
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ation in the pandemic and to support humanitarian and media communicators to listen, engage and respond to community information needs. Many of the insights we offer here are derived from our research to map the Information Ecosystems in seven geographies, drawing from extensive qualitative and quantitative data (more than 2,400 survey respondents, 230 qualitative interviews and 130 focus groups). We hope these will contribute to move the community of information, public health, humanitarian aid and government practitioners towards a more sophisticated understanding of what drives and solidifies trust and away from the all too frequent dismissive judgements that played a central role in the breakdown of trust." (Introduction, page 2)
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"Building trust in public health authorities and epidemic response takes time and is an ongoing process. However, in the short term, mistrust can be mitigated by responding in contextually appropriate ways through meaningful community engagement: 1. Use social science to understand the socio-economi
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c, political and historical context [...] 2. Adapt communications to respond to the concerns of different groupsof people, using trusted sources and platforms [...] 3. Establish dialogue and create feedback systems [...] 4. Include diverse groups and listen with an open mind [...] 5. Be transparent, consistent and open, particularly about uncertainty, controversy and mistakes [...] 6. Offer compelling narratives that build a sense of capability and motivation to act." (Pages 3-4)
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"In der siebten Befragungswelle der Mainzer Langzeitstudie wurde ein deutlich gestiegenes Vertrauen in die Medien festgestellt. Den Medien scheint es 2020 gelungen zu sein, als Orientierungspunkt zu dienen und die Menschen mit Informationen zu versorgen. Auch der in den Vorjahren zu beobachtende Med
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ienzynismus und die Zustimmung zu Verschwörungserzählungen sind zurückgegangen. Das größte Vertrauen genießen die Angebote des öffentlichrechtlichen Rundfunks, die von 70 Prozent als vertrauenswürdig beurteilt werden. Nachrichten aus rein internetbasierten Quellen wird deutlich weniger Vertrauen entgegengebracht." (Seite 152)
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