Belarusian sociologists have identified an important trend: an increase in trust in the media – as stated by Aleksandr Postalovsky, the Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
According to Mr. Postalovsky, the media is a complex interdisciplinary field of scientific knowledge, and its results are investigated by sociologists who study how information can influence people, and what leads to formation of thematic preferences. “Sociology as a science in the study of the information space is aimed directly at studying the audience — consumers of information. It helps identify the thematic preferences of people, forms rating indicators of the demand for a certain information content, makes it possible to build predictive media analytics and media trends,” he explained.
The expert noted that the scientific study of the media space is practice-oriented, “We enjoy constructive scientific co-operation with the Information Ministry and, in 2023, implemented an interesting scientific project: we developed recommendations for improving the work of the national media based on an assessment of the transformation of factors and conditions for increasing confidence in them.”
Mr. Postalovsky explained, “An important trend that we have identified is an increase in trust in the media – in particular, in the state media. Actually, trust is a socio-psychological conviction of the audience in the reliability of information content, it is a form of social approval. In 2021, our research showed that around 38 percent of respondents had trust in the state media, but the figure already exceeded 54 percent in 2023. We record an increase in trust in the state media resources, the latter are becoming more recognisable and popular among the audience. Actually, Head of State Aleksandr Lukashenko was absolutely right in saying that the truth is the main weapon of modern journalism in the era of information turbulence. It is the ability to convey the truth about current events in the country and the world, as well as the ability to spread it, that has inspired the audience — viewers, readers, Internet users — to turn towards the state media.”
