The role of exposure to violence in citizens’ relative trust in media types for conflict-related information and news

Media serve as vital sources of information for conflict contexts, where civilians often confront violence threatening their safety, emotional well-being and survival. Our research explores the impact of exposure to conflict-related violence on people’s trust in different media types regarding conflict-related information and news (CRIN). We particularly investigate the factors influencing citizens’ relative trust in media within conflict settings, with a particular focus on how exposure to violence resulting from conflict conditions (i.e. involvement) and perceptions of state efficacy in security provision (i.e. blame attribution) shape trust in legacy vs social media. Based on a nationwide survey in Türkiye’s conflict zone, they discover that previous exposure to violence alone does not significantly affect media trust for seeking CRIN. Instead, the influence of exposure to violence is positively associated with trusting social media more for CRIN, conditional on the belief that the state is ineffective in providing security for its citizens. This finding suggests that the combination of exposure to violence and a perception of the state’s inadequacy in addressing an ongoing conflict may drive people to follow the developments regarding a conflict from social media. The findings offer substantial insights into how individual media choices are shaped within the larger framework of a conflict environment, utilizing original data collection from a real-world conflict setting.