Gallup’s new survey just delivered a thunderclap. Only 8 percent of Americans say they have a great deal of trust in national media, and only 20 percent say they have even a fair amount. Everyone else? They’re done.
You already knew confidence was low. You probably didn’t know how low — or how far the media have fallen.
When the Media Research Center launched in 1987, nearly three out of four (75 percent!) Americans trusted the news they watched or read. Journalists were seen as referees, not players. The country counted on them to keep score honestly, to call the fouls when power crossed a line, and to protect the public from manipulation. Their authority rested on fairness. Once they chose sides, they forfeited the trust that came with it.
Today, the press polls below nearly... well... everything. The media once topped the list of trusted institutions. Now it’s scraping the bottom. Only Congress fares worse.