5 2 July 2017
MEDIA
T
HE JOBSTOWN trial has inspired a lot of com-
mentary on both the power of social media to
influence outcomes, and the credibility (or lack
of same) of ‘mainstream’ media.
Perhaps predictably, most of the commen
-
tary seemed to reinforce already existing viewpoints.
Social-media users sympathetic to the protestors and
their cause were more likely to regard legacy media titles
as hopelessly compromised, while journalists in general
even before the trial viewed social media – and social-
media campaigns – with suspicion. In other words, each
side viewed reality through a filter bubble based on their
existing prejudices.
So it was that the Reuters Institute Digital News Report
2017, including a survey of the Irish media landscape,
comes at just the right time to put some of these claims
and counter-claims in context.
The survey finds that 46% of respondents in Ireland
trust “most of the news most of the time”, down four per-
cent on last year, though the figure rises to 52% for
“news I use”, suggesting that most correspondents rate
their own news judgement in deciding which news to
consume above that of the population at large. Both
these figures place Ireland pretty much in the middle
internationally. Out of 36 countries sur-
veyed, the country places 14th on
overall trust of news, and 16th for “news
I use”.
Overall, Irish users are more trusting
of (or have more confidence in) their tra-
ditional media news sources than the
international average, 46% to 41%. And
while trust has fallen in the last year, it
has not fallen as steeply as in our near
neighbours in the UK. Concerns about
‘fake news’ and partisan coverage of
events such as Brexit and the Trump
election campaign may have been con-
cerning when it came to international news but so far,
while there may be concerns about the impartiality of
some local news outlets, none has ever shown the “see
no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” blind partisanship of
a Fox News or Russia Today magazine show.
The same national versus international pattern holds
when it comes to social media. Although social media
are less trusted than legacy media for their ability to sort
fact from fiction, at 28% of those surveyed, this is still
higher than internationally, where just under a quarter
(24%) trust social media.
Facebook continues to dominate social media news,
with 41% of Irish Facebook users finding news through
the social network (compared to 47% internationally).
Twitter and Snapchat both outperform international
norms in Ireland, but despite its popularity with journal-
ists and media types generally, only 11% of Irish Twitter
users are getting news from the network. Dissatisfaction
with traditional news sources is often amplified in new
social media, but despite this, social media clearly have
their own credibility issues. But despite audience scep
-
ticism, old-media outlets continue to be the primary
news sources for most people. RTÉ dominates the field
in Ireland, with 62% getting their news there once weekly
or more often. This should not be too surprising, given
that RTÉ has multiple channels, with both television and
radio output. Sky (34%) has only television, in contrast,
and the BBC (30%) radio channels don’t really penetrate
into the Irish market.
Additionally, 31% of those surveyed get news from the
RTÉ News website, just 1% behind online news outlet
TheJournal.ie, at 32%. The Independent online website
is a close third at 30%, while the Irish Times, next in line,
lies back at 23%. These differences among the leading
online news sources may be a product of different pay
-
wall and registration strategies, from the most open (the
Journal) to the least (Irish Times).
Timing is everything, and Ireland may be lucky that its
jolt to the system came a few years ago. The Jobstown
trial is to a large extent an artefact of the Irish Water pro-
tests, which are receding from current affairs into
history. From Brexit fallout to the ongoing housing/
homelessness crisis becoming a full-blown catastrophe,
there’s no guarantee there won’t be another shock to the
system in the next few years, but so far Ireland seems to
have been spared the kind of existential problems a
high-profile Trump or Le Pen can take advantage of, and
the resulting loss of faith in news media.
Instead, as shown in the Reuters Digital News Ireland
report prepared by Paul McNamara, Kevin Cunningham,
Eileen Culloty and Jane Suiter at the Institute for Future
Media and Journalism (FuJo) at Dublin City University
Two thirds (67%) described
themselves as Centre,
compared to 19% Left and
14% Right. Decades of
consensus politics have
convinced many that they are
moderate and can trust their
moderate media
Reuters Digital News Report shows 46% in Ireland
trust most of the news most of the time and 28% trust
social media
More than
averagely trusting
by Gerard
Cunningham
July 2017 5 3
(DCU), Ireland’s media problems revolve around the
more prosaic issues of ageing audiences and reluctance
to pay for news.
