Gallup Poll Shows Public Trust in Media is 28%, A Record Low

Public confidence in the mainstream media has fallen to its lowest level on record with fewer than three in ten Americans saying they trust newspapers, television, and radio to report the news accurately and fairly, according to a new Gallup (Center bias) poll. 

The Details: The survey, conducted from September 2–16, found that only 28% of US adults have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the mass media–a decrease from 31% last year and 40% five years ago. Seven in ten respondents said they have “not very much” (36%) or “none at all” (34%) confidence in media coverage. Between 2023 and 2025, 43% of adults aged 65 and older said they trust the media, compared with no more than 28% in any younger age group. The latest survey marks the first time public confidence has fallen below 30%. 

Partisan Differences: While Democrats have continued to report more trust in the media than Republicans or independents, all partisan groups are now near historic lows. This year, 51% of Democrats say they trust the media, compared to 27% of independents and 8% of Republicans–the first time GOP confidence has fallen into single digits. For Context: Gallup first began tracking trust in the media in the early 1970s. Between 1972 and 1976, 68% and 72% of Americans expressed confidence in news reporting. Since then, public trust has declined, dropping to 53% in 1997 and 44% in 2004. The last decade’s high point was 45% in 2018, two years after a sharp decline during the 2016 presidential election. 

How the Media Covered It: AllSides found little coverage from major national outlets, with reporting largely limited to local news, radio stations, and outlets such as Semafor (Lean Left), Newsmax (Right), and The Federalist (Right). Gallup, which conducted the survey, wrote, “The challenge for news organizations is not only to deliver fair and accurate reporting but also to regain credibility across an increasingly polarized and skeptical public.” The Hollywood Reporter (Lean Left) argued that most people now encounter news as “fragment[ed]” clips on social media, making Gallup’s measure of whether outlets report ‘fully, accurately, and fairly’ feel outdated, and that declining trust reflects Trump’s impact on today’s fractured media landscape. Fox News (Right) quoted an editor of a media watchdog company who said partisan coverage in mainstream media helps explain the decline in public confidence. He said, “It’s considered fair and accurate to compare Donald Trump to Hitler…but if you call a Democrat a ‘socialist,’ they pounce."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.