What the survey says: American teens and adults view local news as most trustworthy, though few Americans have a great deal of confidence in any of the four news sources in the study — local news, national news, independent creators and AI chatbots.
Older Americans tend to have greater trust in traditional news organizations. In contrast, younger Americans show similar levels of confidence in both traditional outlets and newer sources, like independent creators and AI chatbots.
What it means for local news: Trust in local news organizations isn’t a given, especially among younger audiences. You can’t assume that your community will automatically give you more authority than other news sources.
Try this
Start here: Choose a recurring coverage area and identify one area where you assume your audience knows why this topic matters to them, why this update is important or why they should keep paying attention.
Take action: In a story, newsletter, video or social post from that coverage area publishing this week, more clearly communicate the topic’s relevance or stakes for your audience.
Reflect: How did that revision improve clarity? What did you learn about your newsrooms’ assumptions about trust?
