As Donald Trump rails against the media in the US, calling out multiple outlets for “fake news” on an almost daily basis, politicians across the globe too, seem to have caught the “fake news” bug.

While we could debate the veracity of Trump’s definition of “fake news” all day, it does seem to have sparked a worldwide trend for consumers to more critically assess what they hear, see and read.

Survey results from radio ratings research company GfK, make for some timely and illuminating reading. GfK surveyed 1276 radio listeners from Australian metro and regional areas on their media consumption and asked which media they most trusted. Radio was the standout, with 42% saying they consider radio trustworthy, compared to 24% for TV, 18% for online and 15% for newspapers/magazines. These results are also consistent with European research by EBU Media Intelligence Service, which also rated radio as the most trusted medium.

Why would radio score so highly against newspapers for example, which have been part of Australian society’s fabric since The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser was first published in 1803? What is it about radio that engenders greater trust than other mediums? The answer might lie in a study conducted in the US in 2012 by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. They examined the relationship between listeners and broadcasters and confirmed that many listeners feel they have a genuine relationship with their favourite radio personalities. The research found that 82% of the respondents “expressed feelings and exhibited behaviours consistent with a phenomenon known as “parasocial identification.”

What is “parasocial identification” I hear you ask? Well, in a nutshell it describes a one sided relationship in which one party feels as though they know a great deal about other and at the same time the other party is unaware of the other’s existence. Anyone who’s listened to talkback radio callers will understand the devotion and depth of feeling listeners show when they speak with their favourite radio personalities – whether it be Ray Hadley or Hamish and Andy.  It’s the closeness and depth of this relationship that breeds such high levels of trust which results in a willingness for listeners to believe what they hear from their favourite broadcaster, on their favourite radio station.

No other media builds community like radio does, and there’s no greater companion for the lonely – just take a listen to overnight talk stations around Australia. Radio has the ability to persuade, comfort, inform and is the most trusted and authentic source because of the emotional and intimate connections listeners form with broadcasters. With such a high level of trust comes a high level of responsibility. The responsibility to be accurate, to tell both sides of the story and to cover important issues in good faith. If Australian radio can continue to deliver on this responsibility, it will maintain its position as our most trusted media and there’s no amount of tweeting from under pressure politicians that will change that fact.

By John Solvander Media Stable Director of Media Engagement