Fake news, anti-media rhetoric takes its toll in 2018

Anna Hamill

Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer for 2018 shows that trust in the government and media has declined considerably, driven by concerns about fake news, social media platforms and anti-media rhetoric.

Public trust in government and media has plummeted in the last two years, according to the annual Trust Barometer survey carried out by public relations agency Edelman.

“We're seeing media now the least trusted institution around the world which has been impacted primarily through concerns around fake news and a toxic news environment. (This) is really driving through and affecting people's levels of confidence in institutions generally,” said Stephen Kehoe, Global Head of Reputation at Edelman, at the Advertising Week Asia event in Tokyo recently.

The annual survey interviews around 33,000 people each year across 28 international markets. Respondents are...

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