Rebuilding Trust: A Christian Perspective on Modern Media

There is a real problem with the media in our country. A staggeringly low 28% of people say that they trust the news media. How did we move away from serving the people that we are reporting for? This number is at an all-time low, down from a high of 72% in 1976 and more recently 45% in 2018. With the polarized state of our country, the number is likely to decline. But how have we, as the news, come so far from where we began?

There are numerous issues that I have with the media and broadcasting organizations, but how should Christians who work in these fields approach their careers? Have we gotten away from what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10 where he says, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Trust comes from years and years of building a relationship with your audience, whereas distrust comes much quicker.

As Christians who are in the media, we are to be stewards to our audience. We are to imitate Christ when he says, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” Now, as a member of the media, serving looks slightly different from how it may have looked for Jesus Christ. Our service, however, is found in our persistence and commitment to truth. These are not subjective opinions that we read into a story, but the truth that is what happened. We are not shying away because something may seem not politically correct or too Christian. We are to face this head-on and prayerfully write, broadcast, or speak the truth in our world.