Less than a quarter of Russians trust television as a source of information – a new record low since 2016.
Russians’ confidence in television as a source of information has hit record lows in 2020, according to a Deloitte survey published in the newspaper Kommersant In just one year, the level of trust in television dropped by 5 percent points to 23%. According to the independent Russian news outlet Meduza, this is a record low since 2016, when the company started regular surveys on media consumption.
RUSSIANS TRUST INTERNET THE MOST
The survey also found that Russians trust internet the most. Around 55% consider it a main source of information. 39% of respondents said they access information on news, analytical and official websites, 16% rely on the social media.
DISINFORMATION ABUNDANCE
EUvsDisinfo database contains many examples of disinformation messages circulated on Russian state-controlled TV channels, which suggests that the feeling of distrust expressed by the respondents is not unfounded.
For example, at the outset of COVID-19 outbreak, Russian TV channels claimed that the coronavirus was an American set up(opens in a new tab), that it affected only “mongoloid” race, and that it may be an artificially developed biological weapon, thus affecting peoples’ awareness about the pandemic.
Source: EuvsDisinfo
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