Who do you trust?

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Two new reports highlight the latest Canadian media trust scores

Two recent reports paint different pictures of the level of trust Canadians place in the news media.


Pollara’s 4th annual “Trust in Media” study says 51% of Canadians tend to trust the media, which is higher than the previous years they’ve done the study – 44% in 2002 and 47% in 1992. Trust levels are highest among seniors, as well as Liberal and NDP voters.


Compare this to the 2026 Reuters Institute’s research report that finds only 37% of Canadians have trust in the news overall compared to 55% in 2016. It also found that just 12% of Canadians pay for news online, and that social media and news websites have overtaken traditional news sources.


So, what does this mean for your organization? It’s about ensuring you’re trusted, even if the platform you find yourself on isn’t. Talk about trust in media is nothing new, and it’s clear that levels of trust vary depending on the audience.


It’s about coaching your leaders to go beyond message control, and to communicate with credibility in a potentially low-trust environment. This means being comfortable and confident in explaining evidence in plain language, acknowledging uncertainty, clearly distinguishing facts from narratives, and correcting misleading assertions while engaging legitimate criticism.


Success is more than positive media coverage or message consistency – it’s about creating long-term trust and confidence in your organization, and supporting your leaders and spokespeople in building it.

 

 

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