One reason for the relatively high trust in news in Ire
-
land may be a figure which describes participants’
political leanings. Two thirds (67%) described them
-
selves as Centre, compared to 19% Left and 14% Right.
Decades of consensus politics on the major issues, from
national wage agreements to EU membership to North-
ern Ireland have presumably had an impact in creating
the impression among many that their views are part of
the moderate middle, whatever an objective outside
assessment might be. By contrast, countries with highly
polarised polities, such as the USA, Italy, and Hungary,
show low levels of trust in news sources.
Perhaps related to this, the age differences when it
comes to trust in media are notable. Only one in three
18-24 year-olds and 25-34 year- olds (33% and 34%
respectively) agree with the statement “I think you can
trust most news most of the time”, a number which rises
steadily as participants get older, to 43% of 35-44 year-
olds, 53% of 45-54 year-olds, and 56% among those over
the age of 55. The reluctance of younger consumers to
pay for news may not be a function simply of their famili-
arity with obtaining free news using modern
technologies, but the level of trust they place in it. What
should you pay for news you cannot trust? It is also worth
considering how much worse those numbers might look
for legacy media sources if it had not been for the ‘safety
valve’ of emigration. Around 75,000 people have
emigrated each year since 2008, and emigration tends
to skew towards younger people.
When it comes to news consumption, Ireland looks
pretty much like its international competition, with the
exception of RTÉ. The national broadcaster exercises a
huge dominance, described at the primary news source
by two-thirds of consumers, compared to 49% interna
-
tionally, and an equally impressive score among online
news sources through its website, as mentioned previ
-
ously. Again, the older the news audience, the better RTÉ
does, while younger audiences are more likely to go for
online news sources such as the Journal, Her/Joe.ie, or
the websites of the Irish Independent, BBC News or
Today FM.
Willingness to pay for online news continues to rise,
and is now at ten percent, up from seven percent just two
years ago. This may be due to a local ‘Trump bump’, as
the American election result is credited with increased
subscriptions to paid-for news which is perceived as
more trustworthy, or it could also be a result of increased
familiarity with paid news options, as the Irish Times
hardens its paywalls, the Sunday Times/Times Ireland
Edition expands its offering, and new products from the
Dublin Inquirer to the Second Captains podcast are
developed which consumers decide they are willing to
pay to support.
Even better news comes when willingness to pay for
news online is broken down by age. The most likely to
pay for news are those aged 25- 34 at 13%, with 18-24s
(12%) and 35-44% (11%) also in double figures. This is
good news for news outlets losing these audiences for
their print products, even if the associated advertising
revenues from online audiences cannot match those lost
in print.
“I was offered a good deal” is cited as the number one
reason for paying for an online news product by Irish
consumers, at 32%, significantly higher than the 23%
internationally. This may be a legacy of the Times Ireland
Edition campaign which offered subscribers who took
out a yearly subscription a “free” iPad, effectively worth
close to the price of the subscription. It remains to be
seen how many of these customers the Times Ireland can
retain. “It was cheaper than paying for offline access”
(23% versus 16%) also scored higher than internation-
ally, as did “I want to help journalism” (18% versus 13%).
This suggests that there are two distinct paying news
customers, one seeking value for money, the other
“quality” news. Other ‘quality’ related statements about
reasons for paying (“I like to consume news from a vari-
ety of sources”, 16% versus 29%; “news you pay for is
better than free news”, 11% versus 16%) scored lower in
Ireland than internationally, suggesting value for money
will remain an important consideration for news outlets
in designing their pricing plans. Likewise, the number
one reason to not pay for news remains “I can get online
news for free”, at 53%. Freedom comes with many defi
-
nitions.
Out of 36 countries
surveyed, the
country places 14th
on overall trust of
news, and 16th for
“news I use”
Source: Reuers Digil News Repor

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