Factors affecting trust in news media among young people in Bangladesh

Abstract

Public trust in news media has been declining worldwide in past few decades. This phenomenon is no exception to the case of news media in Bangladesh. Although the notions of trust occupy much space in the public debates, academic discussions and scholarships of the news media and its role in society, the relationship with its audience, and sustainability, there is little work on the topic in the context of the country. Against this backdrop, this study examined the factors that influence trust in news media among young people in the country. A total of 430 individuals from rural and urban areas took part in this study through a web-based questionnaire survey. The findings of the study reveal that the level of trust in news media among the young is very low; males tend to have less trust compared to females, and people living in urban areas have less trust in news media compared to rural areas. Overall, the factors such as political biases in news content, biases toward media owners’ business interests, lack of accuracy in news content, poor writing, editing and storytelling; lack of use of reliable sources, providing unimportant/irrelevant news, and the tendency of sensationalizing news and information affect trust in news media. We conclude that the low trust in news media and journalists is alarming for democracy and the sustainability of the news media industry of the country.

Keywords

• trust
• credibility
• news media
• media trust
• bangladesh