Print has emerged as the most credible media vehicle for news over other traditional and digital media platforms, as per a latest survey by media consulting firm Ormax Media. In terms of credibility, print media comes first scoring 62 per cent on the news credibility index, followed by radio with 57 per cent and TV news with 56 per cent.
The findings have come at a time when it is getting increasingly difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction across social media platforms and fake news is emerging as a growing menace.
Ormax Media’s survey of ‘News Credibility Index’ takes into account responses from 2,400 urban news consumers of over 15 years of age from across 17 states and union territories in India.
As per the report, 61% news consumers see fake news as a major concern.
“Concerns related to fake news have been a topic of discussion globally, as well as in India, and the problem of fake news seems to be getting bigger with every passing month,” said Shailesh Kapoor, founder & CEO, Ormax Media.
“I have no doubt that print will continue to be the most credible media for many more years to come. When you see it in print, it’s the most curated and verified reporting. Which is why people wait for the newspaper to confirm what they have read on digital or social media,” said Sivakumar Sundaram, chairman, executive committee, BCCL. “In India, newspapers are not merely a provider of news, but an integral part of our everyday life,” he added.
“Going forward, we plan to conduct this survey every six months to track the perception of news consumers regarding fake news with time,” Kapoor added.
He told ET that ideally, TV news should be at par with print news but it isn’t and thats turning out to be “a big problem” for TV.
The survey also puts to the rest the assumptions that traditional media is losing its credibility faster and that digital news will hold an edge over traditional media.
Print has emerged as the most credible media vehicle for news over other platforms, as per a latest survey by media consulting firm Ormax Media, stated ET report.
Ormax Media’s survey of ‘News Credibility Index’ takes into account responses from 2,400 urban news consumers of over 15 years of age from across 17 states and union territories in India.
Print media leads the Index at 62 per cent, followed by radio and then television. Meanwhile, it was found that between traditional and digital media, the former has the highest credibility. It also stated that among social media, Twitter is considered as the most credible social media platform for news.
“Concerns related to fake news have been a topic of discussion globally, as well as in India, and the problem of fake news seems to be getting bigger with every passing month,” said Shailesh Kapoor, founder & CEO, Ormax Media.
Kapoor added, “This survey was conducted to quantify the extent of this concern in India, and to understand if some media fare better than others. We plan to track these measures every six months, which will allow us to compare how perception of news consumers regarding fake news is changing with time.”