The 2009 general elections were marred by widespread accusations and whispers of media hanky-panky.
The Wall Street Journal‘s India bureau chief Paul Beckett accused reporters, editors and newspaper owners of holding the Indian democratic process to ransom. Women journalists in Andhra Pradesh wrote to the Election Commission drawing attention to Telugu dailies selling news space to political advertisers.
How much of all this buying and selling affect reader trust in media vehicles? Not much.
The National Election Survey 2009 compiled by the Lokniti team of the Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) for The Hindu asked precisely the question:
Question: “Do people trust the news they read in newspapers?”
Answer: “Forty-five per cent of respondents said that they greatly trusted what they read in newspapers. A similar number said that they somewhat trusted newspaper reports. Around 10 per cent had little faith in what was reported in the papers.” (emphasis added)
Also read: In prosperous Gujarat, everybody can buy media
Sucheta Dalal on selling news and buying silence
Salil Tripathi: The first casualty of a cosy deal is credibility
Tarun J. Tejpal: Media is now part of conspiracy of silence
Tags: Centre for Study of Deeloping Societies, CSDS, EC, Election Commission, Lokniti, National Election Survey, NES, Paul Beckett, Salil Tripathi, Sucheta Dalal, The Hindu, Wall Street Journal
26 May 2009 at 3:49 pm
The % of people who distrust media will slowly increase…. according to the survey only 45% who completely believe in media….
26 May 2009 at 7:00 pm
The Misnamed Newspaper need not gloat over its holiness, it’s sold out a long back.