Whom Do We Trust? Online News and Newspapers

A study by TNS finds that consumers don't trust personal blogs, but they trust the news they get online at least as much as what they read in newspapers. "It's heartening to see how well online users are able to gauge their media," said Don Ryan, VP-technology and media at TNS, in a statement describing the results. "Whether using new or traditional media, trust of the source of information is paramount. Online blogs clearly have no real accountability. Although they may be a great source of entertainment and a useful source of information and reviews, they are clearly highly subjective. The move of traditional news media into the online space has ensured that the trust of traditional media has spread into online-only sources, too." The web and newspapers, however, got the highest scores of any media included in the research. TV news has the trust of 33%, according to TNS. Product-comparison sites have the trust of 31%. And in a blow to those who believe the future of media lies in all news being available gratis, just 15% said they trust free newspapers.