Broadcast media remain the most trusted media throughout Europe with 85% of European countries trusting radio and 75% trusting TV.

The EBU’s new report - Trust in Media 2019 - shows how the gap between people’s trust in traditional and new media continues to grow.

Radio is the most trusted medium by EU citizens – trusted by 59% of the population with half of all EU citizens trusting TV. On the other hand, the internet is trusted by only 32% of citizens and social media by 19% (down from 36% and 21% respectively in 2014).

For the first time the report also showed that more people tend to trust, rather than distrust, the written press.

Public service media (PSM) are among the top five most trusted news brands in more than 80% of North and Central European markets. In more than 60% of those markets, PSM is the number one brand for trusted news.

A positive correlation between the perceived trustworthiness of national news and citizens’ satisfaction with democracy means radio and television are indispensable assets for European society.

Manager of the EBU's Media Intelligence Service David Fernandez Quijada said: “The more national PSM are perceived to be free from political pressure, the higher the level of press freedom in a country.

“This World Press Freedom Day, we should champion the valuable role of our public service Members in upholding democratic values and promoting a free and independent media landscape.”

Trust in Media 2019 is based on data published in the Eurobarometer survey and gives an idea of European citizens’ perception of the trustworthiness of different types of media. Other data came from Reuters Digital News Report.

The Trust in Media 2019 report is available on our website (you must register at ebu.ch before downloading the full report).