THE PHENOMENON OF DECLINING CONFIDENCE IN THE MEDIA: TRENDS AND THREAT MINIMIZATION
The article shows that the decline in the level of audience confidence in the media in recent years has become a pronounced trend. This is due to a complex of reasons. One of the main issues is the publication of false information by journalists. Cases of poor quality of journalistic materials are rarely discussed in the professional community. The controlling function of self-regulating organizations is reduced. The main losses of traditional media are in the segment of the youth audience. The author identifies the main "problem areas" that allow us to understand the reasons for this trend: publication of false, unverified information; lack of consideration for the needs of the youth audience; low level of perception by the audience journalists as "leaders of opinion"; limited coverage of problems and events in the media; low activity and authority of self-regulating journalistic organizations, primarily at the regional level. The levels of formation of trust in the media are determined. This allowed us to determine the course of action to overcome the current crisis situation. The author argues for the timely development of a comprehensive PR campaign aimed at correcting the media image.