Believe a third of what you watch, less of what you read
The 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer survey sampled 4,475 opinion leaders in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) in 20 countries. All opinion leaders met the following criteria:
- College educated
- Household income in the top quartile for their age in their country
- Read or watch business/news media at least several times a week
- Follow public policy issues in the news at least several times a week
Trust in TV news coverage dropped from 49% to 36%, and trust in newspaper articles fell from 47% to 34%. Viewers are 3 times more likely to believe an “expert” talking head than a CEO.
