GP essay question guide
Can the news media still be trusted?
Trust is not all or nothing. A strong answer names what makes a source trustworthy, tests old and new media against it, and says what a careful reader should do.
Unpack this question first: 'Still' suggests trust has fallen, so say what changed. 'The news media' is broad: separate professional newsrooms from social media posts that look like news. Lesson: Reading an essay question: terms and scope
Use this question in writing - Sign in, check the question, then write your response.
Topics: Politics and Governance, Society and Culture, Science and Technology
Three argument directions
Professional checks still matter
Established newsrooms verify facts, name sources and publish corrections.
Qualification: The race for clicks can still push errors and sensational headlines.
New threats to trust
Algorithms and deepfakes make false stories look as real as true ones.
Qualification: The same tools also help journalists check images and expose fakes.
Trust must be earned
Readers should trust outlets that show their evidence and correct mistakes.
Qualification: Many readers lack the time to compare sources.
A model paragraph
Our own paragraph for this question. Copy its moves, not its words.
The news media can still be trusted, but trust now has to be earned outlet by outlet rather than given to 'the media' as a whole. Established newsrooms check facts, name their sources and publish corrections when they get things wrong, and those habits make them more reliable than an anonymous post that goes viral. Yet the same newsrooms face pressure to be first and to win clicks, and errors can spread before corrections catch up. Convincing deepfakes add another problem: a video can no longer be believed just because it looks real. A reader should therefore trust news that shows its evidence and corrects its errors, and should compare reports from more than one source before believing a dramatic claim.
How it is built
- Stand: yes, but source by source.
- Reasons: checking habits for; click pressure and deepfakes against.
- Judgement: a usable test for readers.
Six examples to compare
Digital Lies: Misinformation's Modern Threat
Digital platforms fuel misinformation, eroding public trust and harming democracy. This reflects modern 'fake news' challenges and concepts like echo chambers.
Possible essay use
QAnon began in October 2017 with anonymous posts on 4chan.
Limitation
QAnon was one of several causes of 6 January, alongside false claims of a stolen election and political mobilisation; it is unfair to say it alone 'led to' the attack.
Case or source date: 2021-01-06
Source: Bellingcat
Old News, New Screens: Media's Big Shift
Traditional media (print, TV) faces new media (internet, social). This changes reach, interaction, and trust in information.
Possible essay use
Pew found in 2025 that 53% of US adults at least sometimes get news from social media, roughly stable since 2020.
Limitation
'At least sometimes' is a low bar, and the figures are for the US only; most people also use other sources, so social media has not simply replaced print or TV.
Case or source date: 2025-09-25
Source: Pew Research Center
Algorithms: Shaping News, Dividing Views
Algorithmic bias in media feeds shapes what news users see. This often narrows perspectives, creating filter bubbles and risking societal division.
Possible essay use
A September 2021 NYU Stern report concluded that major platforms are not the original or main cause of US polarisation but intensify it.
Limitation
Both studies are about the United States, and the 2023 experiments ran for only three months around one election, so they cannot rule out slower or wider effects elsewhere.
Case or source date: 2021-09-13
Deepfakes: AI's Deception Challenge
AI-driven deepfakes and synthetic media create new misinformation threats, challenging trust in what people see and hear, especially in wartime and elections.
Possible essay use
On 16 March 2022 a deepfake of President Zelensky telling troops to surrender was placed on the hacked Ukraine 24 channel's website and ticker.
Limitation
This fake failed, so the case shows the danger and also the defences; better-made deepfakes since then may be harder to spot.
Case or source date: 2022-03-16
Source: NPR
Silencing Truth: The Price of Press Freedom
Murders of journalists like Jamal Khashoggi and Daphne Caruana Galizia reveal grave dangers to press freedom and accountability.
Possible essay use
Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018; a UN expert found credible evidence linking the Crown Prince to the killing.
Limitation
Two cases cannot show global trends in danger to journalists; use press freedom data for that. The Caruana Galizia case is still under appeal, so who ordered the killing is legally unresolved.
Case or source date: 2018-10-02
Source: Al Jazeera
Platforms Paying for News: Journalism's Lifeline?
Tech giants like Google and Meta face laws forcing them to pay news creators. This changes how journalism stays afloat.
Possible essay use
Australia's code led to deals worth an estimated more than A$200 million a year, according to a 2022 government review.
Limitation
Payments are small next to the advertising revenue newspapers lost to platforms, and Meta's news block in Canada cut traffic to some outlets, so the policy has costs as well as gains.
Case or source date: 2023-11-29
Source: Australian Treasury ministers