Gallup: Americans’ Trust in News Media Drops to Record Low
Less than 10 percent of Republicans say they have confidence in America’s news media.
Things keep getting worse for press and broadcast news outlets in the United States when it comes to trust in them from their readers and viewers.
A new Gallup survey released Thursday suggests that confidence in the Fourth Estate has dropped to a new low, with only 28 percent of Americans expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, radio, and television.
The numbers are even worse among Republicans. Only 8 percent of audiences express any confidence in the media’s ability to report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly.”
Just more than 50 percent of Democrats say they express trust in the media, according to the survey.
Trust in mass media has dropped steadily since the mid-1970s, when more than 72 percent of people had a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media. Now 34 percent of respondents say they have no trust in the media.
It doesn’t appear that things are going to get any better as time goes on. Younger Americans show the least trust in the media, according to Gallup. Those 65 and older show the most.
The White House has cited a mistrust in mainstream media for its decision to reserve a seat at press briefings for nontraditional media such as “podcasts, blogs, social media, and other independent outlets.”
“With confidence fractured along partisan and generational lines, the challenge for news organizations is not only to deliver fair and accurate reporting but also to regain credibility across an increasingly polarized and skeptical public,” Gallup says.
The only institution that Gallup has found that Americans have less confidence in is Congress.
