Free-to-air television, radio and podcasts have been crowned Australia’s most ethical media platforms, while social media continues to languish at the bottom of the trust ladder, according to the Governance Institute of Australia’s 2025 Ethics Index.
The report, now in its tenth year, found that Australians place record-high importance on ethics (92 per cent), yet continue to see a significant “Ethics Expectation Deficit” between what they expect and what they experience in public life. Media ranked among the lowest-performing sectors overall, scoring a sector ethics index of -2, a four-point decline from 2024.
The Airwaves Still Hold the Moral High Ground
Within the media landscape, traditional platforms fared far better than their digital counterparts. Free-to-air TV, radio, and podcasts led as the most ethical mediums, while LinkedIn was the only social platform to achieve a neutral score. Newspapers and magazines also recorded modest gains, reflecting a minor recovery in public trust for legacy media.
Meanwhile, streaming services slid in perception, and user-driven social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok were widely viewed as “somewhat unethical” and notably being considered much less ethical than more traditional media counterparts.
Nearly one in four Australians now consider social media platforms unethical, a finding the report describes as an “extreme negative reaction” compared to other industries.
The ethical divide between traditional and digital media continues to widen, suggesting that Australians still associate broadcast media with accountability and editorial standards, qualities they seemingly believe are missing in algorithm-driven content ecosystems.
In contrast, the report highlights growing concern about AI-generated content and misinformation online, reinforcing distrust in the digital landscape. The Ethics Index also found that AI use was now the third most pressing ethical challenge for Australians, behind cost of living and housing affordability, ranking even higher than cybersecurity and climate change.
The Governance Institute’s CEO, Katrina Horrobin, said the findings reflected a deepening public unease about authenticity and accountability in online environments.
“We’re seeing a shift in how people experience ethics in the digital world,” Horrobin said. “In an age of misinformation, fake news, outrage algorithms and AI-generated content, the line between authenticity and appearance is blurring.”
Despite this, the report notes that traditional media continues to hold an important ethical role, especially in how Australians navigate truth and trust. With social media now viewed as nearly as “ethically complex” as AI itself, the findings prove that in the age of radical social media and technological advancement, traditional media is far from dead.
