Many Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the issues and biases within mainstream media. Recent findings from Gallup, which has surveyed public trust in media for fifty years, reveal a significant decline in trust.
Currently, only 28% of people express confidence in corporate media.
“According to the latest Gallup survey, just 28% of Americans show ‘great’ trust in newspapers, television, and radio.
This shows a drop from 31% last year and 40% five years prior.”
When Gallup began looking into media trust back in the 1970s, around 68% to 72% of Americans felt confident in news reporting, which makes sense considering that was during the era of figures like Walter Cronkite and the Watergate scandal—before the rise of alternative media sources. Back then, there was no internet, cable news, or conservative talk radio.
By 1997, confidence in the media had decreased to 53%. This shift coincided with the rise of Rush Limbaugh, whose success highlighted the biases of traditional media. Conservative talk stations were growing nationwide, and discussions about media bias became commonplace.
Trust in media hovered just above 50% until it dropped to 44% in 2004 and hasn’t returned to a majority level since.
In 2004, as online alternative media gained traction, audiences had access to diverse viewpoints and criticisms of mainstream journalism, which only fueled skepticism about traditional outlets.
Then, in 2004, a scandal involving CBS and false documents regarding George W. Bush’s military service further damaged trust in media institutions.
In recent times, as media outlets have launched aggressive campaigns against President Trump, this has only contributed to their falling credibility.
In just a year, confidence in corporate media dropped from 45% to 28%. It’s evident that without trust, media loses its influence and capability to shape opinions or elections.
Interestingly, even among Democrats, faith in media has plummeted. In 2018, 76% trusted media; today, it’s down to 51%. This decline is understandable, especially after years of promises predicting the downfall of Trump, which many perceived as exaggerated.
Only 27% of independents now have faith in the media. That’s a significant group that media often targets.
Among younger people aged 18 to 29, trust is even lower, at just 28%. The trend continues with 23% of those between 30 and 64 trusting media. Even among those over 65, the trust level stands at 43%.
For someone like me, these numbers signal a clear shift. They reflect a confidence collapse that was perhaps long overdue.
We may not eliminate these problematic trends in mainstream media completely, but there’s a notion that maintaining some level of skepticism can benefit democracy and personal freedoms. All we can do is continue to leverage facts and compassion to shed light on the media’s shortcomings.
Ultimately, we have made significant progress that we should continue to build upon. This might seem like an ongoing struggle, but right now, we’re collectively standing up against the prevailing narratives.
