AUT research centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) has published its first Trust in News in New Zealand report. The report is the first internationally comparable report of the trust in news in New Zealand, and it is produced in collaboration with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Compared internationally, trust in news in New Zealand is high, with 53% of people agreeing they can trust ‘most of the news most of the time’. The comparable figure for the UK is 40%, Australia 38%, and the USA 32%. Trust in news consumed via social media and search engines in New Zealand is low when compared internationally.

In the survey, New Zealanders ranked RNZ, TVNZ and Newshub as the most trustworthy news brands.

The survey was done between March 23 and 30, 2020, and the data for JMAD was collected by New Zealand online market research company Horizon Research Ltd.

The survey was conducted when the COVID-19 pandemic had spread to New Zealand, but we did not specifically ask people to comment on trust in news in the light of the pandemic. Therefore, it is difficult to say how COVID-19 may have affected our findings, say report authors Dr Merja Myllylahti and Dr Greg Treadwell.

To find more or to interview Dr Merja Myllylahti, contact: mmyllyla@aut.ac.nz, @MyllyMe or Dr Greg Treadwell gtreadwe@aut.ac.nz @hacademic

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