Media & communicationLesson 3 of 3 in the course The Media

Declining Media Trust: Cross-National Patterns, Polarization, and Responses

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Trust helps the media serve as a gatekeeper and a dependable source of information. This lesson examines how trust varies between countries and what factors are associated with those differences.

People who trust the media are more willing to rely on news organizations to select, verify, and communicate information. Trust does not mean accepting every report without question. Rather, it reflects confidence that news organizations generally try to provide accurate, useful information.

All flashcards

What does trust in the media mean?
Confidence that news organizations generally try to select, verify, and communicate accurate, useful information; it does not require accepting every report without question.
What is a polarization feedback loop involving media trust?
Political divisions and distrust can reinforce each other as damaging portrayals of opposing groups deepen polarization and make audiences more receptive to confirming interpretations.
What did a 2018 survey report about Republicans' trust in news?
Nine in ten Republicans said they had personally lost trust in the news media in recent years.
What are the Trust Project's trust indicators?
Best practices, journalistic expertise, type of work, citations and references, methods, local sourcing, diverse voices, and actionable feedback.
How can official corrections affect audience trust?
Publicly acknowledging and correcting errors can increase trust by demonstrating transparency and accountability.

Quiz questions

  1. Why is an informed citizenry important for democracy?Answer: Citizens need information to understand public issues, participate, and make informed voting choices.
  2. How was state ownership of television associated with media trust in the 44-country study?Answer: It was positively associated with trust in democracies and negatively associated with trust in nondemocracies.
  3. What is an echo chamber?Answer: An information environment where people repeatedly encounter similar views and have less contact with competing perspectives.
  4. Which practice did the OSCE recommend to help protect editorial independence?Answer: Developing guidelines that protect editorial independence from corporate owners.
  5. What was one proposed U.S. use for a fee on media mergers?Answer: Using the proceeds to support local journalism.

Based on Introduction to Political Science by Mark Carl Rom, Masaki Hidaka, Rachel Bzostek Walker (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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