A Gallup poll finds only about a third of Americans has trust in the mass Media "to report the news fully, accurately and fairly," calling it “a stunning development for an institution designed to inform the public,” notes Grumpy Editor.
At 32 percent, that’s down eight percentage points from last year.
Gallup points out, “The divisive presidential election this year may be corroding Americans' trust and confidence in the media, particularly among Republicans who may believe the ‘mainstream media’ are too hyperfocused on every controversial statement or policy proposal from Trump while devoting far less attention to controversies surrounding the Clinton campaign.”
With Americans' trust in the media eroding over time, “the election campaign may be the reason that it has fallen so sharply this year,” explains Gallup. “Republicans who say they have trust in the media has plummeted to 14 percent from 32 percent a year ago. This is easily the lowest confidence among Republicans in 20 years.”
Democrats' and independents' trust in the media has declined less. With Democrats, it’s a slight dip to 51 percent from 55 percent last year, while with independents, it’s 30 percent vs. 33 percent, according to the poll.
Gallup tallies “26 percent of those aged 18 to 49 (down from 36 percent last year) and 38 percent of those aged 50 and older (down from 45 percent) say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media.”
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