Poll finds Americans disapprove of media’s handling of coronavirus. But it’s the same polarized picture as ever.

The news media has the worst approval rating of all major American institutions grappling with the novel coronavirus — but the public’s opinions on the matter are highly polarized and mirror their complex feelings from before the pandemic.

A Gallup survey released this week found 44 percent of Americans approve of the news media’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. It found 61 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters approve of the media, compared to 25 percent of Republicans.