Teens Tune Out, Trust Vanishes for Local TV News

A new survey reveals a profound and potentially generational rift between American teenagers and traditional local television news, which many now view with suspicion, boredom, and a fundamental lack of trust. The findings suggest local news organizations are failing to connect with, and convince, a crucial future audience, who overwhelmingly prefer social media for information.

The chilling portrait of distrust emerges from a recent poll by the News Literacy Project, where a staggering 84% of teens chose a negative word—such as “biased,” “boring,” “fake,” or “depressing”—to describe the news media overall. When zeroing in on local broadcasts, the skepticism deepens, fueled by a belief that professional standards are frequently ignored.

📺 Teens View Reporters as Unethical, Standards Ignored

More than half of the teens surveyed believe journalists regularly engage in seriously unethical behaviors. Specifically, they suspect reporters of making up details or quotes in stories, paying sources for information, taking visual images out of context, or even doing favors for advertisers. This perception directly contradicts the foundational principles of credible journalism.

In fact, less than a third of the young audience believes that reporters uphold core, industry-ingrained practices, such as confirming facts before reporting them, gathering information from multiple sources, or covering stories strictly in the public interest.

The decline in trust appears to have specific roots in the local news habit, or lack thereof. “Many of Lily Ogburn's classmates get their information from social media,” explained Ogburn, a senior at Northwestern University's journalism school. She noted that their parents didn't watch or read news reports growing up, meaning the habit was never instilled.

Experts confirm this issue, with Peter Adams, senior vice president of research and design for the News Literacy Project, stating, “Some of this (attitude) is earned, but much of it is based on misperception.” This misperception is compounded by a lack of exposure to legitimate reporting, often leaving young people to experience journalism only through unflattering pop culture portrayals like the movie Anchorman. Two-thirds of teens surveyed couldn't even name a movie or TV show about journalism beyond fictional fare like Spider-Man.

The industry's struggle is exacerbated by the devastating financial woes of the past two decades, which have resulted in hollowed-out newsrooms and fewer dedicated journalists. This lack of visible, quality reporting contributes to the belief that the media exists to protect people in power rather than hold them accountable.

Howard Schneider, executive director of SUNY Stony Brook's Center for News Literacy, wasn't surprised by the poll’s findings. “The negativity, the feeling that news is biased, is just a reflection of how their parents feel,” Schneider said. He champions news literacy programs in schools, citing students who initially claim, “I get my news from YouTube,” only to learn where professional news actually originates and how to be discerning consumers.

This educational approach is making a difference for some. After taking a news literacy course, 16-year-old Brianne Boyack, a student in Utah, learned the importance of double-checking sources and seeking out reliable outlets, stating she had little trust going in. Her classmate, Rhett MacFarlane, acknowledged, “I've learned that there is definitely fact-checking... I thought you guys just did whatever you wanted and chose what to say about a topic.”

Ultimately, industry observers stress that it is incumbent upon local news organizations to change their approach. The key frustration, according to University of Maryland student Murphy, is the industry's resistance to change, particularly its “unwillingness or inability to make meaningful use of social media.”

“There’s very little movement in the direction of going to where people are, as opposed to expecting them to come to where you are,” Murphy stressed. For an entire generation that views local TV news as an irrelevant and untrustworthy relic, the consensus is clear: to survive, local news must find a compelling way to exist on the platforms where teenagers are actually spending their time.