Trust in the accuracy of the news media has been declining steadily among Americans for years, but according to a recent survey by news app SmartNews, some of the steepest losses of trust are now coming from Gen Z news consumers.
SmartNews’ report, which explored trust and consumer sentiment in the media across generational and partisan lines, found that Americans’ trust in print journalists currently stands at only 27 percent. For social media influencers, it’s even worse, at 21 percent. On the other hand, a majority of Americans (53 percent) said they still trust evening TV news anchors.
Americans cited the reputation of the media outlet (39 percent) as the most influential factor in determining whether or not they trust a news story, followed by how wide that coverage is (24 percent) and transparency regarding fact-checking (16 percent). Only three percent of respondents cited academic sources as the most important factor regarding whether or not they trust a story.
More than a third (35 percent) of respondents said they’re likely to stop reading—or even block—a news outlet whose political and/or social views don’t align with their own, according to the report. Nearly a third (31 percent) also said they’re likely to block social media influencers who don’t align with their views. However, less than a third (30 percent) said they check additional sources to verify news they find questionable.
The report also discovered that media mistrust varies among generations, and found a growing shift in media skepticism among younger audiences. Two-thirds of Gen Z news consumers (65 percent) said they usually or always question the accuracy of a news story, compared to 59 percent of Millennials, 55 percent of Boomers and 51 percent of Gen Xers. Gen Z audiences are also least likely to trust TV anchors more than other news sources (11 percent), compared to Millennials (23 percent), Gen X (29 percent) and Boomers (36 percent).
On the other hand, Boomers are the generation most likely to block a news outlet that doesn’t align with their views (36 percent), compared to only 27 percent of Gen Xers, 27 percent of Millennials and 15 percent of Gen Zers. Boomers are the most likely to block social media influencers who don’t align with their views (44 percent), a practice shared by only 22 percent of Gen Xers and Millennials and only 11 percent of Gen Zers.
Boomers are also the least likely generation to favor social media as a source. They are, however, the generation most likely to seek out supplemental sources to verify a story.
The same trust disparity can be observed along political lines. Respondents who identified as Republican are more likely (40 percent) to be skeptical of the news than Democrats (32 percent), independents (26 percent) or those who consider themselves apolitical (two percent).
On the other hand, the report also found that Republicans are more likely to trust social media influencers than Democrats or Independents (26 percent, vs. 16 percent and 19 percent, respectively).
SmartNews’ study surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults online in March.
WNET, the nation’s largest public media company, names Edward O’Keefe its next president and CEO, effective September 21. O’Keefe succeeds Neal Shapiro, who becomes president emeritus and will retire at the end of the year... The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, which would empower news publishers and other content providers to defend themselves by mandating transparency for all bots crawling their sites, in introduced in the House by Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC)... Google gets socked by European Union regulators with a $1 billion fine for using the platform’s dominance as a search engine to illegally undercut competition.
Boston Globe Media acquires InstaTrac, a company that provides subscription-based services aimed at making government information easier to find, track, and understand... AARP names former New Republic CEO and publisher Michael Caruso as its SVP and chief content officer, unifying the organization's portfolio of media, live events and digital platforms... The Fund for American Studies, an educational nonprofit, awards its inaugural Journalism Excellence Fellowships.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
