TV and papers trusted over blogs

Around 66 per cent said television was the most accurate news source

The British public trust newspapers and television news programmes as much as their family and friends for information, suggests a new study.

The survey also found that blogs and websites were considered the least trustworthy sources of current affairs.

Telecom Express, an interactive marketing firm, quizzed 1,000 people.

Respondents were asked what percentage of the information they received from various sources they believed to be accurate, true and unbiased.

Around 66% said national television was the most accurate and was trusted as highly as family and friends.

National, regional and local newspapers were chosen by 63% of respondents, and radio was chosen by 55%.

Only 36% of respondents rated websites and 24% rated blogs.

A Telecom Express spokesperson said: "This study scotches any idea that the British media is no longer valued by the populace.

"Regional and local newspapers are not 'second class citizens' but command the same level of trust and credibility as national newspapers and TV."

'Snakes on a plane' built up a media profile through blogs

Despite the findings, traditional media are feeling under threat from websites and blogs, with increasing numbers of political and gossip sites breaking news stories.

Recently the news that Deputy John Prime Minister John Prescott had stayed at a ranch belonging to US businessman Philip Anschutz was broken by a blog.

British writers - often racy - are securing high profile book deals from blogs, including Belle de Jour, an anonymous sex diarist, and Girl With a One-Track Mind, by Zoe Margolis, aka "Abby Lee".

The makers of Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L Jackson, raised the profile of the film purely over the internet, and snubbed critics, who were not allowed to see the film before it was released.

A study published in July by the internet company MSN suggested one in four users in Britain were writing blogs.