Romanians have less confidence in the news in 2022. In addition, many of them are avoiding important media: the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the rising cost of living crisis.

Compared to the whole global sample, the research indicates, for Romania, the biggest decrease in trust in the news. And if they choose to "consume" news, they prefer less to TV and get information from Facebook or TikTok, especially young people, the study also shows.

However, PRO TV and Digi24 are among the most credible media brands, according to the 2022 Digital News Report (DNR) study conducted worldwide (including in Romania) by the Reuters Institute at Oxford University.

The level of media confidence registered this year in Romania is 33%, 9 pp lower than in 2021, according to DNR data. At the same time, 31% say they do not trust the press, and 35% are neither trustworthy nor distrustful.

However, the study reports the work of exceptional newsrooms, which do both news and investigative journalism, and which are constantly appreciated and supported by their audiences, say the report's authors.

Prof. Raluca Radu, Director of the Journalism Department at FJSC, UB and coordinator of the Digital News Report team in Romania, stated: "In 2021, in Romania, court threats, intimidation and even death threats were used to prevent the publication of materials of public interest, and money was used for political propaganda, to buy the goodwill of the press.

Journalists certainly didn't have a good year. The sharp drop in media confidence and interest in news materials below pre-pandemic levels shows that media legitimacy has been Multiple methods of intimidating Romanian journalists were used to stop discussing topics of public interest.”

Despite the popularity of video formats, the report notes that, on average, all age groups say they would rather read the news online than watch it. Respondents say they prefer to read online because it is faster (50%) or gives them more control (34%). About a third (35%) say they are discouraged by advertisements that sometimes appear before videos.

In 2022, the Digital News Report survey, conducted online, covered 46 media markets, with a sample of over 93000 people. In Romania, the sample was 2001 people, with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percent.

The 11th edition of the Digital Audience Study is being coordinated by Oxford University.