UK: Trust in journalists falls, survey reports

Posted by Sarah Schewe on May 27, 2008 at 3:14 PM

Public trust in journalists has fallen significantly, reports a YouGov poll published in the British Journalism Review.

Although trends within the industry remain unchanged - with broadcast journalists considered more trustworthy than print reporters - all but one of the seven categories of journalist have lost ground to the trust figures reported five years ago.

Trust in broadsheet journalism is down 22% to 43%, in mid-market journalism 18% to 40%, and in local journalism figures have dropped 20% to rest at 18%. While trust in other occupations, including police and teachers, has also declined, none so dramatically as journalists.

"The only group to emerge unscathed were the red-top journalists, whose reputation was so low it could hardly sink further," said University of Westminster professor of communications Steven Barnett.

YouGov's survey shows a marked difference from the results of silimar surveying in the US. The Readership Institute's 2007 survey found that while overall trust in journalism is declining, 75% of respondents still trust their local daily newspaper's reporting.

Sources: Press Gazette, The Guardian