Study: Journalists a top source for providing accurate news
Earned media is more important than ever as organizations tackle the problem of fake news and waning public trust.
In the current public trust crisis, many are turning to reporters for credibility.
Journalists were deemed to be one of the most trustworthy occupations for providing accurate news and information in the inaugural 2019 Institute for Public Relations Disinformation in Society Report. Almost half (46%) of respondents said they had at least “some trust” in journalists to provide accurate news and information.
IPR conducted a nationally represented survey of 2,200 Americans with Morning Consult to determine the prevalence of disinformation (defined as deliberately misleading or biased information) in society. Other topics of inquiry included who is responsible for sharing disinformation, the level of trust in different information sources and the parties responsible for combating disinformation.
Among professions, journalists and college/university professors came out on top. PR pros, CEOs and marketers/advertisers were only trusted by about one in four Americans.
The survey showed a bifurcation of responses—many sources considered trusted by some were deemed not trustworthy by others. While journalists were regarded as one of the trusted occupations, 44% said they had “not much” or no trust in journalists to provide accurate news and information.
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