The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University just released its annual report on the state of the news industry – and it makes for depressing reading. The Digital News Report 2022, informed by data from 46 markets, concludes that interest and trust in the news is declining as is news consumption. Interest has fallen across markets, and sharply, from 63 percent in 2017 to 51 percent in 2022.
In India, just over four in 10 people trust the news overall. Although marginally improved from last year, such a low level of trust should set off alarms, for the news industry of course, but also for the country’s democratic health. For if the news media isn’t trusted, its worth as a pillar of democracy is diminished. Indeed, a public institution that doesn’t enjoy public trust arguably has no legitimate reason to exist in an accountable society. It’s quite alarming then that nearly one in two people see the media as a divisive force in society and rank journalists among the least trusted societal leaders.
