Aussies are severely distrustful of media: Digital Publishers Alliance
Australians have lower levels of trust in the media than almost every other country in the world, according to new research from the Digital Publishers Alliance.
Presented Thursday afternoon at the Independents’ Day upfront in Sydney, the DPA’s Independents Say report marks the first industry-wide research from Australia’s leading independent digital publishers.
With a survey size of 1,304 Australians who engage with the media, the report found that trust levels in the Australian media sit at just 38%.
As the report explains, this distrust runs across many areas of Australian life.
The Edelman 2023 trust barometer shows trust in businesses sits at 54%, trust in government at 45%. But this 38% trust in media puts Australia sixth from the bottom in a grouping of 27 nations who took part in a comparable survey.
Our most trusted major publication is the Sydney Morning Herald – yet that still sits at just 38% of respondents. Trust in information gleaned from Facebook and TikTok is only 5%. That is, just one in twenty Australians trust these platforms.
But the research suggests 76% of respondents consider independent digital publishers to be trustworthy.
Given this research was presented by the Digital Publishers Alliance, a non-profit group representing over 160 independent media titles from around 55 digital publishers, it’s perhaps no surprise that independently-owned media is the proposed salve.
“Independent digital publishers are significantly more trusted than older legacy media brands and social media platforms,” the report concludes. “The trust audiences have with independent publishers translates through to brands who work with them, and creates a halo effect of trust for brands.”
The report also found that, aside from the deep levels of distrust, Australians “enjoy the tone and approach of independent digital publishers” compared to the legacy newsrooms.
“Striking that tone, balancing it alongside audience passion, content accessibility, locality of content, and offering diverse or alternative narratives are all reasons why audiences go to digital publishers.”
Interestingly, Australians apparently feel the same way about supporting independent locally-owned media as they do about buying from their local grocer or small business.
“Off the back of the bushfires of 2019 and then Covid, supporting local businesses became a primary concern for Australians nationwide,” the report explains.
“It was about supporting those faces and communities that make up the very fabric of our cities and towns. It is no different for Australian independent publishers.”
The social aspect goes even further than this. Audiences want their digital publishers to be independently owned, and Australian. “They value this because it allows a diversity of views and alternative opinion that cannot be found in mainstream or legacy media businesses,” the report explains.
“Australians believe brands supporting media that works for the greater good would help improve the fabric of our society.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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