The number of Americans who report believing the mainstream media reports the news fairly and accurately has dropped to its second lowest rating since research on the topic began, according to Gallup.
The polling service reports that the number of Americans who distrust the media in 2021 is eclipsed only by 2016. At the time, the news cycle was dominated by the divisive treatment of the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Many readers will recall the near-universal condemnation of the Republican nominee, while Clinton enjoyed positive coverage from every direction.
Gallup’s data breaks the numbers down by political affiliation. Naturally, 68 percent of registered Democrats still trust the media. However, that number is down by five points. Republican voters have maintained their dismal levels of trust in the press, with just 11 percent of them reporting any faith at all. This is perfectly in line with what most would expect.
“Historically, Republicans’ confidence in the accuracy and fairness of the news media’s reporting has not risen above 52% over the past quarter century,” Gallup reports. “At the same time, Democrats’ confidence has not fallen below the 2016 reading of 51%. For their part, independents’ trust in the media has not been at the majority level since 2003.”
And then there’s independent voters, who tend to have a slight lean in favor of conservative positions. Like Democrats, the share of independents that trust the media has also dipped by five points, bringing the number down to 31 percent.
Frankly, we’re surprised that some of these numbers are as high as they are. Who are these Republicans that still believe what CNN is telling them? Has an entire lifetime of being slandered and misrepresented not been enough? When are they going to realize that the press is doing this on purpose?
We shouldn’t be surprised with the Democrat response. They’ve become accustomed to being told what they want to hear. Their values are prioritized by news anchors, Hollywood, social media moguls, and just about every other elite institution out there. They have absolutely no reason to question anything the establishment dictates.