Australians view journalists as a dividing force in society driving misinformation according to new study.
This year’s Edelman Trust Barometer found that more than half of Australians (fifty one per cent) believe journalists are a major dividing force in society. This number is higher than the trust for government leaders (forty nine per cent) and business leaders (thirty six per cent).
So where did we go so wrong?
The study revealed major concern for our industry with the media ranked as the most distrustful industry in the country. Only thirty eight per cent of people said they trusted the media and forty eight per cent said they felt the media was a source of misleading or false information.
However, don’t you worry, no matter what kind of media you work in, we are all thrown under the bus by our fellow Aussies. Traditional media is only trusted by one in two Australians (fifty per cent), owned media by thirty one per cent and social media by twenty five per cent. So maybe some of us should be more concerned.
“It’s pretty clear again this year that there is a lack of certainty as to whether key institutions can be trusted to do what’s right. Government has joined the media in distrust territory this year, with Australia ranking amongst the least trusting countries globally when it comes to media alongside Colombia, Spain, the UK, Japan and South Korea.” said Tom Robinson, CEO Australia, Edelman.
“This report provides a strong lens on how much the world has changed in the last year, with a mix of cautious optimism and realism regarding the challenges that lie ahead in 2023.
“The year ahead will require a heavy lift from key institutions to repair the country’s social fabric and restore a sense of unity amongst us,” Robinson said.
