Confidence in News Media at an All-Time Low Among All Americans in Recent Poll

Declining Trust in Media: Gallup Survey Findings

A recent Gallup survey reveals that Americans’ trust in the media has reached a record low.

Almost 70% of Americans express a lack of trust in the media, a sentiment intensified by ongoing controversies surrounding recent events, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the tragic deaths of Ukrainians in North Carolina.

Only 28% report having “very” much confidence in newspapers, television, and radio, while 34% outright don’t trust them at all, and 36% express only minimal confidence.

Interestingly, the survey highlights significant differences across political lines. Confidence among Republicans has plummeted to just 8%, marking an alarming dip into single digits for the first time. Democrats show a more varied response: 51% claim to have a good amount of trust, down slightly from 54% last year, while only 9% say they lack confidence. Independents present a mixed picture, with 27% trusting the media and 32% not trusting it at all.

Trust in media also reveals noticeable generational divides. Data from the past three years indicates that 43% of adults over 65 say they trust the media, in stark contrast to fewer than 28% of younger individuals.

Since Gallup started tracking media trust in 1972, overall confidence has been on a steady decrease. Back then, 68% of Americans expressed a lot of trust in the media, whereas only 6% claimed to have none at all.

Despite rising incidents of left-wing extremist violence earlier this year, major news networks have seemingly focused on labeling these incidents far less frequently compared to their mentions of “right” or related terms. Reports suggest that outlets like CNN and MSNBC have utilized such terms over 1,200 times compared to just 86 instances regarding left-leaning events.

Furthermore, corporate media has faced backlash for not covering the stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Irina Zaltzka in Charlotte, North Carolina, despite widespread discussion on social media. CNN has also been criticized for downplaying anti-fascist messages related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

In other news, Paramount has reportedly agreed to pay former President Donald Trump $36 million following a lawsuit against CBS concerning an allegedly manipulated interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris before the upcoming 2024 election. Simultaneously, Skydance Media is positioned to acquire Paramount in an $8 billion deal and has promised to champion “equitable journalism” and “diverse perspectives” in media.