Politics & News

Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Americans’ Confidence In Media Plummets To All-Time Low

Americans’ confidence in media, specifically in newspapers and television news, has reached record low numbers, according to a new Gallup poll out Tuesday.

As part of its annual polling of 16 major U.S. institutions, Gallup has tracked the steady decline of confidence in newspapers since 1973 and in television since 1993. In the 2022 poll, conducted June 1-20, only 16 percent of Americans have a “great deal/quite a lot of confidence in newspapers,” and 11 percent have the same degree of confidence in TV news. This leaves 46 percent of Americans with “very little/no” confidence in newspapers and a staggering 53 percent, a majority, with the same degree of confidence in television news.

At 35 percent, Democrats have higher confidence in newspapers than do Republicans (5 percent) and independents (12 percent), but it has fallen during the Biden administration. During the Trump years, Democrats ranged from 42-46 percent confident in newspapers.

A similar trend occurred among Democrats, Republicans, and independents in their attitudes toward television news, with Democrats being 20 percent confident compared to Republicans’ 8 percent and independents’ 8 percent.

This is not the only poll that has recorded Americans’ increasing distrust of the media. Other Gallup surveys — about whether Americans trust that the media will report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly,” and whether they believe reporters are ethical — both reveal very little trust.

So, lying to their audience doesn't work!
Now what?

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

MistyCee

It's a good point, but I'm curious about when the polls were done and the trends between 1993 and 2022, as well as the snapshots.

I'd expect when really big stuff happens, like a war or violent tourist visit coinciding with an attempt to assassinate a Vice President, people might watch TV news more.

During a rehash thing like the 1/6 committee, I'd expect the confidence to go down, just like I would expect it to be influenced by the type of news being covered.

For example, substance aside, the Trump Presidency was much more flashy and exciting, while Biden is dull and boring.

1-25 of 41

Budwick · 70-79, M

@MistyCee

I'm curious about when the polls were done

Here's a clue form the first line of the article.

according to a new Gallup poll out Tuesday.

an attempt to assassinate a Vice President

Don't tease me!

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@MistyCee

"...while Biden is dull and boring."

One disaster after another is dull and boring...?
Do you live in Tahiti...? 🤔

MistyCee

@Budwick I apologize for being lazy and passively aggressively asking for a link.

Not so much apologizing about the assassination thing, though.

MistyCee

@Thinkerbell Tell me, honestly, that even Biden's disasters weren't boring.

His White House seems to have been pretty impressively unimpressive in terms of drama compared to anyone I can remember except Ford.

Budwick · 70-79, M

@MistyCee

His White House seems to have been pretty impressively unimpressive

Except that the entire world is on fire cuz the Biden douche-bag travels the world tossing lit matches.

MistyCee

@Budwick But even if he's doing it, he's not doing it in a way that makes for great ratings.

That's not really my point though. I'd like to see graphs with spikes and troughs over time.

Budwick · 70-79, M

@MistyCee

he's not doing it in a way that makes for great ratings.

And ratings are what is important, right?
Jeez, you suck.

MistyCee

@Budwick Did I ever claim I didn't suck?

Semi-seriously, though, the for profit media needs ratings, and I think, as far as news goes, what they're covering is something to consider.

I hate to go back to Trump, for obvious reasons, but he GOT this point, and used it, in a way neither Biden or Bush never did. Obama seemed to at times, but he never seemed to be able to capitiolize on it other than for getting elected.

TexChik · F

@MistyCee The media was there to harass Trump 24/7 and to spread malicious propaganda to harm his presidency, not report what was actually going on. With Biden the media has to spread fluff propaganda because they don't dare report what is actually going on.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@MistyCee

"Tell me, honestly, that even Biden's disasters weren't boring."

Not boring:
Having a non-compos-mentis president who can't speak 10 coherent words without a teleprompter, or without a card with instructions telling him when and where to sit, to whom he's talking, when to get up and leave, etc.

Someone like that might start pushing the buttons on the nuclear football, thinking he was dialing up Jill on his cell phone. 😲

MistyCee

@TexChik here we go back to Trump.

The media got Trump elected, and whether and why it turned on him once he got elected and tried to govern is pretty tangential to the OP.

I get what you're saying about the media protecting Biden, but my point is, with more data, we might be able to look at this more objectively.

For example, what did the Gallup polls look like during Trump's first Presidency as compared to Biden's?

TexChik · F

@MistyCee That's the difference between a very accomplished and brilliant businessman as compared to a very unaccomplished branded liar and politician who already had ever worsening dementia when he was appointed. He only knows what he can comprehend off the cue cards.

TexChik · F

@MistyCee Yes, here we go back to Trump! You cant help slandering him with every other key stroke. Lib polls are as trustworthy as lib politicians. They can't afford for people to know the truth. Very few polls are trustworthy.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@TexChik

"The media was there to harass Trump 24/7 and to spread malicious propaganda to harm his presidency, not report what was actually going on."

The supreme irony is that the media gave Trump TONS of free publicity during the Republican primaries in 2016, thinking that Trump would be the easiest of the Republican candidates for Hillary to beat.

After she lost, the media realized their terrible mistake and started pounding on Trump 24/7.

MistyCee

@TexChik We're off on a tangent here. My point is that who is President might impact public confidence in the media. Trump and Biden are just examples.

MistyCee

@Thinkerbell Which is exactly the kind of data I'd like to see, rather than just 1993-2022 comparisons.

TexChik · F

@MistyCee Ahh examples and not fact? In a perfect world where political corruption didn't exist, I might agree. But since most of the media is owned by liberal political benefactors, that just isn't reality.

Handfull1 · 61-69, F

@MistyCee I give you credit for pushing through all this.

Thinkerbell · 41-45, F

@MistyCee

Here:
This took about 2 minutes to find.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/355526/americans-trust-media-dips-second-lowest-record.aspx

MistyCee

@TexChik Call them "factual examples" then, or alleged factual examples?

I maintain, regardless of right/left, Republican/Democrat, Trumpist/NonTrumpist positions, that I think there's a good possibility that what the media is reporting on may influence the public's confidence on its reporting.

That's my point, and even if you're right, and that Trump is the center of the Universe, I'd like to see data from when he was President to try and put that into the context of the OP.

MistyCee

@Handfull1 Thanks, I'm just about done, though. It would have been easier to google shit than go through all this.

MistyCee

@Thinkerbell Thank you!!!!! I feel like an idiot for continuing to post here at the moment instead of looking for this.

Handfull1 · 61-69, F

@MistyCee I agree but I like your enthusiasm. You can give up on here but it’s up to ones like you to change the world.

MistyCee

@Handfull1 LOL. I do what I can for as long as I can do it, but I'm way too old and jaded to think my own contribution is all that important.

Handfull1 · 61-69, F

@MistyCee we do what we can!!

1-25 of 41