Rebuilding trust, one story at a time
Loyalty develops when audiences believe a news organization serves the public rather than a political agenda.
PHOTO coutesy of Canva
Daily TribuneLoyalty develops when audiences believe a news organization serves the public rather than a political agenda.
PHOTO coutesy of Canva
Not long ago, I met a grandmother waiting for her turn at a community Fake news awareness
assistance center. While seated beside a young mother, she noticed that the woman looked worried and confused about a government program she had heard about online.
Instead of scrolling past her concern, the grandmother patiently explained what she knew, showed her an article from a reputable news source and encouraged her to verify information before sharing it with others.
It was a small act of kindness. But it reminded me that trust is built the same way communities are built, not through grand gestures, but through everyday acts of care.
This week, the Reuters Institute Digital News Report delivered a troubling finding. Trust in the news in the Philippines fell sharply from 38 percent in 2025 to only 28 percent in 2026, the steepest decline among the 48 countries surveyed.
At the same time, more Filipinos are avoiding the news altogether. Many feel overwhelmed by the political conflict, misinformation, online arguments, and the sheer volume of information competing for attention. Yet despite this decline in trust, two out of three Filipinos remain deeply concerned about fake news and misleading information.
That tells us something important.
People have not stopped looking for the truth. They are simply finding it harder to recognize whom to trust.
As a mother, I understand this struggle. Every day, we teach our children to distinguish right from wrong. We remind them not to believe everything they hear. We encourage them to ask questions and seek understanding.
Perhaps our society needs to do the same.
The report shows that more Filipinos now receive their news through Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, influencers, and even artificial intelligence tools. These platforms are fast, convenient, and often entertaining. But speed should never replace accuracy and popularity should never replace credibility.
If we want to increase news readership again, news organizations must reconnect with the people where they are. Stories must be relevant to ordinary families, written in language that people understand, and presented on the platforms they use every day. Journalism must not only inform, it must also listen.
At the same time, citizens have a role to play.
I think of the public school teacher who spends extra time helping her students evaluate news sources before using them in assignments. I think of the father who tells his children to read beyond the headlines before forming opinions. I think of volunteers who use social media not to spread anger, but to share verified information during typhoons and emergencies.
These are acts of generosity, too. They are gifts of truth.
Trust returns when people consistently see honesty. Readership grows when people find value. Loyalty develops when audiences believe a news organization serves the public rather than a political agenda.
The challenge before us is not simply to produce more news. It is to produce more trustworthy news and to create audiences who value truth enough to seek it.
As Scripture reminds us, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25)
In the end, rebuilding trust in the news is not only the responsibility of journalists. It belongs to all of us. Every time we choose truth over rumor, facts over noise, and understanding over division, we strengthen the foundation of a more informed and compassionate nation.
And that is a story worth sharing.