The findings, revealed in the fifth edition of Edelman’s annual stakeholder study, point to media suffering the most in China, with a drop in trust of 45 percent.
Edelman president Alan VanderMolen noted that the results reflect the “paradox of transparency”. “As media liberalises, and as web-based sources and channels become more readily acceptable, it’s actually bringing trust in institutions back down to earth,” said VanderMolen. “They had been unnaturally high, so it’s a normal course of events.”
Edelman president Alan VanderMolen noted that the results reflect the “paradox of transparency”. “As media liberalises, and as web-based sources and channels become more readily acceptable, it’s actually bringing trust in institutions back down to earth,” said VanderMolen. “They had been unnaturally high, so it’s a normal course of events.”
In particular, the study found that China respondents - which comprised business opinion leaders from Government, corporates, media and NGOs - trusted web-based media more than any other type of media, including newspapers and TV. “It has strong implications - now, more that any time in the history of post-war China, you have an imperative issued by consumers for dialogue,” said VanderMolen.
The trend is broadly reflected by the survey’s regional findings, which polled more than 1,000 stakeholders across 10 regional markets, and found that web-based media had overtaken TV as a first source of trusted news and information, behind only newspapers. “Transparency and control are the big factors,” VanderMolen added.
