U.S. consumers believe print media is a safer, more secure and more trusted medium than its digital counterpart in virtually every way, according to a consumer survey commissioned by graphic communications non-profit Two Sides.
Two Sides’ findings suggest that not only has trust in digital media waned in response to a deluge of recent hoax and misleading news items shared over the Internet, but this worrying trend has transcended news and applies to safety concerns regarding how consumers’ private information is stored in the digital realm.
More than half of the survey’s respondents — 56 percent — said they trust the news items they read in printed newspapers, while barely more than a third — 34 percent — said they trust the news they read on social media.
 |
Nearly three-quarters — 74 percent — said they consider the fake news phenomenon to be a worrying trend, and 64 percent said they’d be very worried if printed newspapers were to disappear.
Respondents also appeared to express trepidation regarding the threat of data breaches and how much of their important personal data is stored today, and as a result, generally prefer having a printed copy of personal information — be it be a receipt or a health or financial record — as opposed to their digital counterpart.
More than three-quarters — 78 percent — said they believe keeping hard copies of important documents at home is the safest and most secure way of storing their information. A similar number — 76 percent — are increasingly concerned that personal information maintained in the digital realm is at risk of being hacked, stolen, lost or damaged.
The survey, which broke down responses by age groups, found that those between the ages of 18 and 24 exhibited similar levels of trust in print media with older generations and even higher levels of concern regarding fake news, but were less inclined to keep hard copies of important documents, and were also less concerned about their digital information being hacked.
Research for Two Sides’ international survey, “Print and Paper in a Digital World,” was conducted by marketing research firm Toluna and polled more than 10,700 consumers in June.
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.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
