Regional newspapers get 60% trust score in 2022 global study

By Mavic Conde

Among the rated media brands in a recent study, regional and local newspapers get 60 percent trust score.

That is according to the 2022 Digital News Report, released this month by Reuters Institute (RI) for the Study of Journalism.

Mainstream media brands even got higher trust scores. GMA Network got 70 percent while Manila Bulletin got 66 percent, and Philippine Daily Inquirer and Super Balita DZGB both got 65 percent. Likewise, the following got above 60 percent trust scores: The Philippine Star, TeleRadyo, TV5, and DZRH.

Those that got lower than 60 percent trust scores are the following: Radyo Pilipinas with 59 percent, PTV with 58 percent, Sunstar with 55 percent, ABS-CBN with 52 percent, Abante/Abante Tonight with 47 percent, and Rappler with 46 percent, respectively.

The RI clarified that its research “should not be treated as a list of the most trusted brands.” In a blog by RI’s Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, he wrote that “independent news media that seek to hold power to account are often attacked and vilified by politicians and partisans.” For him, a lower trust score could be the ‘cost of courage.’

The report showed that Filipinos’ trust for news brands, especially those who have always trusted news, has risen to 37 percent — 5 percent short of this year’s global average of 42 percent.

Among the reasons for news avoidance in the country, which increased to 75 percent this year, include being bombarded by too much news, especially about politics and Covid-19, which affect people’s mood. Biased and unworthy content are also factors.

Out of the 93,432 poll participants, 2,023 are Filipino adults.