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Public trust in news in Ireland has dropped sharply over the past year, with confidence in “most news” falling 9 percentage points, according to the Digital News Report Ireland 2026.
The findings, published on Tuesday by Coimisiún na Meán, show that Ireland recorded one of the steepest year-on-year declines in news trust of any country surveyed. Overall trust in news fell nine percentage points, from 51% last year to 42% this year.
While trust in specific Irish journalistic brands has held relatively steady, confidence in the broader news environment has weakened markedly.
Rónán Ó Domhnaill, Media Development Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán, described the shift as a “significant decline” in public trust in news generally.
“Most people trust the news they personally consume,” he said. “But there is greater scepticism about the news media environment overall.”
The survey found a clear gap between personal and general trust: 51% of respondents said they trust the news they consume themselves, compared with 42% who said they trust most news.
Trust levels were lower for other sources. News from search engines was trusted by 31% of respondents, while news obtained via social media was trusted by just 16%. Trust in news generated by AI chatbots stood at 14%.
News avoidance has also reached a record high in Ireland. Nearly half of Irish adults (47%) said they actively try to avoid news, up six percentage points from 41% last year. The share of people who said they never avoid news fell from 28% to 22%.
Interest in news has softened slightly. Just over half of respondents (54%) described themselves as “extremely” or “very” interested in news, down from 56% in 2025 and well below the 70% recorded during the Covid period in 2021.
Despite the wider decline in confidence, established media organisations continue to enjoy relatively high trust ratings, with only a slight decline.
RTÉ News and local radio news were jointly ranked as Ireland’s most trusted news brands, each scoring 71%. Local newspapers and The Irish Times followed on 69%, with the Irish Independent on 68% and BBC News on 67%. Sky News recorded 66%, while Newstalk and the Irish Examiner both stood at 65%. Today FM was trusted by 64% of respondents.
These figures represent only modest changes from the previous year’s survey, when RTÉ News and local radio news were trusted by 72%, local newspapers by 71%, The Irish Times by 70%, and BBC News by 70%.
Professor Jane Suiter, Director of DCU’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society, noted the distinction between trust in individual outlets and trust in news more broadly.
“Despite the worrying trend of declining trust in news, this year’s survey finds that Irish people continue to trust major brands, including our national state broadcaster,” she said.
“The strong trust in local outlets also speaks to the importance of a continuing robust regional news offering in the country.”
Ireland remains comparatively trusting of news compared to many other countries. The 42% of Irish respondents who said they trust most news compares with 36% across Europe, 31% in the UK, and 26% in the United States.
The survey also examined how people access news. Television and online news websites were tied as the main source, each cited by 31% of respondents as their primary news source.
Among traditional broadcasters, RTÉ Television News remained the most widely used offline source at 44%, followed by RTÉ radio news at 29%. Online, RTÉ News Online was the most accessed digital news source at 37%, ahead of The Journal at 29% and the Irish Independent online at 23%.
A new question in this year’s report asked respondents whether news provided by “public service” broadcasting has a positive or negative effect on life in Ireland. Some 42% said it has a positive effect, while 20% said it has a negative effect.
The Digital News Report is produced annually by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. Analysis of the Irish data was carried out by DCU’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society, and the Irish edition is published by the media regulator Coimisiún na Meán.
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