The UK has the least trusted news media in the OECD, new polling by the intergovernmental organisation has revealed.
Less than 20 per cent of Brits say they have a high or moderately high trust in the news media, well below the 31 countries surveyed overall.
Israel and Finland recorded the highest levels of trust in their country’s news media, while the Netherlands and Belgium also showcased high levels of trust.
The findings have been revealed after broadcasting figures showed the BBC lost two million viewers on the general election night versus its 2019 coverage, with Channel 4 one of the big winners from a hotly contested night of broadcasting.
Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie were handed the presenting duties following Huw Edwards’ departure from the channel, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in between 10pm and 11pm on Thursday to see the exit poll.
The figure is down almost two million on 2019, when 6.1 million people tuned in.
ITV’s audience for election night was also down, with 1.3 million people watching its broadcast compared to 2.3 million at the last election.
Channel 4 was the night’s success story, with 930,000 viewers – almost double the 466,000 who tuned in for the last election.
Election night TV ratings
- BBC1: 2.9 million (37 per cent)
- ITV: 836,000 (10.7 per cent)
- Channel 4: 662,000 (8.5 per cent)
- Sky News: 372,000 (4.8 per cent)
- BBC News: 231,000 (2.9 per cent)
- GB News: 86,000 (1.1 per cent)
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