Perceived prevalence of fake news in media sources worldwide 2019

According to a global study conducted in 2019, 62 percent of respondents felt that there was a fair extent or great deal of fake news on online websites and platforms. By comparison, 10 percent less said the same about TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Traditional media in general is still considered more trustworthy than online formats, despite social networks being the preferred choice for many.

Meanwhile, as some consumers around the world now turn to influencers for news instead of journalists, the risk of them being exposed to inaccurate, incorrect, or deliberately false information continues to grow, and journalists face pressure to battle fake content whilst finding new ways to keep audiences engaged.

Fake news and journalism

More than 50 percent of journalists responding to a global survey believed that the public had lost trust in the media over the past year. Whilst the reasons for this are many, the role of fake news cannot be undermined, particularly given the speed with which false content can spread and reach vulnerable or misinformed audiences. Either unintentionally or deliberately, fake news is often shared by those who encounter it, which only serves to worsen the problem. Indeed, journalists consider regular citizens to be the main source of disinformation, followed by political leaders and internet trolls.

Despite the threats fake news poses, journalists themselves feel that concerns about disinformation could positively impact the quality of journalism. There are also growing expectations from the public and journalists alike for governments and companies to do more to help boost quality journalism and curb the dissemination and influence of fake news. News industry leaders rated Google as being the best platform for supporting journalism, but the likes of Amazon and Snapchat have a long way to go before organizations consider them reliable in this respect.