
Demonstrate Respect: Make additional research or reporting publicly available, such as full, unedited interviews.Clearly distinguish news stories from commentary, analysis and advertiser-paid content. Talk Straight: Be neutral and unbiased in tone.

Here's how the media can apply each of them:
#INTEGRITY ANTONYM FREE#
Censorship is also problematic because it defies the country's founding commitment to freedom of speech - and it sets a dangerous principle that whoever dictates what messages should be suppressed can filter out the free speech of opposing ideas in the future.īased on Stephen Covey's book The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, there are 13 techniques to build trust. Although these may seem like quick solutions, they could actually further damage the credibility of the media among those who already fear the mainstream media is biased or fake. Two additional studies, " Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election" and " Examining the Alternative Media Ecosystem through the Production of Alternative Narratives of Mass Shooting Events on Twitter," found fake news spreads for two reasons: to profit from sensationalist attitudes and to promote political ideologies.Īs a result, many are trying to fight fake news through increased censorship measures designed to combat disinformation by flagging potential "fake" stories and making it easier for users to report them. Some believe that the mainstream media is fake news and the alternative media is telling the truth, whereas others believe that alternative news is fake news and the mainstream media is telling the truth.Īlthough almost all Americans are concerned about fake news - regardless of the direction in which their finger is pointing blame - it continues to spread. What's more, Americans have different opinions on which outlets are misrepresenting facts or fabricating information based on their political biases and worldviews. At times, modern news stories are nearly indistinguishable from opinion and commentary pieces.

We've certainly witnessed more news media outlets across the board become less neutral and more slanted in their reporting in recent years, which isn't helping the cause.

Most respondents also said a news organization being neutral (58%) and "clearly distinguishing news stories from commentary, analysis or advertiser-paid content" (64%) is "very important" to their trust in the news outlet. What Can Be Done To Rebuild Trust in the Media?Ī 2018 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that transparency is the key to restoring trust in the news media. It's also a concern for businesses that rely on the news to report unbiased information about the world at large in order to make important business decisions. These findings are extremely problematic for companies that rely on the media to boost their credibility. If this were to happen, it would become even more challenging for brands to build credibility.Īccording to the results of a 2018 Gallup/Knight Foundation Survey, "less than half of Americans (44%) say they can think of a news source that reports the news objectively," and most Americans (66%) say most news outlets do a poor job of "separating fact from opinion." In other words, because the media is credible, being in media boosts your credibility.īut with the credibility of the media on the decline, companies eventually may not benefit from the reputation-building nature of PR. This is because the media has traditionally been trusted as an unbiased source of information.

When journalists include companies in their coverage, the perceived value of those brands skyrockets due to the third-party validation they receive, which builds brand credibility that can't otherwise be attained through owned and paid media tactics. How The Credibility of the Media Can Affect Businesses Although PR encompasses many other dimensions, in recent years, it's largely become synonymous with media relations - the art of pitching newsworthy ideas to journalists for inclusion in their stories. adult respondents to a Gallup poll, 29% said they had little trust in news media reporting and 34% had "none at all." This should alarm everyone - but especially businesses.įor many decades, businesses have leveraged public relations to help build their brands' credibility in the public eye. The credibility of the news media in the U.S.
