News organisations used to trade in attention. But with the current uproar over so-called “fake news” trust is the new currency of news professionals around the world. But trust is complex. What are the key drivers of distrust in our society, and how news professional can (re)build a trusted relationship with the public?

1. Attention is the old currency
ANJ, Sao Paulo
August 2018
Trust is the new one

2. Loss of Truth
I am not sure what is true
and what is not
Loss of Trust
in Government Leaders
I do not know which politicians to trust
Loss of Trust
in Business
I don't know which companies
or brands to trust
59% 56% 42%
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. MED_CON. What consequences are you experiencing as a direct result of the media not doing a good job fulfilling
its responsibilities? Question asked of those 64% who answered codes 1-3 at MED_RSP. General population, 28-market global total.
TRUST IN MEDIA IS A SOCIETAL IMPERATIVE
Lack of Confidence in Media Undermines Trust and Truth
Percent of respondents who feel they are experiencing these consequences
as a result of media not fulfilling its responsibilities

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Source The World Values Survey 1990-2000 www.worldvaluessurvey.org
HOW SUSPICIOUS ARE YOU OF YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS
More than in other
countries social
relationships in
France, are led by
suspicion and
bitterness

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The new user-centric model
enhances a purposeful trust relationship with communities
Global newspaper revenue

6. Skeptical About
News Organizations
66%
are more concerned
with attracting a big
audience than
reporting
Attracting
Large Audiences
59%
support an ideology
vs. informing the
public
Politics
65%
sacrifice accuracy to
be the first to break
a story
Breaking News
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. ATT_MED_AGR. Below is a list of statements. For each one, please rate how much you agree or disagree with
that statement using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree), question asked of half
of the sample. General population, 28-market global total.
Percent who agree
that news
organisations are
overly focused on …
MEDIA | JOURNALISM | TRUST

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2012-2017 Traditional media show steepest decline

8. Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. COM_MCL. When looking for general news and information, how much would you trust each type of source for
general news and information? Please use a nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust it at all” and nine means that you “trust it a great deal.”
(Top 4 Box, Trust), question asked of half of the sample. General population, 25-market global total.
Percent trust in each source for general news
and information, 2012 to 2018
While Trust in Platforms Declines,
2018 Trust in Journalism Rebounds
-2
Platforms
+5
Journalism
Average trust in searchengines
Average trust in traditional
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
MEDIA | JOURNALISM | PLATFORMS
Journalism is an average of traditional media and online-only media. Platforms is an average of search engines and social media.
and social media platforms
and online-only media
54
52
54
51
56
59
53
50
53
54
54
53
51
54

9. 2015 > 2016 inversion of influence
Source : Edelman Trust Barometer 2017

10. 2016 > 2018 - Trust gap persists and widens
Mass population rejects established authority

11. Maria Ressa, Rapler
Golden Pen of Freedom 2018
when a lie is repeated
a million times, it
becomes the Truth –
especially when it's
backed by online
state-sponsored hate
exploiting the fracture
lines of society”

14. Where governments are
taking actions against
online misinformation
Source: Daniel Funke, Poynter
Regulate
againts
misinformation
is not the
answer
1

15. Engage your
audience in a
constructive
conversation
How frequently do the general population consume
news produced by major news organisations
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. News Engagement Scale, built from MED_SEG_OFT. How often do you engage in the
following activities related to news and information? Indicate your answer using the 7-point scale below. General population, 28-
market global total. For details on how the News Engagement Scale was built, please refer to the Technical Appendix.
2

16. v INDEPENDENCE, accuracy,
ethics, and transparency
v DILIGENT QUESTIONING of
material circulating on social
media
v VERIFICATION to establish
news brands as a trusted
certificate of origin for content.
v CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
moving from the provision of
news to knowledge that
empowers.
v SOCIAL RELEVANCE and
legitimate interest
3

17. Revenue increase for an office
with an even gender split
compared to an all-male or all-
female office
Source MIT
Companies ranked in the top
25% by the diversity of their
boards are 53% more profitable
than the bottom 25%
Source McKinsey
4
Trust in media
begins
with inclusion

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19. 17
52
18
3
source: Duke Reporters Lab
+36%
vs 2016
52
8
6
156 active
fact-checking
sites in 2018
Collaborative
fact-checking
is taking up
5

20. Adopt
Trust Signals
6

21. 20162006
Educate and
Protect news
staff against
trolls
7

22. The average person does
not know how to tell
good journalism from
rumour or falsehoods
59% 64%
Worry about being
exposed to fake news
on social media
Source: 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer. ATT_MED_AGR. Below is a list of statements. For each one, please rate how much you agree or disagree with
that statement using a nine-point scale where one means “strongly disagree” and nine means “strongly agree”. (Top 4 Box, Agree), question asked of half
of the sample. General population, 28-market global total.
8
News
(il)literacy

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24. THANK YOU!
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