A Comparative Study of Public Trust in Traditional Media and Digital Media

Wenzu Yuan

Journal of Media, Journalism & Communication Studies, 2026, vol. 2, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Amid rapid transformations in the media ecosystem, public trust in news sources has become increasingly fragmented along traditional and digital lines. While existing research often treats media trust as a static or medium-specific attribute, it frequently overlooks how institutional practices, technological architectures, and audience perceptions interact to shape credibility judgments. This study addresses this gap through a qualitative comparative analysis of four high-profile cases between 2020 and 2024: a public broadcaster, a global wire service, a major social media platform, and a digitally transformed newspaper. Data were drawn from public opinion surveys, regulatory reports, platform disclosures, and user commentary, analyzed within a contextual trust framework. Findings reveal that trust is not determined by media type per se but by the alignment of editorial transparency, algorithmic accountability, and user agency. Legacy institutions face declining trust when unresponsive to digital audience expectations, while platforms optimized for engagement systematically erode credibility. Conversely, hybrid models integrating fact-based reporting with participatory design sustain or enhance trust. The study contributes a nuanced understanding of trust as a relational outcome in hybrid media environments, offering empirically grounded insights for journalism practice, platform governance, and media policy.

Keywords: media trust; digital media; traditional media; algorithmic transparency; hybrid media systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://pinnaclepubs.com/index.php/JMJCS/article/view/451/450 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dba:jmjcsa:v:2:y:2026:i:1:p:1-10

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Media, Journalism & Communication Studies from Pinnacle Academic Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Joseph Clark ().