Eighth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Trust has long been deemed a critical element that influences audiences’ relationship with the news media. Particularly after the percentage of online users is rapidly expanding around the world during the COVID-19 outbreak. New technologies and social media have the power to polarize, manipulate, and entrench public opinion. With high-choice media ecosystems in today’s world, news trust and its relationship with civic engagement have taken on new significance. The novelty of this research is recognizing and highlighting the news trust at different levels of analysis in the Egyptian context and understanding the rationale for that trust (why). This study holds a new perspective by testing a developed conceptual model. The developed model has tested the news trust in general. Therefore, the study’s objective is focused review of illustrating the relationship between the news trust at different levels of analysis and the civic engagement. A mixed-method approach was applied (quantitative and qualitative). In-depth interviews with professionals and audiences were carried out to examine the sequence of the developed model and what is practically implemented by the news organizations. Findings from these interviews show that building news trust takes time; however, news trust is established when the audience has a level of awareness. An online survey was also conducted using a non-probability sampling (441 responses). Results illustrate that audiences’ propensity to trust and the news at different levels of analysis are correlated to civic engagement.