Trust in government is even lower - hovering at around 24%.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/05/17/public-trust...
Media trust hits new low
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Re: Media trust hits new low
#32> Faith in society's central institutions, especially in government and the media, is the glue that holds society together. Perhaps people are starting to think that having media as a “central institution” is not actually good for society.
“Journalism is essential to Democracy! Trust us, we tell you the truth and you need us. ” -Journalists. Even George Washington had trouble with the press and lamented how often he was maligned and misrepresented in the papers. “He regarded the press as a disuniting, "diabolical" force of falsehoods, sentiments that he expressed in his Farewell Address.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington and the citation…
I'm not sure how you can have a healthy democracy without an informed populace (i.e. journalism).
Re: Media trust hits new low
#33Anyone know of efforts to fix this space? Looking for a good excuse to quit my well paid corporate job and make a difference. News today is: - Infotainment - Tribal reinforcement - Irrelevant - Not actionable (and thus, depressing) - Making people think the world is getting worse - Immediate and not well thought out or nuanced In some ways it's their fault, but on the other hand, the modern reader won't pay for news.…
I think one of the foremost solutions to this problem set is Substack. There are a non-trivial number of journalists on there who's pitch is "hey, I don't want to be part of an institution that has bias/that I don't believe in, give me money and I'll deliver long form 'pure' essays to you."
The potential pitfall is that one can end up only subscribing to journalists that agree with ones point of view. I personally think this is offset by the kinds of view points that are attracted to or do well on a space like Substack, but that might just be me.
Re: Media trust hits new low
#34> How it works: Media outlets can continue to report reliable facts, but that won't turn the trend around on its own. What's needed is for trusted institutions to visibly embrace the news media. This is an extremely weird and disturbing conclusion. Orwellian even. What’s needed is for news organizations to not only report facts, but stop telling stories in ways that only benefit their own ideological systems. That’s…
It is not Orwellian. It is a net of trust.
My first thought while reading your post was the head of the KGB in HBO's Chernobyl talking about a "circle of accountability."
Re: Media trust hits new low
#35> Reversing the decline is a monster task — and one that some journalists and news organizations have taken upon themselves. They're going to need help — perhaps from America's CEOs.
Is this a bad joke? Distrust of media is largely brought about because it is (mostly) in the private sector and therefore always puts the sustainability of its business model above objective reporting. We've known for a while now that negative news sells, clickbait sells, and media organizations are all too happy to push it out there if it helps their struggling bottom line.
Re: Media trust hits new low
#36English language media is dominated by a remarkably small number of organisations.
Re: Media trust hits new low
#37> How it works: Media outlets can continue to report reliable facts, but that won't turn the trend around on its own. What's needed is for trusted institutions to visibly embrace the news media. This is an extremely weird and disturbing conclusion. Orwellian even. What’s needed is for news organizations to not only report facts, but stop telling stories in ways that only benefit their own ideological systems. That’s…
Perfectly said. There was even a show about this a decade ago, called The Newsroom, and on the show the network failed specifically because they reported only the news. It's actually a really good show, and in hindsight, prescient.
Re: Media trust hits new low
#38This article doesn't even remotely go where you think it would if you're going off the headline and your preconceptions. Ends up as > CEOs have long put themselves forward as the people able to upgrade America's physical infrastructure. Now it's time for them to use the trust they've built up to help rebuild our civic infrastructure. Who's trusting most CEOs? Being charitable, I guess people are trusting people who a…
Bear in mind this article's primary source (data, interpretation, calls to action, etc.) is Edelman, a global PR firm. Quoting from the tagline on Edelman's own website, its mission is to "partner with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. " The survey data itself sounds plausible, and I've got no immediate reason to question the numbers. But when it comes to interp…
Food catch.
In other words: This article itself contributes more to increase mistrust in the media than it increases the trust in the media.
Especially considering this quote from the article: Axios has a stated mission to "help restore trust in fact-based news".
Re: Media trust hits new low
#39Pushing narratives instead of reporting the truth has a corrosive effect on reputation, who knew? ;-)
There are many small teams on YouTube and other places that are building up a community of patrons to sponsor their efforts, both in news and other areas.
It is through these efforts that I see a replacement for the mass media emerging. Their dedicated non-advertiser driven source of support allows them to take risks that are simply not possible otherwise. They can tell the truth without worry of offending corporate overlords, or other institutions.
Re: Media trust hits new low
#40Anyone know of efforts to fix this space? Looking for a good excuse to quit my well paid corporate job and make a difference. News today is: - Infotainment - Tribal reinforcement - Irrelevant - Not actionable (and thus, depressing) - Making people think the world is getting worse - Immediate and not well thought out or nuanced In some ways it's their fault, but on the other hand, the modern reader won't pay for news.…
Some very important work happening at the centre for investigative journalism, there are opportunities to help for example developing programs to teach digital safety to journalists and sources. https://tcij.org