Trust in the news is no longer an issue exclusive to the media. Today, audiences are increasingly questioning who is providing information, where it comes from, and what interests may be behind it. In this context, brands are also facing a new challenge: communicating in ecosystems where credibility can no longer be taken for granted.
A recent study by the Reuters Institute, conducted across 26 countries in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the United States, and Canada, examined how people perceive the impact of public service media on life in their countries. The overall result is moderately positive, but behind that average lies a more significant phenomenon: trust in information is increasingly shaped by political divisions.
And that divide is changing the rules for any brand that relies on the media to build visibility, reputation, or closer relationships with its audiences.
Trust in the news shapes perceptions of the media
One of the study’s key findings is the direct relationship between trust in the news and perceptions of public media. In countries where people have lower levels of trust in the news, perceptions of public media also tend to be more negative. Conversely, where trust is higher, perceptions improve.
The conclusion is clear: audiences do not perceive the media as neutral or independent actors detached from their context. People’s relationship with information directly influences how they perceive the channels that deliver it.
For brands, this represents an important shift: there is no single news audience. Some audiences actively seek information, trust the media, and are more willing to pay for digital content; others consume less news, distrust traditional sources, and are harder to reach through conventional channels.
Political divisions also shape trust
For a long time, news fragmentation was explained primarily by the impact of social media and algorithms. However, the study highlights another decisive factor: political identity.
Across almost all the countries analyzed, perceptions of public media vary significantly depending on people’s political orientation. The United States shows the widest gap between groups with different political views, while the United Kingdom also shows a marked difference between those who have positive and negative perceptions of public media.
For brands, this means that the same media environment can generate completely different interpretations depending on who receives the message. The outlet’s reputation, its credibility, and audiences’ existing perceptions all form part of the context in which a brand message is received.
What audiences expect from those who communicate
When people have a positive perception of public media, the attributes they value most are access to relevant information and reliable sources. By contrast, criticism tends to focus on perceived political influence or external interests behind the content.
The same logic is increasingly applying to brands.
Audiences are not only evaluating what an organization says, but also who is saying it, where it is being said, and why the organization has chosen to communicate it. Transparency, consistency, and the ability to demonstrate credibility are becoming just as important as the message itself.
What does this mean for brands in Latin America?
Although the study does not include Latin American countries, the trend it reveals is relevant to markets where trust in institutions and the media also faces significant challenges.
For brands, this scenario offers three key takeaways:
1. Choosing channels requires looking beyond reach.
A brand’s presence in a media outlet should not be evaluated solely based on audience size, but also on how credible that outlet is perceived to be among strategic audiences.
2. Communication diversification is key.
Relying on a limited number of traditional channels can be a risk in an environment where trust can shift quickly. Brands need to build a presence across different spaces and formats.
3. Trust is built within the same ecosystem.
Audiences that demand transparency from the media apply the same standards to brands. Today, credibility is something people evaluate in every actor seeking to influence their decisions.
In an environment where information is more fragmented than ever, the challenge for brands is to ensure they show up in spaces where trust still carries weight.