These days, professional communicators are scurrying to become more conversant in the emerging channels audiences use to get news and information. The sheer number of focused news sources -- no matter what the topic in which you have interest -- is enough to make a PR pro's head spin.

In this increasingly atomized media landscape, PR practitioners can't live without an understanding of how, where and why specific groups of people get information. We have to have working knowledge of the channels and sources constituents rely upon to formulate opinions in order to tell our organizations' stories in a relevant way. As in ages past, it all comes down to trust.

Earlier this year, the GolinHarris Dialogue integrated media team launched a new ongoing research initiative called "TMI" -- the Trusted Media Index. The effort is aimed at helping GH teams and our clients keep tabs on the choices narrowly defined audiences make for getting specific information about particular topics. And to understand how those choices change over time.

While this research was originally intended as an internal learning tool -- one of many we use to understand audiences -- we want to share some basic findings from our initial survey. Scroll down for a link to download an introductory whitepaper.

We fielded an initial consumer opinion survey of nearly 1,100 US citizens and asked a flurry of questions about media consumption habits and their viewpoints of specific information sources. We explored sentiment across 10 different modes of communication spanning traditional/mainstream media, digital and social media, direct experience and word of mouth.

GH developed a comparative index (think Consumer Confidence Index) to give us an apples-to-apples comparison of trust for 10 unique information source categories. We defined trust as the sum of reliance, confidence in, present/future use and value of each information source.

Click here to view a small chart with TMI summary data.

For each of these information sources, we also determined what's driving their trust -- literally, why someone selects a particular type of news source for information on a particular topic.

The research is most useful when it's sliced and diced far beyond traditional demographic subsets into smaller groups with specific interests. Understanding the characteristics of Internet forums which attract working moms who seek health and wellness information. Or knowing, for example, why a senior may choose print newspapers for financial news over online sources -- despite having a broadband connection at home.

A few headlines from our study as it relates to all Americans:

There is no substitute for personal experience. Despite the flurry of new mediated information sources (more magazines, more television channels, more online-only news sites, etc.), most Americans still trust most what's in closest proximity: their own experience. Direct experience remains the most trusted source of information for virtually every demographic group, for every major topic of information. In PR, these valued experiences might come in the form of a mobile tour or sampling program.

Word of Mouth is strong. WOM allows individuals to "borrow" the direct experience of others and ranks as the second most trusted information category in our study. Recommendations from friends and family have always been influential, but the Internet's ability to let individuals self publish, share, and search for opinions with unprecedented ease has made WOM even more powerful and trusted than ever before.

Companies which embrace consumer dialogue and provide easy tools to spread the word will continue to see benefits from positive word of mouth. If you're selling consumer electronics products online, for example, think about sending your loyal customers a link to a review site to encourage positive feedback.

Online media has come of age. One of the more surprising findings of our initial research is the relative strength of dedicated online media such as CNET, WebMD and iVillage. It's now more trusted by most Americans more than every major mainstream media category, outpacing radio, television, newspapers and magazines (including their related online Web sites).

Much of online media's trust comes from familiarity -- people now have enough experience using the Internet that it's become a reliable, valuable channel. The tipping point for online media has been reached and it's now regarded as a "mainstream" information source.

Communications programs without a dedicated online media strategy miss a major opportunity to reach audiences in a highly trusted channel.

Radio is the most trusted "mainstream" media channel. While trust in all traditional media channels appears to be in decline overall, radio (including podcasts, streaming audio and satellite radio) shows relative strength compared to other mainstream news sources.

We believe this is due in part to radio's quick shift to portable and on demand formats. Some of the most popular podcasts, for example, are simply time-shifted radio news programs which allow consumers to listen on their own time, on their own terms.

Social and collaborative media channels show promise for the future. When asked about future trust, social media showed the biggest gains among US respondents. Internet forums, social networks and blogs were all touted as more highly trusted channels for the future. Today, trust in these channels is relatively low overall, though markedly higher for influencer groups (more on this in a moment).

Trust in a media source is determined by many factors, but familiarity is one of the most fundamental. As individuals become more comfortable and experienced in collaborative online news environments, their trust will surely grow. Communicators who gain experience communicating ethically through these channels now are making investments in their future ability to reach taste-makers.

Influencers are news junkies. One of the small subsets we examined was a group we call "ProActives" -- that is, individuals who have demonstrated through action their propensity to get involved and share their opinions with wide audiences. Compared to the general population, these influencers relied more heavily on a myriad of channels, aggressively seeking out new perspectives on topics of interest. They're well-versed in social media, too, allowing them to share their ideas with others more readily.

Companies who want to reach these folks need to do it consistently across virtually all channels -- and not take a myopic approach focusing on just a few information sources. Because Proactives compare, contrast and evaluate differing opinions, it's critical to ensure your organization's message is communicated universally.

If you'd like a deeper dive into the Trusted Media Index, download a primer by clicking here.

To learn more about our research, or to better understand media trust for a specific audience, contact Jeff Beringer at:

Jeff Beringer
GolinHarris
p 972.341.2508
e jberinger@golinharris.com

In the future, we'll be publishing insights about more narrowly-defined groups and their most trusted sources of information. GH will be fielding fresh TMI surveys, too, allowing us to report on changes in media trust over time.