Trust in Journalism in the Structural Change of Media
Final Report Abstract
The project's goal was to examine trust in journalistic media against the backdrop of the digital transformation of the public sphere. This transformation is characterized in particular by the increasing importance of social and alternative media, which are contributing to the erosion of traditional journalism's epistemic authority. The project investigated the level of trust in journalism in the German population and individual factors that are associated with it. These factors were psychological and sociological traits, the expectations media users have of jour- nalism and the extent to which they perceive these expectations to be fulfilled. In addition, the project examined the role of news consumption via specific channels and sources and the type of content media users are exposed to. Three studies addressed these aspects. In semi-structured qualitative interviews, we explored media users’ perceptions and expectations of journalism. In a subsequent representative online survey, we investigated levels of public trust and related individual characteristics. Fi- nally, in a quantitative content analysis of the most popular German news outlets, we sought to determine the prevalence of media criticism and alternative news frames in respondents’ media repertoires. The project found that journalistic media still receive relatively high levels of trust in Germany, but that a substantial group with very low trust in journalism has emerged. Media users pri- marily criticize a lack of complete and correct information, news mixing facts and opinion, and imbalanced reporting. Many among them attribute these grievances to a lack of journalistic integrity. Distrust in journalism is primarily related to individual traits. Typical media skeptics also dis- trust other people, are dissatisfied with the political system and believe in powerful conspira- cies. Media skeptics also have a greater need to judge information as unambiguously right or wrong. They can be found primarily on the far-right of the political spectrum and among non- voters. Nevertheless, there are people with low trust in all social milieus. News exposure revealed to be only a minor predictor of trust in journalism. Yet, media skep- tics tend to use alternative media, where media criticism and alternative news frames are highly present. The content analysis also showed, however, that alternative media can differ significantly from one another in their framing of political issues: While some alternative me- dia exhibit a clear ideological profile, others tend to imitate journalistic news media by making heavy use of conventional frames, what can be viewed as a strategy to establish credibility.
Publications
- (2020). Lügenpresse oder Verteidiger der Demokratie? Gründe für Vertrauen und Misstrauen in die Medien. In: Auslandsgesellschaft.de (Hrsg.). Journalistische Verantwortung in der digitalen Gesellschaft
Prochazka, F.
- (2020). Vertrauen in Journalismus in Deutschland: Eine Typologie der Skeptiker. Media Perspektiven (4). 196–206
Prochazka, F. & Schweiger, W.
- (2020). Vertrauen in Journalismus unter Online-Bedingungen: Zum Einfluss von Personenmerkmalen, Qualitätswahrnehmungen und Nachrichtennutzung. Wiesbaden: Springer VS
Prochazka, F.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-30227-6) - (2020). Wie der Journalismus Vertrauen gewinnen kann
Prochazka, F.
