Who do you trust in 2025?

A few decades ago, news media in the ‘western world’ was among the most trusted of institutions. Yet today, largely as the result of polarisation, manipulation and the dismissal of inconvenient facts as ‘fake news’ it has a major credibility problem.

Simultaneously, the rise of social media and multiple new platforms has disrupted the established model of newspapers, magazines, radio and television so that any opinion can be shared.

However, these new platforms don’t encourage accuracy, they favour monetisation, misinformation and conflict.

X (formerly known as Twitter) ditched its moderation shortly after Elon Musk’s acquisition in late 2022 and Facebook ended its third party fact checking program in favour of a ‘community notes’ model earlier this month.

While LinkedIn does forbid speech that is based on prejudice, discrimination or stereotypes about ‘inherent traits’ or religious affiliation, there is no moderation of the near constant boasting and self promotion that permeates the platform.

And into this mix comes low-quality ‘slop’ generated by artificial intelligence.

And rather than this being regulated, platforms such as Facebook are positively encouraging it.

The shortfalls of AI were exposed as recently as mid-January, when Apple suspended its AI feature used to summarise news headlines because of inaccuracies.

A recent study from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich found that “traditionally-crafted news articles are more comprehensible than articles produced with automation,” with AI’s word choice being a particular point of dissatisfaction for the readers surveyed.

The report, originally published in the Journalism: Theory, Practice, and Criticism journal, advised “readers complained that the AI-produced articles contained too many inappropriate, difficult, or unusual words and phrases.

“Furthermore, readers were significantly less satisfied with the way the automated articles handled numbers and data.”

Trust
In respect of trust, we have also seen the erosion of consumer confidence in once esteemed brands such as Qantas, Woolworths and Coles as a result of fake discount scams and customer service shortcomings.

Where does this leave you, the readers of Australasian Leisure Management?
At all times, Australasian Leisure Management magazine and this website aims to report all that is best about this industry - what Australians and New Zealanders do in their out-of-home free time (when they are not shopping, driving, eating or gambling).

In covering, the management of aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues we do not - and will not - shy away from scrutinising the industry when necessary and sometimes reporting on legal matters, errors and mistakes (after all, we all learn from our mistakes). However, we will do so without sensation.

In addition, at all times we will strive for accuracy.

Reader Survey
Also, in the coming weeks, we will be releasing a reader survey in which you can share your views on what we publish.

Building on Australasian Leisure Management’s mission to inform, inspire, and support leaders across all areas of the leisure industry, we ask you to complete the brief questionnaire to help the delivery of content and solutions that matter most to you.

Sharing your thoughts and feedback in the survey will take just a few minutes to complete and will help us understand how we can better serve you, your business, career development and the industry.

Image: The various covers of Australasian Leisure Management magazine in 2024.