Trust in News Stabilizes After Five-Year Decline in New Zealand

The annual Trust in News report from Aotearoa New Zealand reveals a slight stabilization in media trust after five years of decline, with 32 percent of respondents expressing general trust in news. This figure mirrors levels recorded in the US and represents a 9 percent drop from last year, with just one in three New Zealanders trusting most news. Despite the overall decline, 45 percent of those surveyed reported trusting their chosen news sources, unchanged from the previous year. RNZ emerged as the most trusted news brand, followed closely by the Otago Daily Times and TVNZ. Experts attribute the stabilization in trust to media efforts to combat misinformation and improve transparency. However, challenges remain as the media grapples with a historically low trust level compared to global averages.