Survey: NBC's Lester Holt Is TV's Most Trusted

ABC's David Muir, CBS' Norah O'Donnell, NBC's Lester Holt

According to a recent Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult survey, NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt continues to be the most trusted television news personality in America. Let’s dive into the details:

Trust Ratings:

• NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt has the highest share of respondents, 65%, saying they placed “a lot” or “some” trust in the anchor, leading a new THR/Morning Consult poll
• Among the most trusted are ABC’s Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts (64%) and World News Tonight anchor David Muir (63%), as well as NBC’s Today show staple Al Roker (64%).
• On cable news, CNN’s Who’s Talking to... host Chris Wallace and Anderson Cooper both earned 60% of respondents saying they have “a lot” or “some” trust, while MSNBC’s most-trusted name is Ali Velshi (55%) and anchor Harris Faulkner (53%) leads for Fox News.

Lester Holt is trusted “a lot” by 32% of respondents and “some” by 30%. His reputation precedes him, as he previously claimed the most trusted distinction during the height of the Donald Trump presidency in 20181.

David Muir of ABC’s World News Tonight is the runner-up with 63% of respondents placing “a lot” or “some” trust in him.

Norah O’Donnell, anchor of CBS Evening News, sits at 53% on the trust measure.

Bonus for Entertaining News: Interestingly, 52% of respondents consider it “very” or “somewhat” important that the outlet where they get their political news is also “entertaining.” This could be a bonus for both daytime talkers and late-night shows.