Spanish media rank as the least trusted in Europe and the second least trusted in the world, according to a study published a few weeks ago by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. The report analyses recent trends in digital news consumption. Although Spaniards show the highest level of interest in news among European citizens — with 85% stating that they follow current affairs regularly — the findings reveal a stark paradox: audiences in Spain do not trust the media, either as an institution or the outlets they rely on most frequently.
The study, based on a large-scale survey of more than 2,000 respondents in Spain, shows that only 34% of the population trust most of the news published by the media. This places Spain well behind Finland, where 68% of citizens express trust in the media, followed by Brazil (62%), Germany (60%), Denmark (57%), the United Kingdom (51%), Ireland (48%), Japan (46%), Australia (39%), France (38%) and Italy (35%). Only the United States scores lower, at 32%.
Reading this report — which, notably, received little attention from the media in either Catalonia or Spain as a whole — raises serious questions about current media policies and strategies. If we accept the study’s findings as broadly accurate, the picture is troubling. Readers and news consumers clearly distrust the information published by the media, yet the sharing and redistribution of that same information through social networks has grown exponentially.
What is more, despite this lack of trust — a reality media executives can hardly ignore — publishing companies continue to push new business models that are largely built around digital platforms.
Debate about the future of the media has intensified among journalists, communication professionals and academics alike. What seems beyond doubt is that communication is becoming increasingly multi-platform, with readers deciding for themselves how, when and where they access information. Some trends suggest that media outlets may begin to function like a marketplace, where news is valued according to its ability to attract attention. We already see early signs of this on Twitter through so-called “Trending Topics”, and it is not difficult to imagine a future in which audiences themselves are measured and displayed almost like market indicators, based on the interest they generate.
Yet none of this can work in the long term unless media organisations make a clear and sustained commitment to quality journalism and professional standards. Only then can credibility be rebuilt, gradually but decisively. Beyond the specific conclusions of this report, the issue of media credibility represents a serious challenge not only for journalists, but for anyone concerned with the health of public communication.
If current trends continue, the consequences may be deeply damaging for society as a whole. Media outlets that lack credibility are ill-equipped to contribute to the reputation of companies — which, after all, help fund them through advertising — or of public institutions. The problem may lie at the very heart of the profession itself: a lack of professionalism among many journalists, some of whom remain uncritical of those in power, whether out of conviction or self-interest, and who write to suit the interests of those who pay them.
There are, of course, many reasons behind this erosion of trust, which ultimately reflects a broader sense of public disappointment. The economic crisis, unemployment, rising inequality, the steady stream of political corruption scandals and the impunity enjoyed by many of those responsible for major offences all feed into this climate of discontent. Unless the quality of journalism — and of communication practices more broadly — is placed at the centre of any solution, the problem will not only persist but worsen. And in doing so, it will become not just a crisis of media credibility, but a serious threat to society at large.