"About half (48%) of internet users in Brazil always or most of the time distrust information produced by professional news outlets — a higher share than those who distrust content from friends or family on social media (39%) or on messaging apps (42%).
At the same time, only 36% of internet users say they always verify information they receive through messaging apps or social media […]. The data come from TIC Panel, a survey of internet users in Brazil conducted by the organizations Comitê Gestor da Internet, Núcleo de Informação e Coordenação do Ponto BR (NIC.br) and the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br).
‘The results are very concerning. They show the fragility in the formation of public opinion; as several studies have already shown, trust in the messenger carries more weight than the accuracy of the content,’ said Renata Mieli, head of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br)."
