Do Latin Americans trust the news?
Although the global confidence in media altogether continues in decline, two Latin American countries were part of the one-third of nations with the highest shares of internet users expressing trust in journalists as of mid-2022. They were Brazil, with 34 percent, and Mexico, with 33 percent. But another survey, conducted at the end of 2020 and among the overall population, depicted a different scenario. Through face-to-face interviews – which may lead to distinct results in a region where many still lack access to the internet – the study found that little more than one-third of respondents in Mexico and almost half in Brazil expressed some or a lot of trust in the media. The regional average stood at approximately 40 percent. In early 2023, a third source measured the level of trust towards selected news brands among Brazilian internet users. The three leading companies (Record, SBT, and Bandeirantes) run free TV channels. About 60 percent of respondents said they trusted news from these brands somewhat or completely.The risks for journalism in Mexico
For years now, Mexico has been standing out as one of the most dangerous places for media professionals on the planet. Between 2016 and 2022, Mexico had the highest number of journalists killed worldwide. This does not go unnoticed among the citizenry. In 2012, around 74 percent of people in Mexico deemed journalism a high-risk profession in that country; almost a decade later, in 2021, the share stood at 94 percent. Reporters vulnerable to organized crime also fail to meet news consumers' expectations. In 2021, more than three out of four adults said the lack of security hindered journalists from reporting on criminality in Mexico.
