Public engagement with Cypriot media continues its decline

People are showing less interest in the media and the news, a study for the Cypriot Journalist’s Union (ESK) showed on Wednesday, as decline usage was noticed in all categories aside from one.

Radio was the only category of media to see an increase in usage, according to the study conducted by Cypronetwork from July-August 2023 with a sample size of 1,000 respondents.

The results of the survey were presented by the director of Cypronetwork, Christos Michailidis.

In his presentation, Giorgos Frangos, head of ESK, pointed out that the downward trend of the printed press continues.

“This year, the public’s preferential choice, for the first time, was limited below ten points, to just 9 per cent.”

At the same time, he noted that all but one source of information has been on a downward trend for the last three years. Television from 76 per cent to 72 per cent, social media from 73 per cent to 60 per cent and news websites from 48 per cent to 42 per cent.

Only radio showed a slight increase from 39 per cent to 41 per cent, Frangos said.

He also indicated that the overall index shows “that more and more people choose not to be informed at all, remaining uninvolved in socio-political events.”

According to Frangos, the survey concluded that the public trusts journalists more than the media that employ them, adding that this year the gap has widened even more. In particular, while journalists enjoy the trust of the public by 48 per cent, the mass media gain the trust of only 42 per cent. At the same time, he emphasised that journalists are considered reliable by 48 per cent of respondents, while the mass media are considered reliable by only 37 per cent.

“As ESK, we believe that this particular evaluative element should particularly concern those who hold the reins of the media landscape in Cyprus,” he said.

In addition, Frangos expressed ESK’s ambition in the near future to conduct an internal investigation, in which the journalists themselves will be invited to evaluate and judge the journalistic work produced in the country.