More visible, transparent and effective regulation that involves the public is needed to enhance trust in journalism, report finds

The key to enhancing trust in journalism through regulation is for regulators to strive towards “greater visibility, transparency, efficacy, and public engagement,” a new report finds

The key to enhancing trust in journalism through regulation is for regulators to strive towards “greater visibility, transparency, efficacy, and public engagement,” a new report by an academic at the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures has found.

The report is based on research by Professor Julie Firmstone (the University of Leeds School of Media and Communication) and Professor John Steel (School of Humanities and Journalism, the University of Derby), whose study explores public perceptions of ethics and standards in journalism and its regulation.

The report is the second to come out of their project, “Engaging the public in regulating for ethical journalism”, which was funded by a University of Leeds’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, the University of Leeds’s School of Media and Communication, the University of Derby’s SURE Impact Accelerator Fund and Impress: The Independent Monitor of the Press. 

Through eight focus group sessions with a total of 44 participants, Professors Firmstone and Steel found a lack of trust in the news media, low visibility of regulation and a lack of understanding about how regulation works.

The report concludes that “for the public, meaningful, effective, and trusted regulation should be independent and uniform, with clear communication to audiences about its role, processes, and outcomes.”

The focus groups helped us to understand what the public wants from news and the standards they expect journalism to fulfil, as well as what is behind low levels of trust and public scepticism about the motives behind news production. Importantly, based on what people told us, the report makes recommendations for how to improve trust in press regulation and, by extension, trust in news and journalism.

The discussions with members of the public dug deeper into the findings from the first part of the study, which drew on a survey of more than 3,000 people across the UK. Reported on in the News Literacy report, the survey found that when people feel knowledgeable about how news is regulated and how journalism works, they are more likely to trust the news it produces.

Professor Firmstone and Professor Steel explained: “Amidst declining levels of trust and confidence in news, coupled with an associated constant flow of mis/disinformation, our research highlights the importance of engaging with the public, gaining insights into their perceptions and experiences of how journalism performs its important civic role as well as how it is regulated.”

Although the research was carried out in 2022 and 2023, its publication has coincided with the aftermath of riots across the UK, which were exacerbated by misinformation published by illegitimate news sites and spread on social media, about an attack in Southport where three children were killed and nine others injured.

In response to the rise of misinformation and disinformation, the UK government has announced that children in England will be taught how to spot extremist content and misinformation online under planned changes to the school curriculum.

Visit White Rose to read the latest report into public perceptions of UK journalism and regulation.

The ESRC Impact Accelerator Account grant, the scheme that funded the project, was administered by the Leeds Social Sciences Institute, a cross-faculty platform which supports interdisciplinary collaboration across the University of Leeds and with external stakeholders. The scheme is currently open for applications – the deadline for applications is 4 September 2024.