Broadcast media remains most trusted, says EBU report

Broadcast media remain the most trusted media throughout Europe, according to the EBU’s latest Trust in Media report.

According to the report, 85% of people in European countries trust radio and 75% trust TV.

The gap between people’s trust in traditional and new media continues to grow, according to the report.

Radio is the medium that is most trusted by EU citizens, with 59% of the population trusing radion compared with with half of all EU citizens who trust TV.

The internet is trusted by only 32% of citizens and social media is trusted by 19%, down from 36% and 21% respectively in 2014.

For the first time the report also showed that more people tend to trust, rather than distrust, the written press.

Public service media are among the top five most trusted news brands in more than 80% of North and Central European markets. In more than 60% of those markets, public service media is the number one brand for trusted news.

The report is based on data published in the Eurobarometer survey, with other data supplied by Reuters Digital News Report.

Manager of the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service David Fernandez Quijada said: “The more national PSM are perceived to be free from political pressure, the higher the level of press freedom in a country. This World Press Freedom Day,  we should champion the valuable role of our public service Members in upholding democratic values and promoting a free and independent media landscape.”