The Star, most trusted brand
The daily is the highest ranking among English news portals

PETALING JAYA: The Star is still the top English-language news portal in terms of brand trust scores in Malaysia, according to an annual study of news trends.

For brand trust scores, news channels Astro Awani and The Star scored 64% and 58%, respectively, as reported in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024.

The report added that The Star was the top English daily for weekly offline reach among TV, radio, and print and the top English language portal for weekly online reach.

In an overview of the report, Reuters Institute senior research associate and Digital News Report lead author Nic Newman shared key findings: “In many countries, especially outside Europe and the United States, we find a significant further decline in the use of Facebook for news and a growing reliance on a range of alternatives including private messaging apps and video networks.”

Video is also becoming a more important source of online news, especially with younger groups.

According to the report, worries about distinguishing between trustworthy and untrustworthy content on online platforms are highest for TikTok and X compared with other online networks.

“Both platforms have hosted misinformation or conspiracies around stories such as the war in Gaza and the Princess of Wales’ health, as well as so-called ‘deep fake’ pictures and videos,” it said.

On the subject of artificial intelligence (AI), Newman noted: “Our research also indicates that people who tend to trust the news, in general, are also more likely to be comfortable with uses of AI where humans (journalists) remain in control, compared with those that don’t.”

The survey showed that respondents are more comfortable with the use of AI in behind-the-scenes tasks, such as transcription and translation, to support rather than replace journalists.

“As publishers rapidly adopt AI, to make their businesses more efficient and to personalise content, our research suggests they need to proceed with caution, as the public generally wants humans in the driving seat at all times,” he added.

In his concluding remarks, Newman said: “In a world of superabundant content, success is also likely to be rooted in standing out from the crowd, to be a destination for something that the algorithm and AI can’t provide while remaining discoverable via many different platforms.”

The 13th edition of the Digital News Report is based on data from nearly 100,000 respondents from six continents and 47 markets.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is part of Oxford University’s Politics and International Relations Department and is affiliated with Green Templeton College.

Their core funding comes from the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Their work is also supported by many other funders, including academic funding bodies, foundations, non-profits and industry partners.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring the future of journalism worldwide through debate, engagement and research.
PETALING JAYA: The Star is still the top English-language news portal in terms of brand trust scores in Malaysia, according to an annual study of news trends.