Trust in fact-based journalism has decreased significantly, with politicians attacking the media and audiences shifting to alternative sources like podcasts and social media. Eric Deggans stated that addressing this issue should be treated as a messaging challenge, urging journalists to confront propaganda openly. Anita Kumar emphasized the power of media companies to counter false narratives. Recent developments, including Meta's discontinuation of partnerships with fact-checkers and the politicization of past unifying events, have compounded this crisis in public trust towards news and institutions, as highlighted by a recent Pew report.
Journalism, along with institutions in general, have lost public trust, Kumar said. A 2024 Pew report found declines in public trust in the federal government, news and information sources, science and educational institutions.
How do you fight propaganda? Maybe part of it is just calling it what it is and facing it as a messaging problem, Deggans said.
We have huge platforms, all combined. We have a lot of information that we put out there, Kumar highlighted about media companies' collective power.
The people who have advanced these false narratives are very astute about sensing the weaknesses in traditional media and attacking them, Deggans explained.
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