The effect of credibility on media and messages: tips to boost message trust

Background:

“When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant and effective,” said Stephen R. Covey. He was right, of course, but are trust and credibility synonymous? What can help health communicators build trust and credibility in our messaging?

Program background:

What’s happened to trust and credibility in an age of digital and fake news? This presentation is combined with two others for a panel on trust in Government, and trust in CDC. It will differentiate the two terms, as well as review surveys on media and reporter trust and credibility in the explosion of social media and fake news. It will wrap up with CDC’s Communication Principles and ways to enhance credible messaging so there is more engagement.

Evaluation Methods and Results:

One of the best surveys of media credibility was the 2016 Pew Survey on the Modern News Consumer: News Attitudes and Practices in the Digital Age, which will be reviewed during this presentation. It reveals a public that is cautious of this complex news environment and discerning in its evaluation of the credibility of the available news sources. We will also include findings from 2017 University of Texas study on Trust in Online News, which provides results on what makes news reporters, stories and messaging credible, and findings from a 2016 American Press Institute study on What makes people trust and rely on online news.

Conclusions:

Our audiences, while being hungry for health information that they can use and make decisions from, is increasingly getting fragmented and sometimes conflicting information. They are discerning about health information and where it comes from. The tips shared and CDC’s communication principles can be used to increase message credibility and greater impact.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Health communicators should incorporate knowledge about trust in specific media and ways to ensure that trust in government health information is maintained, especially through local media channels.