In a survey of 3,000 media users aged 16-74 across Sweden and Norway, Schibsted has tried to get to the bottom of what drives people’s trust in editor-controlled media.
The study, which among other things looked at how trust affects the extent of use and users’ willingness to pay for content from editor-controlled media, was published today.
– For Schibsted’s media operations, we have concluded that trust is our most important competitive advantage in the increasingly automated and fragmented media landscape, says executive director for Schibsted’s news media, Siv Juvik Tveitnesin a comment.
She adds:
– Understanding the dynamics of trust in these times of change is not just about curiosity – it is a necessity for our business model and the function the media have in society.
Increased user income
In the study’s first phase, insights were gathered through academic research, expert interviews and focus groups. In the next phase, Schibsted, in collaboration with NoA Consulting, conducted interviews with 3,000 media users in Sweden and Norway.
The study shows four key drivers of user trust:
How credible the user perceives the journalistic work process and the people behind the content to be, how credible the user perceives the content itself to be, how relevant and useful the individual user perceives the content to be and the user’s experience of which facts, events and topics are covered or not covered.
– The study indicates that investments in trust can be the key to increasing user income, says the project manager for the trust study, Agnes Stenbom.
The editor’s role
Schibsted says that there are few trust factors that distinguish Norwegian and Swedish users.
The results show that there was a whopping 94 percent agreement when it comes to which factors make Swedish and Norwegian media users trust a media brand.
There was, however, one factor that stood out:
Among the Norwegian respondents, “responsible publisher” – which in Norwegian would normally be referred to as “responsible editor” – was the most important factor. Among the Swedes, the same factor was ranked as number nineteen.
It thus appears that the editor’s role, according to the study, is more significant in Norway than in Sweden.
Schibsted himself believes that part of the explanation lies in the different use of terms relating to editor-controlled media and the editor’s role in the two countries.
Different terminology
– We believe this difference can partly be attributed to the varying terminology used to describe editorial media in Norway and Sweden. In Norway, the category is often called “editor-controlled media”. While similar words exist in Swedish, such as “redactional media”, they are rarely used outside the industry. Instead, the Swedes talk about “journalism” or “the media” – which does not necessarily bring to mind the editor’s role, explains Stenbom in an article published on the Schibsted website today.
Although language may play a role in the difference between Swedish and Norwegian perceptions related to the term “responsible publisher”, there may also be other potential explanations, Schibsted believes.
Fredric Karénwho himself has previously been responsible editor for Svenska Dagbladet, points out that in some areas the editors are more visible on our side of the border:
– The responsible editor, the publisher, is a more public figure in Norway, not least as a result of the Press’s Professional Committee (PFU)’s public handling of complaints.
The concept of trust
Secretary General of the Norwegian Editors’ Association, Reidun Kjelling Nybøbelieves it is positive that Schibsted explores and deepens the concept of trust in this way.
She believes it is important to start from the audience and look more closely at what they mean by the concept of trust.
– It is interesting that the editor’s reliability is the most important factor among the public in Norway and that the answers vary so much between Norway and Sweden here. This is probably due – as Schibsted himself points out – to the fact that we have different usage of terms related to editor-controlled media and the editor’s role in the two countries, says Nybø and adds:
– My impression is also that the responsible editor has a more public profile in Norway than in Sweden, says Nybø.
And as Schibsted points out, the term “editor-controlled media” has been increasingly used in the last decade – both within the industry and outside.
– We have got it into the legislation, in the Media Responsibility Act. Personally, I think it is a far better and more understandable term than, for example editorial media which is more common in Sweden. Editor-in-chief highlights who is in charge.
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