Television is the most trusted medium, according to Peruvians
News in Peru: which media do Peruvians trust the most?
Traditional media are facing stiff competition from independent programmes and social media, although TV remains the preferred medium in Peru.
Trust is a major indicator for any country’s media. News in Peru travels fast, not only on the websites of its well-known newspapers, but also in independent media which exploit the potential of social networks. Radio has a relatively wider reach across the territory, while television remains one of the preferred ways for Peruvians to receive their news.
Our 2021 report on media consumption in Latin America revealed that TV remains the favourite medium for watching the news among Peruvians. 93% of those surveyed for the report stated that they watch the news on TV at least once a week, while 60% do so every day.
Reading newspapers and magazines is still common in Peru, more so than any other country in the region. 26% or Peruvians said they read newspapers every day, while 50% read them at least once a week. While newspapers’ print runs have been in decline in recent years due to digital migration, the physical medium still lingers.
Radio is a special case too – only in Brazil and Peru has radio audience grown compared to the previous two years. 28% of Peruvians said they listen to radio every day, while 25% listen to it more than once a week. Radio is the medium with the greatest coverage in Peru, and can be heard even in the most remote parts of the country.
Trust makes a difference
Television is the most trusted media among Peruvians, according to 39% of respondents in our report. TV is followed by web portals (20%), social media (16%), radio (14%), print media (10%) and podcasts (1%), which have been gaining in popularity throughout the region.
The digital convergence which is taking place across all media worldwide has forced Peruvian outlets to generate new content, and find new ways to spread the news in Peru. This includes producing programmes for social media, setting up podcasts, and incorporating videos, infographics and other multimedia elements on their websites.
In addition, independent media outlets have grown in number, and have begun to foster loyal communities which make these projects self-sustainable. In Peru, there is the example of La Encerrona, created during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as Sálvese Quien Pueda and other programmes which can be viewed via YouTube and other social networks. Young audiences are used to checking the news when they have the time, and as a result they are less informed by traditional media than by social media.
On this topic, Facebook is considered to be the most trusted social media platform for news among 38% of Peruvians surveyed. The platform is followed by Twitter and YouTube (17%), WhatsApp (12%), Instagram (7%), LinkedIn (6%) and TikTok (3%). All of these figures are growing steadily.
Fact-checking as an answer
Social media has also become an important sounding board for diverse messages and potential trends. This results in a great deal of misinformation, from chains that can be passed on via WhatsApp to videos that are published via TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. For this reason, people are resorting to Fact-Checking or data verification to identify and dismiss fake news.
95% of Peruvians surveyed said they verify information before sharing it. When they suspect it is false, 30% say they perform a quick Google search. 39% of respondents turn to official sources or fact-checking media.
As we have seen in our report, the news in Peru comes from a number of different platforms. Television continues to be the preferred and most reliable medium, but there is no denying the growth of digital media and social networks, which has become a global trend.
If you would like to review the full Latin American Media Consumption Report 2021 you can download it for free from our website. You can also follow us on our social networks to know whenever a new, exclusive report is due to be published.
