How Are Attitudes Toward News Coverage of Immigration Related to General Trust in News Media? A Longitudinal Test of Spillover Effects of Hostile Media and Credibility Perceptions

Abstract

Trust in news media can be understood as the expectation that the news media will fulfill their social function. The factors that predict trust in news media, such as media content or the characteristics of the recipients, are well researched. To date, however, little attention has been paid to two areas that our study addresses: the role of issues in building trust in news media and longitudinal analyses. Based on a representative three-wave online panel survey in Switzerland, a cross-lagged panel model shows that credibility judgments of issue-specific coverage are positively correlated with general trust in news media. However, no causal effects on trust are found over time.