Trust Close To Home
You all tend to trust your local news sources far more than national sources. At least that’s according to a new survey of 5,600 Americans conducted by Gallup in cooperation with the Knight Foundation.
Of those surveyed, 44 percent have a high emotional trust level in local news organizations…more than double the 21 percent who have that level of trust in a national news organization.
The report indicates that those surveyed believe journalists working for national outlets are competent, but they are concerned about those national folks’ intentions…and that respondents believe local organizations care more about the impact of their reporting.
Interesting that those who rely more on digital platforms instead of radio or television have lower trust in media overall.
The report also notes that while opinions of the national news media were low across the spectrum, Fox News viewers are significantly more likely to have low emotional trust in national news overall, as opposed to viewers of MSNBC and CNN.
To some degree, the findings make sense. Recall that for generations, surveys have shown that people distrust Congress, but they like their member of Congress. Sort of the same thing here.
And you’re likely to have direct contact with someone in a local news organization…you might be able to get through via email or phone, or see the person at an event or even the grocery store. That helps build trust.
One other important note…it’s easy to take pot-shots nationally because you won’t likely ever have contact with the folks you’re talking about. But if, for example, I say something about someone in the local area or the state, I’m going to be held accountable for any mistakes…which is as it should be.
While the numbers by comparison are gratifying for those of us who work locally…it’s still less than 50 percent of the whole—showing there’s still work to be done and trust to be earned.
