How much do Americans trust the mass media?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
According to the data from the visual above, what portion of Americans currently have a Great deal or Fair amount of trust or confidence in the mass media when it comes to reporting he news fully, accurately and fairly?
Describe one trend in Americans’ level of trust and confidence in the mass media since 1972.
The United States continues to suffer from a crisis in confidence in many institutions, including the federal government, its three branches, and those who either hold or are running for public office. In addition, trust in the fourth estate -- the mass media -- is at a new low. Local and state governments and the American people as a whole are the only entities garnering trust from more than half of U.S. adults. The Pulitzer center points out many reasons that people don’t trust the news media: the acceleration of political polarization (growing political divisions), the proliferation of new media platforms (more new different sources means less trust), and the economic disruption of the news industry (less money to go around). What do you think is the main reason Americans have so little trust in the mass media?
In general, how much trust and confidence do you have in the mass media when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately and fairly?
Explain which form of the mass media - newspapers, radio, television - you think people trust the most and the least.
Based on the data from the visuals below* how has trust in the media based on party affiliation changed since 1972?
Based on the data from the visuals below* how does age and party affiliation impact levels of trust in the mass media, and why do you think Democrats have a higher level of trust in the media than Republicans?*
President Trump has expanded his war on the mass media and freedom of the press. President Trump has sued a number of media outlets including The Des Moines Register and its pollster, J Ann Selzer, after it ran a poll suggesting Trump was trailing Vice President Harris. Trump has also sued CBS’s news show, 60 Minutes, and has ABC News. In March 2024 and ABC agreed to pay $15m to settle the lawsuit. On Saturday, government-employed journalists at Voice of America (VoA), which broadcasts news, information and cultural programming in nearly 50 languages to a global audience were put on administrative leave, a day after Trump signed an order eliminating the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VoA’s parent company, along with six other federal agencies. That came after a highly publicized dispute between the White House and the Associated Press over the wire agency’s decision not to adopt the name Gulf of America instead of Gulf of Mexico into its stylebook. The White House has since restricted the AP from access to the Oval Office and Air Force One. How do you think Trump’s war on media has impacted American trust of the mass media?
“We are seeing a multipronged attack on free speech, but not just any free speech. I think, in particular, we’re seeing a multipronged attack on the ability of journalists as well as individuals to call into question anything that Donald Trump or that the Trump administration does,” Heidi Kitrosser, a constitutional law professor who focuses on freedom of speech issues at Northwestern University. How do you think the Trump administration will impact the First Amendment’s protection of press freedom?
Explain how declining trust in the mass media empowers the Trump presidency.
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Take a tour of the news media (watch, read, listen to the news for 17 minutes) and share with class your analysis of how much confidence and trust you have in the media.
Get Creative
Imagine that the United States no longer had a free press. Imagine what a government controlled news show would be like and write a list of some stories a government controlled news outlet would report on.
Learning Extension*
Read the most recent Gallup report on Americans’ trust in the media.
