← TodayIn focus

Media & public trust

News habits, public information and the changing relationship between publishers and their audiences.

From across the edition

Latest stories

Browse archive ↗ · RSS feed ↗

5 stories

If the energy transition is going so well, why the hostility?

Despite record clean-energy generation and strong public support, political resistance, divisive media narratives and community mistrust threaten progress.

360info · Elianor Gerrard University of Technology, Sydney Jonathan Rispler University of Technology, Sydney

How some media shape regional Australia’s hostility to renewable energy

Research traces how partisan outlets link climate-delay narratives, fossil-fuel interests and audiences, reshaping regional energy debates and public trust.

360info · Klaus Groebner University of Queensland, Brisbane Daniel Angus University of Queensland, Brisbane

What 4,200 data points reveal about US government interference in research

Since January 2025, many US federal actions affecting research have looked like isolated administrative decisions. A new report by #DefendResearch and Research Consulting, drawing on 244 academic and news sources, shows that together they form a consistent pattern. Rob Johnson outlines what the report found and what it means for research systems beyond the US.

LSE Impact · Rob Johnson

Money has many ways to skin the democracy cat

Australia’s new political finance laws target big donations, but money buys influence in many other ways, from lobbying and media narratives to market power that shapes voter preferences. Real reform needs to go beyond donation caps to include competition policy, fairer public funding, and far greater transparency.

360info · Gabriele Gratton UNSW Business School, Sydney, Australia

An evaluation of a breastfeeding peer support service in North East England: A qualitative study with service users, practitioners and volunteers

Background: Breastfeeding has health benefits for women and infants. Although the WHO recommends that infants are breastfed exclusively for the first six months, exclusive breastfeeding rates remain low in the UK, with many women stopping breastfeeding within six weeks of their infant’s birth. Many women face challenges initiating and continuing breastfeeding, including low confidence, limited support and misinformation. Breastfeeding…

PLOS One · Kerry Brennan-Tovey, Simon Barrett et al.