Citizens no longer trust the media

Trust in the media sinks to historic lows. American voters of all political persuasions do not believe what they see, hear or read in the press and on television. Just 11% of those polled by Gallup in its latest survey show 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of trust in the media.

Trust in the media is down five points in just one year. In 2021, 21% of respondents trusted newspapers. Today, only 16% do. Television also drops five points and plummets to a meager 11% trust.

Democrats' confidence in television networks has fallen the most: 6 points (from 26% to 20%). Among Republicans, however, trust in this media has improved 2 points, although it is still at a low (from 6% to 8%). Also noteworthy is the decline in independents' confidence in the media. The index drops 7 and 5 points for newspapers and television, respectively.

Americans generally trust newspapers more than television, but trust in both media continues to plummet. In the case of Republicans, trust is minimal.

Media lose credibility

Citizens are showing increasing signs of distrust in a media that is losing its greatest asset: credibility. Fake news, unverified partisan information or following the official narrative are causing their credibility indexes to plummet.

Another survey, conducted by I&I/TIPP in June, reveals that only 34% of Americans trust the'traditional' media. 58% say they do not trust these establishment media. Of those who still trust, only 12% speak of "a lot of trust," while 22% say they have "quite a lot" of trust.

On the opposite side, no less than 27% say they have "no confidence" in the mainstream media and 31% show "little confidence" in them. The survey refers specifically to media outlets such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, NPR and CBS News.

Media credibility is at an all-time low. And that is bad news not only for journalists but for society as a whole. We need strong journalism to build a stronger democracy.

The situation is not much better for the 'alternative' media. Those who express "a great deal of trust" are just 9% of respondents while those who describe themselves as "quite a lot" are just 19%. Overall, only 28% of Americans trust the alternative media.

In short, we see that the credibility of the media is at an all-time low. And that is bad news not only for journalists but for society as a whole. We need strong journalism to build a stronger democracy. At VozMedia we are committed to work to recover the lost credibility. Welcome.