Expressive distrust: Rethinking what it means to distrust the news

This article introduces the concept of expressive distrust to address persistent puzzles in media trust research. Drawing on a qualitative interview study with Swedish audience members who publicly criticize news media, we argue that distrust is not only an attitudinal stance but also a performative practice shaped by identity, group belonging, and political strategy. Expressive distrust refers to signals of distrust that serve purposes beyond evaluating media performance – such as signaling cognitive virtue, reinforcing social ties, or influencing public discourse. Our findings show that individuals often articulate nuanced views of journalism privately while performing categorical distrust in public, leveraging it as symbolic capital and a tool for political contestation. Conceptually, this challenges linear models of trust/distrust and calls for incorporating performative dimensions into existing typologies. Recognizing expressive distrust is crucial for fully understanding the so-called crisis of trust.