This year again, a wind of great distrust is blowing over the media. This low level of confidence had deteriorated sharply during the Yellow Vests crisis. Among the criticisms cited: a questioning of the independence of the media in the face of political and economic pressures, the multiplication of the number of information channels or sometimes anxiety-provoking news, which can generate rejection...
For the media, the challenge is great. What solutions can be envisaged in the face of this mistrust?
Fighting misinformation to restore trust
In the era of fake news, it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false. Infoxes, deep fakes, conspiracies... are spreading at high speed in a digital ecosystem that favors them. The evidence is clear: 63% of French people say they are confronted with fake news more than once a month, according to the 34th Kantar-La Croix media confidence barometer.
To great evils, great means. Faced with the proliferation of fake news, several initiatives are emerging, particularly in the traditional media - print and television. Some editorial offices have set up fact-checking services, such as AFP, with its news verification service AFP Factuel, or 20 Minutes and its Fake Off section. These are in-house systems that identify and deconstruct rumors, hoaxes and false information online.
To fight against public mistrust, the media must be identified as trustworthy actors. Aware of the challenge, Reporters Without Borders has taken the lead by launching the Journalism Trust Initiative. This platform grants certification to trustworthy media, i.e. those that validate several criteria - transparency, editorial independence or respect for ethical rules, to name but a few.
Faced with the advent of fake news, the media are developing various tools available to the general public to verify information: fact-checking initiatives that are essential to restore trust.
More transparency, a solution to mistrust in the media
The demand is unequivocal. 83% of French people would like more transparency from the media, according to an Ifop-Flint study conducted in 2021.
More transparency on the sources of information of journalists, but not only. It is the media world as a whole that is concerned. The reason: to the general public's taste, the places where information is produced still allow too little to see, read or hear what goes on behind the scenes. An opacity that maintains this feeling of great distrust today.
How can we reverse this trend? To meet this demand for more transparency, the media are launching various initiatives:
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Le Monde has launched its "Trust" project. By organizing meetings with the editorial staff and providing transparency on its governance and economic model, the newspaper is taking steps to deepen its relationship with its subscribers.
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The regional daily Ouest France takes its readers behind the scenes of its editorial offices with its Making O-F podcast. Audio formats that reveal, in a few minutes, the background to their investigations.
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In the same vein, the newspaper La Croix shares its audio series "L'envers du récit". In these podcasts, journalists talk about the behind-the-scenes of their reports, including the most difficult ones: why they wrote it, how they lived it, but also how the story continues.
Crisis of confidence: is transparency the solution? It's an avenue being pursued by a number of newsrooms, one that enriches the relationship between the media and the public - and, at the same time, shatters preconceived notions about the journalistic profession. "At the time of the yellow vest crisis, it became very clear: the public knows very little about our work techniques. This podcast [L'Envers du récit] is one of the antidotes to these suspicions of manipulation," said in 2019 Guillaume Goubert, former director of publication of La Croix, in this Stratégies article. Pierre Célérier, then coordinator of AFP's Making-of blog, confirms this statement: "The aim is to show that producing information is an activity that requires preparation, resources, and rules for verification and monitoring in order to produce something reliable and verified. It helps to fight against the idea that information is only a question of point of view.
Confronting the crisis of confidence: the challenge of media literacy
This movement of mistrust towards the media is also linked to a lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge about the profession of journalist, difficulties in identifying fake news... Sometimes, the public simply does not have the keys to sort out the sources of information and evaluate their credibility.
Media education is an effective lever for restoring trust. Journalists, media outlets and journalism schools are implementing projects to help the public better, to manage the continuous flow of information and understand the work of information professionals. For example, the volunteer journalists of the association Entre les lignes, who regularly run workshops throughout France. These are all actions that contribute to restoring the level of confidence of the French.
How can we educate people about the media? This mission is partly entrusted to CLEMI. In recent years, interventions have multiplied in high schools, colleges and universities. But media education does not only concern the youngest! Adults are just as concerned, especially those who do not yet have the digital codes - and are therefore privileged targets of fake news.
In short, to restore trust, solutions exist. Commit to more transparency, fight against misinformation, accompany the public ... The media have several levers to curb this movement of mistrust. The challenge remains immense.
Emma Alcaraz