[Mot de l’info] How can the erosion of trust be prevented?

The data is disturbing, disturbing. The democratic health of our societies is directly linked to the quality of the information circulating there. The more citizens doubt the reliability of media work, the less public debate can take place on an orderly basis.

True, it can be difficult to navigate the abundance of information sources. To guide citizens in this amount of information, international initiatives for collaboration networks and monitoring of information production standards have been set up. In addition to our Journalism Standards and Practices (New window), which we respect very much, we are linked to some of these projects. At CBC, Radio-Canada became, this week, the first Canadian broadcaster to be certified under the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI). (New window) of Reporters Without Borders. This international standard evaluates the reliability of news media through Deloitte’s external audit. Radio-Canada Info received the highest score, 100%. The detailed review report (New window)which contains all the standards used, is accessible to all.

Thanks to Les Décrypteurs, Radio-Canada is also a member of the International Fact-Checking Network (New window)which brings together fact-checking teams from major media outlets, and the Trusted News Initiative (New window)a framework for collaboration between the media and tech giants to limit the spread of dangerous fake news.

The decline in confidence observed by the Reuters Institute was associated with a dislike of institutions in general. It is also based on the weakening of the notion of reality, maintained by philosophical and political currents, as well as on the polarization of society, exposed in the United States and better known here since the COVID-19 pandemic. 19.

More pragmatically, this can also be explained by the lack of knowledge of the work of journalists, starting with mixing genres: a columnist giving his opinion does not do the same job as a journalist reporting facts. . Other aspects of the job are also often misunderstood. The difficult questions of journalists at a press conference are sometimes considered proof of numbness, even arrogance, if they are needed to bring out facts or statements that we would rather leave in the dark.

These facts are clearly known in newsrooms, but it is understood that they are less well known to people consulting media content.

Promote transparency

In an attempt to make our work more understandable, we have implemented several transparency initiatives over the past few years. This word news is an example of this, as is our Behind the Scenes section. Nor will we hesitate to correct our mistakes diligently. In some cases, like municipal elections in Quebec, we even reevaluate our ways of doing things. Our counter-disinformation tools, including Decryptors and the Disinformation Bot, are other examples of what we do to earn and keep your trust.

In addition, we multiply reports on the ground that tell your truth and elsewhere, because it’s important for us that you identify yourself with our content and that you can have a Canadian perspective on what’s happening on the planet. . It’s about the connection between us, you and the world. And it’s to stay well connected to the greatest number that we multiply the formats of our reports, just as Rad does very well. (New window)or that we use the capabilities of social networks to present information in a different way (the Radio-Canada archives on TikTok (New window) worth the detour!).

Is that enough? No. Does it work? We dare to believe, because the situation here is still better than elsewhere. In France and the United States, the trust rate is less than 30%.

But it is not a consolation or an invitation to sit idle. Other countries manage to do better; Finland, for example, has a confidence rate of 69%.

Therefore, we will continue to look for new ways to strengthen and develop a relationship of trust with you. Keep in touch with us in large numbers, to challenge us when you have the impression that we can do our job better, to also encourage us in our good works! And thank you for being demanding of your public broadcaster. We will never be perfect, but we will always strive to surpass ourselves to fulfill your expectations.