# News trust up after years of slumps, storm before the calm

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mediawatch-1043897/news-trust-up-after-years-of-slumps-storm-before-the-calm
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/mediawatch-1043897/news-trust-up-after-years-of-slumps-storm-before-the-calm.md
Podcast: [Mediawatch](https://stenobird.com/podcast/mediawatch-1043897)
Published: 2026-04-18T21:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/mediawatch?share=e5bead96-38ce-43e5-bb81-0cea79f06e6f
Audio file: https://flex.acast.com/media.rnztools.nz/rnz-kete-oro-prod/video/private/ac_mp3,af_48000,br_192k,f_mp3,fl_attachment/v1776546567/audio/mwatch/mwatch-20260419-0900-news_trust_up_after_years_of_slumps_storm_before_the_calm.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2208

## Resource

Trust in the news is up again after years of decline, the latest annual survey says. But it als says trust in social media is up and more of us tune out the news more often. What’s going on? Also: Vaianu wasn’t as deadly as the media warned. Did they get it wrong? Read more about this episode of Mediawatch on the RNZ website New Zealanders' trust in news is up after years of slumps In this episode: 0:50 The media took Cyclone Vaianu seriously, amplifying official warnings it could be life-threatening. When it wasn’t, many accused the media of over-reacting. 11:40 Our trust in news has bounced back a bit in the latest annual survey, after several years of decline. 17:45 Is it a trend or a blip? The report’s authors, the AUT’s Dr Merja Myllylahti and Dr Greg Treadwell with their take. Guests: Dr Merja Myllylahti and Dr Greg Treadwell from the AUT’s centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy. Follow Mediawatch and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode. Find more RNZ Podcasts at the new section of the RNZ website at rnz.co.nz/podcasts Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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## Transcript

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