A New Low for Trust in the Media

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Each time when you think it can’t get any lower, it does.

Americans' confidence in the mass media has plunged to a historic low, with a staggering 7 in 10 now having little to no trust in the news they receive.

The survey found that just 28% of Americans have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. That figure is down from 40% just five years ago and represents the first time confidence has fallen below 30% since Gallup began tracking the metric.

While the survey lumps all "mass media" together, the findings paint a bleak picture for local news outlets fighting to maintain relevance and credibility. With 70% of the public expressing distrust—split between 36% having "not very much" confidence and 34% having "none at all"—local journalists are caught in the crossfire of a national credibility crisis.

The erosion of trust is starkly divided along political lines, making the job of objective reporting even more challenging:

  • Republicans: Trust has collapsed into the single digits, with only 8% expressing confidence in the media.

  • Independents: Only 27% trust the media, matching a record low for this crucial group.

  • Democrats: While still the most trusting group, their confidence has slipped to a slim 51% majority.

Beyond politics, a major generational chasm has opened up. While 43% of adults aged 65 and older still trust the media, that number plummets to 28% or less for every younger age group. This indicates that the future audience for local news is starting from a position of deep-seated skepticism.

This isn't a sudden collapse but the culmination of a long, steady decline. In the 1970s, over two-thirds of Americans trusted the media. Today, that number has been flipped on its head.

With confidence shattered along both partisan and generational lines, the challenge for news organizations—from national networks down to the smallest local stations—is not just to report the facts, but to find a way to regain the credibility of an increasingly polarized and distrustful public.