Americans' trust in mass media to provide accurate and fair reporting failed to rise over the last year, remaining barely above the low point reached during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to Gallup.
Respondents were asked how much confidence they have in traditional "mass media — such as newspapers, TV, and radio — when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately, and fairly." Their answers were eye-opening:
- 7% said they had a "great deal" of confidence.
- 27% said they had a "fair amount."
- 28% said they had "not very much."
- 38% said "none at all."
Gallup also found a large gap in confidence between Democrats and Republicans, with 70% of Democrats holding a "great deal" of trust in mass media compared to 14% of Republicans. This is the third year in a row that Gallup has measured a majority of the GOP expressing distrust in the press.
Independents voters were also unlikely to express confidence in the press, with only 27% saying they had a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of confidence in mass media. In addition, 32% said they had "not very much" trust and confidence in the mass media, and 41% said they had "none at all."
Gallup polled 812 adults across the country from Sept. 1-16 with a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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