American trust in media drops to 2nd-lowest point on record


American's trust in the media to "report the news fully accurately and fairly" slid four percentage points since last year, pushing this year's reading down to its lowest level since 2016 and its second-lowest point on record, reports Gallup.
Just 36 percent of U.S. adults say they have "a great deal" — 7 percent — or "a fair amount" — 29 percent — of confidence in newspaper, television, and radio news reporting, just 4 points above 2016's record low of 32 percent.
Following the bottoming out in 2016, trust in the media "rebounded" 13 points in two years, writes Gallup, mostly due to "a surge among Democrats" amid former President Donald Trump's administration and the resulting media scrutiny. But since 2018, that number "has fallen a total of nine points, as trust has slid among all party groups."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Notably, media trust has about halved since the Nixon era, writes Axios per Gallup's polling — between 1972 and 1976, 68 percent to 72 percent of Americans expressed confidence in mass media, as opposed to today's 36 percent.
Gallup surveyed 1,005 adults between Sept. 1-17, 2021. Results have a margin of error of 4 percentage points. See more results at Gallup.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
July 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include generational ennui, tariffs on Canada, and a conspiracy rabbit hole
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling