The Newspaper Works today launched an advertising campaign to promote the strength of regional news media, following a report that found the sector has almost twice the trust of television and radio.

More than half of the report’s respondents considered regional newspapers and their websites as a trusted source of information.

The national campaign, targeting local business owners, features a series of print ads tailored to individual towns and geographic areas with the headline “Newspapers are the #1 source of local information.”

The campaign will run in regional newspapers, supported by The Newspaper Works foundation members News Corp Australia, Fairfax Media, APN News & Media and Seven West Media.

Findings from the Think Local – Regional News Media Report, released last month, form the basis of the new campaign, which aims to reinforce the close and trusting relationship communities have with their local newspaper that also provides an effective advertising environment for businesses.

The report was commissioned by The Newspaper Works and conducted by Research Now among 1,440 respondents to better understand the roles news media plays in readers’ lives, and to compare this with how readers use other media.

“Regional news media reaches four million residents in regional Australia* and the sector has a unique and valuable role in communities. Readers have an intimate relationship with their local paper that creates a highly effective advertising environment. This campaign seeks to confirm the influential role of regional news media to both readers and advertisers,” The Newspaper Works CEO Mark Hollands said.

“Readers overwhelmingly turn to their local newspaper to stay informed about issues affecting their area, events in their region and to get practical, relevant information.”

The report also found that 54 per cent of people ranked regional newspapers as their most trusted source of information, followed by television at 29 per cent, radio at 27 per cent and online search at 18 per cent.

Regional newspapers were also the most engaging source of information, with readers 1.4 times more likely to find their regional newspaper more engaging than TV, 1.6 times that of radio and 2.9 that of letterbox dropped catalogues and flyers.

When it comes to providing information about their local communities and how to find businesses and services in their area, regional newspapers outperformed every other media at 77 per cent. This compares with just 30 per cent for radio, 24 per cent for catalogues/flyers and 22 per cent for television. In addition, regional newspapers ranked Number One for influencing shopping and buying behaviour at 37 per cent.

Regional news media readers are more likely to be high income earners, with one in three earning $80,000 or more per annum, making newspapers a source of high-value customers.

The Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report, released last September, found that newspapers were also the most trusted medium for ads.