The challenge public service media face in winning and maintaining audience trust is the theme of this year's EBU Radio News Conference in Rome, Italy (8 - 9 October).

The two-day event will discuss strategies for quality management in the newsroom and hear how EBU Members go about measuring journalism standards. Experts from the fields of science, communications and marketing will join the workshops to help define trust and to identify strategies for nurturing public confidence.

Practical sessions will also explore topics, including:

• Do public service media have the resources to provide in-depth coverage of the big topics?
• Can reporters be trusted to use social media and the tools of data journalism to connect with audiences and to uncover original stories?
• How can journalists avoid "churnalism" and cut through public relations spin?

Radio News Group Chairman Vittorio Argento (Rai) says trust is a topic of increasing importance to public service media newsrooms, which face increasing competition from the internet, in addition to greater pressure on budgets and resources.

"In an age when the public can uncover news from a variety of sources, we need to ask the question, 'Why should audiences invest confidence in public service media?'" said Mr Argento, who is also Radio1 Deputy Managing Director. "The speakers we've assembled are from a diverse background – manufacturers of prestige brands and scientists who will offer practical case examples and insights into what makes us trust some brands over others."

The conference, which include elections to renew the mandate of the Radio News Group for a further two-year period, is being hosted by EBU Member Rai.