The Hollywood Reporter (THR), in partnership with the decision intelligence firm Morning Consult, released an exclusive poll on September 19, 2025, titled "America’s Most Trusted News Anchors 2025."
This nationally representative survey of U.S. adults (over 2,200 respondents) evaluates trust levels in more than 80 news personalities across broadcast, cable, and other outlets like ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NewsNation, and PBS. Trust is measured on a scale where respondents indicate if they trust the anchor "a lot," "some," "not much," or "not at all." The poll highlights a "Trump won" effect post-2024 election, with partisan shifts influencing perceptions.
Key trends:
Fox News surge: Nearly all Fox anchors saw gains in the share of respondents trusting them "a lot" or "some" compared to the 2024 poll (conducted during the election). This aligns with increased viewership and influence among conservative audiences.
Declines for centrists and left-leaning figures: Trust dipped for moderate broadcast anchors and prominent CNN/MSNBC hosts, possibly due to perceived bias or election fatigue.
Broadcast vs. cable: Traditional evening news anchors still dominate overall trust, but cable personalities show sharper polarization.
Social media trust rose 4 points from 2024 (and 9 points from 2018), while broadcast trust declined slightly. Recognition of anchors like David Muir now outpaces even podcasters like Joe Rogan.
Top Performers and Notable Shifts: David Muir of ABC's World News Tonight emerged as the most trusted news anchor overall (excluding NBC's Al Roker, the top non-news personality), surpassing NBC's Lester Holt, who held the title in 2024 and 2018 but retired from Nightly News in May 2025.
Muir's show remains the highest-rated evening newscast.
Here's a summary of key figures mentioned in your query, with 2025 trust levels ("a lot" or "some") where available, compared to 2024. (Exact percentages for all aren't fully detailed in summaries, but trends are clear.)
- Fox rises: Anchors like Harris Faulkner (Fox's most trusted in 2024 at 53%) and Sean Hannity benefited most, with distrust for Hannity dropping below that of Cooper and Maddow. This reflects a post-election realignment favoring right-leaning outlets.
- Falls for Scarborough and Cuomo: Scarborough's perceived coziness with Trump (via his Mar-a-Lago visit) didn't help his perennial low ranking. Cuomo's trust remains tarnished by his 2021 CNN exit over involvement in his brother's scandals.
- Muir's reign: Despite a dip, Muir's neutrality and high ratings (highest evening news viewership) secured his top spot. His net favorability was +27% in prior polls.
Other Highlights
- Runners-up: ABC's Robin Roberts (+32% net favorability historically) and CBS's Gayle King (decline noted) trail Muir. NBC's Lester Holt was #1 in 2024 (65%) but is out due to retirement; his successor, Tom Llamas, scores lower due to lower name recognition.
- Cable leaders: MSNBC's Ali Velshi tops his network (55% in 2024); Chris Wallace (ex-Fox, now CNN) leads CNN.
- Least trusted: Cable dominates the bottom (e.g., MSNBC's Joy Reid at 44% in 2024; ex-CNN's Don Lemon divisive).
- Demographic notes: Muir, Cooper, and Maddow are favorites among Democrats; Fox anchors lead with Republicans.