While national television remains the most trusted news source, ahead of newspapers and public radio, the Internet is gaining ground, especially among the young, according to a major international survey of trust in the media.

The poll, conducted in 10 countries by GlobeScan on behalf of Reuters, the BBC and the Media Center, found that 82 percent of 10,230 adults questioned rated national television as their most trusted news source overall.

That compared with 75 percent who trusted national or regional newspapers, 67 percent who said they trusted public radio and 56 percent who opted for international satellite television.

As for blogs, the jury seems to be out. The study found that just 25 percent of respondents said they trusted blogs, while 23 percent said they did not trust them.

Given the recent emergence of blogs, this makes perfect sense. But it also seems to be a given that blogs will soon come of age, given that it's only a relatively recent phenomenon that people believe what’s written in a newspaper. One hundred years ago, newspapers were intensely partisan, do-it-yourself affairs – very much like the blogs of today.

As for measuring the continued importance of television, the medium is still seen as the most "important" news source (56 percent), followed by newspapers (21 percent), Internet (9 percent) and radio (9 percent).

Online sources were, for example, the first choice among 19 percent aged between 18 and 24, compared to just 3 percent in the 55-64 age range.

We have consistently maintained a “media neutral” approach when it comes to public relations, all the while noting that non-traditional news sources must not be placed on a lower rung and that the outlet that best suits a client’s unique needs determine where the coverage should be.