The study found 73 percent of the respondents in India use smartphones to access news; 82 percent source news online, including from social media; and 63 percent acquiring information solely from social media platforms like WhatsApp and YouTube.
The findings of the 10th edition of Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ)’s Digital News Report 2021 published on Wednesday ranked India 31 in the “trust in news” category, even above the United States.
Supported by the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) to help the survey be conducted in the Indian market, the data was extrapolated based on a survey of mainly English-speaking, online news users in India – a small subset of a larger, more diverse, media market. This is only a small portion of Indians, and cannot be considered as representing the country.
The study found 73 percent of the respondents in India use smartphones to access news; 82 percent source news online, including from social media; and 63 percent acquiring information solely from social media platforms like WhatsApp and YouTube.
The survey also showed that only 38 percent of Indians trusted the news overall although the average trust in the news has grown across the world.
Legacy print brands like The Times of India, The Hindu and government broadcasters, DD News and All India Radio, retain high levels of trust among consumers. Print brands, in general, are more trusted than television
brands, which are far more polarised and sensational in their coverage, the report said.
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Republic TV, despite its popularity as a news source, has lower trust scores than legacy print and television brands – and the highest levels of distrust.
Finland had the highest levels of overall trust in the news with 65 percent, while the US had the lowest levels of trust at 29 percent.
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