Trust. It’s a word that is often bandied around. Sometimes so much that it loses its meaning. Well, not to me.
In these current times, when everything feels so uncertain, we’re looking to trust more than ever. Trust in the NHS, trust in science, trust in the Government and, importantly, trust in the information we receive.
It’s no surprise then that 66% of people appreciate and value trusted journalism more since the Covid-19 pandemic, rising to 77% for under 35s, according to our latest Newsworks research, World Without News.
Interestingly, under 35 year olds say they feel less anxious when reading news brands compared with when they’re reading social media. We all know that social media can fuel misinformation, which ups the anxiety stakes. On the other hand, news brands can act as an antidote, the research shows.
This week I was lucky enough to join a fantastic virtual Mindshare Huddle debate, themed around a sustainable recovery post Covid-19, alongside esteemed panellists Ian Burrell, journalist and i columnist, Jerry Daykin, senior media director at GSK, and Karen Fraser, co-founder of Weiser Works. Burrell referred to the Trump era to describe how news is being constantly undermined, with Fraser adding: “Politically things would be so much more dangerous without news; societally we would be less progressive”. I agree, wholeheartedly.
But it’s with that backdrop that we need to think about the long-term funding of quality journalism to ensure we continue to have such a diverse and vibrant news eco-system, with valuable fact-checking, investigations and expert opinion. It’s something that we as consumers appreciate but also that advertisers can piggyback on and advertising revenue will be a fundamental element in the mix to ensure a sustainable future for the industry.
As Daykin said yesterday: “[Advertisers] have a responsibility to fund the good stuff…we need to prioritise high quality space because we are, at least partially, responsible for that.”
With trust in advertising at an all-time low, according to Advertising Association figures last year, and with ethical media investment in the spotlight, there’s never been a better time to invest in a meaningful way. Let’s face it, a world with news is vital for all of us!
If you would like to discuss the ‘World Without News’ research and what it means for your brand, I’d love to hear from you.
You can watch the Mindshare Huddle ‘Imagine a world without news’ session here.
