A SURVEY has revealed high levels of scepticism at how objective Australian media outlets are, as more people begin placing trust in their own research and other institutions.
Research from Edelman’s 2021 Trust Barometer found 68 per cent of Australians believed local news organisations were more concerned with supporting an ideology or political position than they were with informing the public.
- Trust in traditional media and search engine sources has declined since 2018 to 2019.
- 59 per cent said the media was not being objective or non-partisan.
- 64 per cent believed journalists and reporters were purposefully trying to mislead the public.
While 59 per cent believed the media was not doing well at being objective or non-partisan.
Lastly, 64 per cent believed journalists and reporters were purposefully trying to mislead the public by saying things they knew were false or exaggerated. This finding came despite the responses indicting an 11-point increase in trust for journalists.
The Edelman Trust Barometer survey was conducted globally online across 28 countries, between October 18 to November 18, 2020. There were 1150 respondents in each country across the general population and higher socio-economic class.
DECLINE
Overall trust in traditional media and search engine sources has seen a steady decline since 2018 to 2019. In contrast, information from social media saw a significant increase since last year.
The barometer classifies a source as “trusted” when it scores 60 points or higher on the scale. No source reached this benchmark.
The research reflects findings last year from the News and Media Centre at the University of Canberra, who found trust in mainstream media in Australia was on a downward trend, only to receive an upward swing during COVID-19.
Respondents in the Edelman survey say going forward they are prioritising improving media literacy and political awareness.
According to David Flint, former head of the then-Australian Broadcasting Authority and current Epoch Times contributor, “It is not surprising that trust in traditional media sources has been steadily declining. This reflects a change which began in the United States in particular (with the reporting on former US President Donald Trump)”.
“The media has always been entitled to an editorial position, but the traditional view is expressed best in the adage, “Comment is free, but facts are sacred”, he said.
WINNER
“What we have seen in recent times is that it is very difficult for the average reader or viewer to distinguish between the two.”
The Trust Barometer did find however that trust levels towards various institutions increased across the board. However, it was the employer-employee relationship which became the clear winner.
Employers were the most trusted institution, with 78 per cent of Australians trusting their employer over businesses (63 per cent), NGOs (62 per cent), government (61 per cent) and media (51 per cent).
“Australians more than ever turned to their employers for guidance, reassurance and information they can trust,” Michelle Hutton, CEO Australia and Vice-Chair of Asia Pacific at Edelman, said.
“The workplace-home divide has been broken down, and employers have embraced a new role in their employee’s lives. In an environment that demanded empathy and transparency, a strong bond of trust has resulted between organisations and their people.” PC
I forgot to say ‘THANKYOU’ to POLITICOM AUSTRALIA, who along with the Murdoch Media and Spectator Magazine, are a great source of reliable, truthful journalism, fonts of clarity and interesting facts for me.
A GREAT BALM TO ALL THE JAGGED & OFTEN DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS of the many printed and online media!
These percentages do not surprise me!
And – well stated Benji! But don’t forget the Guardian, the online ‘collectors’ like MSN and then there’s the media of the other cities, the majority badly infected with blindness to open, researched facts. Oh yes, the bulk follow the left ideology with blinkers firmly attached.
At least Murdoch’s great stable of Journalists and Commentators do their research diligently and if warranted, will call out the Government – or anybody straying from the truth! This sometimes causes me to have a few private ‘hissy fits’, but also causes me face the light – which is what should happen!
TWO EXAMPLES OF A LAZY OR A PURPOSEFULLY BLIND MEDIA — ADHERING TO CLIMATE CHANGE ALARMISM — AND THE WORTH OF UNRELIABLE RENEWABLES.
—- There’s a massively expanding body of study by the very top scientists that tells us the ‘climate change’ alarmists are just plainly wrong.
—- And the renewables of today just cannot provide enough power for our industries or even to be a reliable source of energy for our homes.
—- Australia MUST build several HELE (high energy, low emissions) COAL-FIRED GENERATORS to provide the base-load energy to drive us powerfully forward and some new-generation, smaller, modular nuclear reactors, built on strategic, sensible sites must also be considered.
The Project, ABC, SMH, The Age, news.com.au. Paid liars.