More than 70% of Americans consider Fox News, The New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal. MSNBC and ABC News part of the “mainstream media.”
But while that term, often used in a derogatory sense, dominates the media landscape, Newsmax notably doesn’t fit into the category: Only a small fraction of respondents, 16%, said the conservative news outlet falls into that category, according to a poll released Friday by the Pew Research Center.
“Newsmax stands out,” the authors said, “because a majority of those who name it as their main source say it is not a part of the mainstream media (84%); only 16% say it is.”
Former President Donald Trump, throughout his time in office, slammed the mainstream media, saying they didn’t want him to get his “honest and unfiltered message out.”
Recent surveys show a majority of the U.S. public doesn’t trust the major media. The annual Edelman Trust Barometer found that only 46% of the public trust the media.
The poll, conducted in mid-March among 12,045 U.S. adults, found:
Eighty-seven percent said ABC News and CNN were part of the mainstream media, while 79% said the Times was in that category, MSNBC (78%), Fox (73%) and the Journal (71%) also tallied more than 70 percentage points.
Of those who use Newsmax as their main source of news, 97% say the media entity presents the news differently from other outlets.
Three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents see Fox News as part of the mainstream media, as do 72% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.
A spokesperson for Newsmax told the Hill: “Newsmax is an emerging and resonating TV brand, and we’re glad most people don’t think we’re the mainstream media, which holds little public confidence.”
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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