Independent local radio in Ireland, which includes the Galway Bay fm station, is at the top of a prestigious ranking for trust in the media, figures released today showed.
71% of Irish people have trust in local radio, according to the latest research from the Reuters Institute, published today by Coimisiún na Meán.
Local radio was placed jointly at the top of the survey, along with RTE, as the most trusted news brands.
Both RTE and local radio provide public service news and an interesting finding is that young adults have the most positive views of public service media, followed by older adults.
Approximately half of under- 35s perceive a positive impact, while 46% of those over 65 share this view.
Across most age groups, about one-fifth have a negative view of public service media, rising to around a quarter of 55-64s.
Trust in news in Ireland at 71% remains relatively high compared to the UK at 31%, the US at 26% and the European average at 36%.
The report is published by Coimisiún na Meán whose Media Development Commissioner Rónán Ó Domhnaill says: "We are encouraged by the positive views that Irish people express towards public service media, with some 42% saying it has a positive impact on life in the country. This is twelve percentage points higher than in the UK (30%), and six percentage points above the European average (36%)."
