A study on “Restoring trust in the media”, carried out by the consultancy Prodata, has revealed that two thirds of respondents “do not trust the content of the media, nor do they trust journalists and columnists”. The study was presented at an international conference on “Restoring trust in the media” held in Tunis on October 30 and 31. The study’s moderator, Mohamed Torgeman, said respondents criticised the media for presenting information without analysing it or proposing solutions to sensitive issues that remain unclear to the public, such as major reforms and inflation. These people also complained about the lack of objectivity in the treatment of information, especially in the economic field, he added. In this study, 80% of the respondents were women. They saw the media as “a source of stress and negative energy”. Torgeman also pointed out that despite the lack of trust in both Tunisian and foreign media, the news programme on the national channel “Watania 1” remains a source of confidence for citizens. The internet and social media have dealt a major blow to traditional media such as television, radio and newspapers, and have become the leading source of information, especially after the coronavirus crisis. This conference is organised by the Institute of Press and Information Sciences (IPSI) in collaboration with the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence, the UNESCO Maghreb Office and the Tunisian media support programme (PAMT).
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse