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Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism of Oxford University has released its Digital News Report 2018. The Turkey Supplementary Report of the institute has been organized by Dr. Servet Yanatma.
Here are some of the highlights from the report:
Television still the main news source
According to the report, 48 percent of the respondents from Turkey view television as their main source of news.
Online news, including the ones published and shared on social media, rank second in the list of main news sources in Turkey with 39 percent. They are followed by radio with 7 percent and printed media by 6 percent.
Share of digital-born news outlets at 7 percent
The report has shown that the share of digital-born news outlets such as websites and apps of other news outlets is 7 percent.
According to the report, while online media is the primary source of news for left-wing respondents from Turkey with 45 percent, television is the primary news source for the right-wing ones with 59 percent.
38 percent of the respondents trust news in Turkey
Stating that the overall trust (38 percent) and distrust (40 percent) in news media in Turkey are "remarkable similar", the report has commented, "This is an indicator of a very polarised society and news media in the country."
The report has also indicated that "political leaning plays a significant role in trust in news." The report has shown, "Overall trust in news is higher on the right (51 percent) than the left (29 percent).
On the top of the list of "not at all trustworthy news sources" stand pro-government A Haber news channel and Sabah newspaper as well as the state channel TRT News and state-run Anadolu Agency.
According to the report, while the youngest respondents, namely the ones in the 18-24 age group, have the lowest level of trust in news overall with 28 percent, this figure is 43 percent for the ones over the age of 55.
Turkey ranks the first in misinformation
The report has emphasized that 49 percent of the respondents from Turkey have indicated that they have come across "stories that are completely made up for political or commercial reasons."
Based on this finding, the report has concluded, "Turkey is clearly in the lead on this (misinformation) whereas the average across all 37 countries is 26 percent." The report has also commented,
"This may reflect a polarised political and media environment but is not unique to any one side of the political divide."
Some countries that participated in the research are Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Greece, Ireland, Poland. (OI/HK/SD)
