https://fortune.com/2023/02/15/trust-in-media-low-misinform-mislead-biased-republicans-democrats-poll-gallup/

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Politics *Disinformation

Trust in media is so low that half of Americans now believe that news
organizations deliberately mislead them

BYDavid Bauder and The Associated Press
February 15, 2023, 7:13 PM UTC
 
 
 
 
Newspapers are offered for sale at City Newsstand on July 26, 2019 in
Chicago, IllinoisNewspapers are offered for sale at City Newsstand on
July 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois
Trust in media is low, new survey shows.
Scott Olson--Getty Images
 
 
 
 

Half of Americans in a recent survey indicated they believe national
news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the
public to adopt a particular point of view through their reporting.

The survey, released Wednesday by Gallup and the Knight Foundation,
goes beyond others that have shown a low level of trust in the media
to the startling point where many believe there is an intent to
deceive.

Asked whether they agreed with the statement that national news
organizations do not intend to mislead, 50% said they disagreed. Only
25% agreed, the study found.

Similarly, 52% disagreed with a statement that disseminators of
national news "care about the best interests of their readers,
viewers and listeners," the study found. It said 23% of respondents
believed the journalists were acting in the public's best interests.

"That was pretty striking for us," said Sarah Fioroni, a consultant
for Gallup. The findings showed a depth of distrust and bad feeling
that go beyond the foundations and processes of journalism, she said.

Journalists need to go beyond emphasizing transparency and accuracy
to show the impact of their reporting on the public, the study said.

"Americans don't seem to think that the national news organizations
care about the overall impact of their reporting on the society,"
said John Sands, Knight's senior director for media and democracy.

In one small consolation, in both cases Americans had more trust in
local news.

The ability of many people to instantly learn news from a device they
hold in their hand, the rapid pace of the news cycle and an increased
number of news sources would indicate that more Americans are on top
of the news than ever before.

Instead, an information overload appears to have had the opposite
effect. The survey said 61% of American believe these factors make it
harder to stay informed, while 37% said it's easier.

Like with many other studies, Knight and Gallup found Democrats trust
news more than Republicans. Over the past five years, the level of
distrust has particularly spiked among independents. Overall, 55% of
respondents said there was a great deal of political bias in
coverage, compared to 45% in 2017.

In a finding reflected in the financial struggles of some news
organizations and declining ratings of television news networks, the
survey found 32% of Americans said they pay a great deal of attention
to local news, compared to 56% in early 2020. That was at the outset
of a presidential election year and the beginning of the COVID-19
outbreak.

In a picture of how people get their news, 58% said online, 31% said
television, 7% said radio and 3% mentioned printed newspapers or
magazines.

For members of Gen Z, aged 18- to 25-years-old, 88% said they got
their news online, the survey found.

In one olive branch, if Americans believed local news organizations
didn't have the resources or opportunities to cover the news, they
would be more likely to pay for it.

The results are based on a Gallup study of 5,593 Americans aged 18
and older conducted between May 31 and July 21, 2022.

Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The
Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to
succeed. Sign up here.

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