In Peace Journalism we Trust? Effects of Peace Journalism on News-item Credibility and Media Trust

Responding to criticisms that conflict reporting is at times overly sensational with negative impacts on individuals, peace journalism aims to shift journalistic attention from episodic, event-based reports to coverage highlighting structural causes of conflict as well as its peaceful transformation. However, little is known about how audiences perceive such reports, particularly when it comes to perceptions of credibility or trust. Using an experiment in the U.S. context, this study examines the effects of exposure to peace journalism on individuals’ perceptions of news-item credibility and trust in news media generally. Results show that peace-journalism framing may have short-term positive effects on individuals’ perceptions of a news article’s credibility, but general media trust is primarily driven by political ideology. Implications for journalism theory and practice are discussed.