A Comparative Study of Public Trust in Traditional Media and Digital Media

Amid rapid transformations in the media ecosystem, public trust in news sources has become increasingly fragmented along traditional and digital lines. While existing research often treats media trust as a static or medium-specific attribute, it frequently overlooks how institutional practices, technological architectures, and audience perceptions interact to shape credibility judgments. This study addresses this gap through a qualitative comparative analysis of four high-profile cases between 2020 and 2024: a public broadcaster, a global wire service, a major social media platform, and a digitally transformed newspaper. Data were drawn from public opinion surveys, regulatory reports, platform disclosures, and user commentary, analyzed within a contextual trust framework. Findings reveal that trust is not determined by media type per se but by the alignment of editorial transparency, algorithmic accountability, and user agency. Legacy institutions face declining trust when unresponsive to digital audience expectations, while platforms optimized for engagement systematically erode credibility. Conversely, hybrid models integrating fact-based reporting with participatory design sustain or enhance trust. The study contributes a nuanced understanding of trust as a relational outcome in hybrid media environments, offering empirically grounded insights for journalism practice, platform governance, and media policy.