The number of people who say they have a great deal of confidence in the press and media has steadily been decreasing since the 1970s. Comparatively, it is smaller than the number of people who say they have a great deal of confidence in Congress, religion, or the military.

The good news is that a local daily newspaper doesn’t seem to fall in this category of untrustworthy media. According to a study by RI, 75% of respondents said they “trust their local daily newspaper to do a good job most of the time or just about always,” wrote Limor Peer, from the RI.

The study also showed – logically – that trusting respondents are more likely to read the newspaper.

According to further research by RI, the public’s trust encompasses several aspects, which are all primordial in its judgment of media:

   “1. I trust it to tell the truth
   2. The newspaper offers a variety of different perspectives
   3. It is very professional
   4. It is unbiased in its reporting
   5. This newspaper does a good job with follow up stories
   6. You don't have to worry about accuracy with this newspaper”

“This tells me that while the public may have doubts about the media as a whole, the local paper is by and large spared,” wrote Peer.

So newspapers still have a valuable advantage on their side. But as Peer remarked, “from Craig's List to Angie's List to Trusted Opinion to The Huffington Post or The Daily Kos, the Internet is providing persuasive alternatives to the local newspaper.”

Source: Readership Institute