A little more than half of Europeans trust their news media, with the figure much higher in Scandinavian countries but lower in several southern countries, an EU study said Thursday. Some 53 percent of respondents agreed their national media provide trustworthy information, while 44 percent disagree, according to the survey by the European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU.
Respondents in Finland led the way with 88 percent putting their faith in the media, followed by 77 percent in both Sweden and Denmark. In Ireland, 61 percent agreed the media provided trustworthy information, while the figure for Britain was 44 percent. In contrast, only 26 percent in Greece, 34 percent in France and 38 percent in Spain trusted what they read or hear on the media. However, the figure was 73 percent in Portugal.