Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1473070
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 JULY 2022 4 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA MALTESE respondents to a Eurobarometer survey on the media said they trust Malta's written press – and its online presence – the most, second on- ly to public television news sta- tions. Maltese citizens said they trusted traditional broadcast and print media, including their online presence, more than online news platforms and social media channels. The Maltese said they trust- ed public television the most (45%), the written press and its online presence (40% - one point above the EU average), then private TV and radio (29%), online news platforms (25%), social media (12%), You- Tube (7%), and social media in- fluencers (4%). Online news (65%) and social media (55%) however by far the most accessed of news sources, followed by TV (52%), radio (22%) and the written press (11%). The Maltese respondents mirrored the EU average when asked how often they were per- sonally exposed to disinforma- tion and fake news: 35% said 'sometimes' but 30% said nev- ere or rarely, and 20% said 'of- ten' – over 79% said they were "confident" they could recog- nise disinformation. Crucially, the Maltese (65%) used social media to follow the news and current events, but also said they opened online news articles because of trust (34%), catchy titles (35%) or audivisuals (20%), and because of the relevance of the title to their interests (57%). EU citizens trust traditional media most The media play a major role in informing European citizens on the activities of the Europe- an Union and its institutions. While national political top- ics interest citizens most (se- lected by 50% of respondents), European and international af- fairs (46%) is closely behind, on a par with local news (47%). 72% of respondents recall having recently read, seen or heard about the European Un- ion, either in the press, on the Internet, television or radio. 57% have recently read, seen or heard something about the Eu- ropean Parliament. Recall on EU news ranges be- tween 57% in France and 90% in Romania, for news on the EP recall varies between 39% in France and 85% in Malta. With 75%, television dom- inates as the primary news source, particularly for citizens over 55 years old. Next and quite distant are online news platforms (43%), radio (39%), and social media platforms and blogs (26%). The written press comes in fifth place with one out of five respondents (21%) citing newspapers and mag- azines as their primary news source. Younger respondents on the other hand are much more likely to use social media platforms and blogs to access news (46% of 15-24 year-olds vs 15% of 55+ year-olds). Although traditional news sources – particularly televi- sion – are important, 88% of respondents get at least some news online via their smart- phone, computer or laptop. 43% of respondents use the website of the news source (e.g. website of a newspaper) to ac- cess news online, and 31% read articles or posts that appear in their online social networks. Accessing news posts via their online social networks is even more important to young peo- ple, (43% of 15-24 year-olds vs 24% of 55+ respondents). Paying for online news con- tent is still rather the excep- tion, as 70% of those who ac- cess news online would use only free news content or news services online. Most trusted media sources Whether it is via their 'na- tive channel' or their online presence, 49% of respondents expect public TV and radio stations to give them truthful news, followed by the written press, selected by 39%. On the other hand, private TV and ra- dio stations are cited by 27% as a trusted media source. Poland stands out as the only country where private TV and radio stations are the most trusted news source. In an even more radical shift away from tradi- tional news sources in general, respondents in Hungary men- tion "people, groups or friends followed on social media" as their most trusted news source. The importance of trust also resonates when respondents were asked what would make them likely to open a news arti- cle online. While 54% are moti- vated by the title being relevant to their interests, 37% say that it is important they trust the news outlet posting the news article. Exposure to disinformation and fake news Over a quarter of respondents (28%) think that, in the past seven days, they have very of- ten or often been exposed to disinformation and fake news. Respondents in Bulgaria are overall the most likely to re- ply that they have often been exposed to disinformation and fake news in the past seven days, with 55% estimating they have been 'very often' or 'often' exposed, while respondents in the Netherlands are the least likely to say so (3% 'very often' and 9% 'often' responses). Written press most trusted, but online and social media most read by Maltese The Maltese said they trusted public television the most (45%), the written press and its online presence (40% - one point above the EU average), then private TV and radio (29%), online news platforms (25%), social media (12%), YouTube (7%), and social media inf luencers (4%) These articles are part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.