Journalists trust traditional media more than social

Journalists have more faith in traditional media coverage to influence engagement than social media – but only just – according to a recent survey conducted by Ogilvy PR.

The survey, which was completed by 200 journalists from 23 offices around the world, stated that three-quarters of respondents in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa agreed that traditional media holds more clout than paid, direct-to-consumers and social media channels.

However, social media is making big inroads in the credibility stakes. This is especially true in the APAC regions where 38% of those questions favoured social media.

The survey suggests that 37% journalists still believe that earned media is the leading channel for influencing purchase decisions. However, social media isn’t far behind with 28% believing the various social networks are definitely influencing the general public to buy products and services.

New social media platforms such as Snapchat are increasingly becoming influential in newsrooms around the world with nearly half of those surveyed stating that journalists need to have influence over multiple platforms if they are to remain successful in today’s media landscape.

Highlighting the importance of social in the media mix, Jennifer Risi, MD of Ogilvy media influence told journalists: “We’re seeing the emergence of new platforms like Snapchat really impacting how they report news and rethinking how they cover news in general. Consumers are reading news on apps and social media platforms more than ever and news outlets have to really find ways to reach consumers in places where they live and work.”

Risi continued: “”In an ideal world it would be 50/50; you would have a strategic mix of traditional and social media driving coverage for brands. You go to where people live and work for social media, but you need the trusted traditional media too.”

So where do journalists turn to for their news?

Despite their continued affection with traditional media, 50% of journalists surveyed said that they used social media as a news source.