Trust in the news has grown, on average, by six percentage points in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic – with 44% of the total sample saying they trust most news most of the time.
The Indian Mediascape
The tenth edition of the Digital News Report, based on data from six continents and 46 markets, was released recently. For the first time, DNR includes India, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Colombia, and Peru in its sample. With over 60 crore internet users and a strong base of mobile-only news consumers, the digital market in India is fast growing. However television continues to grow and thrive. India has a total 392 news channels, most of them in regional languages.
A large number of respondents say they receive their news from online sources. Only half the respondents receive their news from Print Media. Television is regarded as a source of news by six out of ten respondents.
Trust in the legacy mainstream brands is higher.
Over 45 percent respondents trust the news they use
The trust in news overall, including news they do not consume is 38 percent, seven percent less than the trust on the news they use. Less than one in three of the Indian respondents say they trust the news on social media. Almost half the respondents say they share news over social media.
WhatsApp, YouTube, and Facebook are widely used for news among the respondents. India is one of the strongest mobile-focused markets in this global survey. Over 73 percent of the respondents access news through smartphones and only 37 percent over computer. India has more than 60 crore active internet users.
A praise worthy contribution. An important revelation. Very much useful for media research.
This is a brilliant highlight. Thank you Prof. Pandey for sharing.