Amidst a media confidence crisis worldwide, UAE’s media outlets had 80.5 per cent trust rating overall, a survey conducted by the Jordan Media Institute, a non-profit educational entity focusing on journalism, has revealed.

The poll marked the first in the country sponsored by the National Media Council, the UAE’s media regulator. The overall trust rating was based on six indicators: dependence on UAE media outlets, confidence in the UAE media landscape, how people rate the media outlets’ commitment to ethical and professional standards, trust in columns (opinion and analysis pages), trust in specialised coverage, and how the people’s trust fares in general.

Dr Bassam Al Towaisi of the Jordan Media Institute, told a news conference yesterday that the poll of 2,500 respondents, 50 per cent of whom were citizens and 50 per cent expatriates, showed that 94 per cent of the people trust the UAE media outlets.

Dr Al Towaisi added some 69.6 per cent of the respondents said they trusted local media outlets’ coverage of local politics, 74 per cent trusted coverage of local security affairs, 71 per cent trusted coverage of regional politics, 72 per cent confidence in coverage of local services, 73 per cent trusted coverage of the financial affairs, 74 per cent sports, 78 per cent weather news, 65 per cent crime and violent news and 48 per cent of celebrity news.

Some 78.7 per cent of respondents said they trust columns — opinion and analysis — of local media outlets. Some 81 per cent of the respondents, 16 per cent of whom are from India, said they trusted columnists of the UAE dailies, while 71 per cent of the respondents said they trusted columnists of the Arab newspapers and 84 per cent said they trusted writers and analysts of digital news outlets.

In its annual confidence poll, Gallup found that Americans’ trust in the mass media “to report the news fully, accurately and fairly” reached its lowest level in polling history, with only 32 per cent saying they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media.

According to a 2016 Pew Research study, 22 per cent of respondents had “a lot” of trust in local news organisations, compared to 18 per cent who trust national outlets. In total, local news coverage enjoyed a six-point advantage over national stations.

Some 93.5 per cent of respondents backed the local media landscape’s commitment to ethical and professional standards.

Some 95 per cent of respondents said news put out by UAE media outlets is accurate and reliable, 96 per cent of respondents said journalists and media outlets in the UAE are trustworthy, while 97 per cent said they found journalists of UAE media outlets highly professional.

Some 96 per cent of respondents said that UAE media outlets are respectful of family values and 93 per cent of respondents said UAE media outlets take care to avoid hate speech.

Some 86.3 per cent of respondents said they trusted the media outlets. Some 81 per cent of respondents said they trusted online news portals, 87 per cent trusted radios, 85 per cent trusted televisions and 87 per cent news channels, while 90 per cent trusted print media — newspapers and magazines.

The margin of error of the poll is five per cent.

Sources of information and news

97 per cent smart phones

83 per cent TVs

14 per cent subscription to a daily newspaper

77 per cent PCs and laptops

63 per cent car radio

27 per cent pay TVs

26 per cent aradios at home

9 per cent subsription to digital news services

14 per cent of respondents said they have subsription to a daily newspaper

Sources of news at emergency and disaster times:

33 per cent from TV channels

22 per cent Facebook

12 per cent print dailies

10 per cent Twitter

10 per cent digital news outlets

4 per cent radios

3 per cent magazines

4 per cent friends and colleagues

4 per cent do not care

Trustworthy local news sources:

30 per cent TVs

25 per cent facebook

12 per cent twitter

10 per cent print newspapers

Trustworthy news sources about region and world:

30 per cent TVs

26 per cent facebook

13 per cent twitter

8 per cent print newpapers

7 per cent digital news platforms

Specialised coverage

Local politics: 26 per cent daily newspapers, 37 per cent local TVs, 25 per cent Facebook and Twitter, 6 per cent digital news platforms

Security affairs: 38 per cent TVs, 22 per cent daily newspapers, 26 per cent Facebook and Twitter, 9 per cent radios

Regional politics: 41 per cent TVs, 29 per cent face book and Twitter, 6 per cent digital news services

Social media coverage of local politics: 57 per cent Facebok, 22 per cent Twitter, 12 per cent Instagram, 1 per cent Snapchat, 1 per cent Whatsapp, 1 per cent Youtube

Social media coverage of local security affairs: 56 per cent Facebook, 25 per cent Twitter, 11 per cent Instagram, 2 per cent Youtube, 1 per cent Whatsapp

Social media coverage of financial affairs: 54 per cent Facebook, 24 per cent Twitter, 12 per cent Instagram, 2 per cent each Youtube and Snapchat