“The news media is the least trusted group among 10 U.S. civic and political institutions involved in the democratic process,” the polling firm Gallup concluded in a 2024 analysis.
Despite news organizations’ pledges to provide fact-based reporting, and ongoing investments to build trust, people across the political spectrum in the U.S. are unconvinced of mainstream media’s self-described credibility.
The category “mainstream media” refers to flagship national newspapers like The New York Times, cable news channels like CNN and Fox News and news networks like ABC or NBC and their local affiliates. Despite deepening partisan divides in the U.S., Pew Internet Research has found that this definition is consistent across Republicans and Democrats.
Mainstream media’s credibility has been diminishing for years. But the trend has attracted renewed attention from news leaders and analysts since the 2024 presidential election when many outlets again misjudged the electoral chances of President-elect Donald Trump.
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