In their new article, “News media and citizens’ trust toward authorities in times of crisis,” former guest researcher Maud Reveilhac and Hajo Boomgaarden track trust in government over more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, combining a 32-wave panel survey with measures of news coverage on salient crisis topics. Using multilevel modeling, they assess the direct effects of media coverage and risk perceptions—as well as their interaction—on citizens’ trust.

The findings highlight that both media coverage and citizens’ risk perceptions play a crucial role in shaping trust in government during crises. Different types of coverage and varying levels of exposure interact with how people perceive risks, influencing whether trust is strengthened or weakened.

This study sheds light on how media coverage and risk perceptions jointly shape citizens’ trust in authorities during crises, highlighting both the fragility of political trust and the central role of news media as information brokers.

Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612251317266

Cite the article:

Reveilhac, M., & Boomgaarden, H. (2025). News media and citizens’ trust toward authorities in times of crisis. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612251317266