An Ogilvy Media Influence Survey suggests that journalists believe that fake news is creating new trust in traditional news outlets.
The survey included over 250 reporters and producers in North America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, in April 2017.
Fake news has challenged journalists to ensure more accuracy in the news, and many reporters and producers agreed that there is increased need and pressure for stronger reporting in order to rebuild trust.
The survey found that traditional media is the most trusted news source at 52%, with company websites and press releases coming in second at 22%.
All three regions attributed the fake news phenomenon to the advance of social media, over and above other contributing factors. As user-generated content increases through blogs and social media sites, anyone can post anything at any time.
The other contributors to fake news were seen by journalists to be: polarized media coverage -where the media only reports one side of a topic, and confirmation bias –which is the tendency to interpret new information to align with existing beliefs.
The battle with fake news goes beyond fact-checking and re-building trust with the audience. Globally, 41% said that better reporting is necessary and 24% said that collaboration with social media is important to verify the accuracy of news reports.
While reporters are aware of the issue and the potential solutions; building trust between a brand and its stakeholders is more important than ever before in an era of fake news.