Trust In News Media Continues Decline

Trust in national and local news providers has plummeted among both Republicans and Democrats, according to a new Pew Research study, with overall confidence in national media dropping to 56%—down 11 points since March and 20 points since 2016.

Republicans' trust in national news has fallen sharply to 44% from 53% in March and 70% in 2016, while Democrats' trust hit a record low of 69%, down from 81% earlier this year.

Local news fared better but still declined, with 70% of Americans expressing some trust—down from 80% in March and 82% in 2016; Republicans' trust in local sources dropped to 64% from 75% in March and 79% in 2016, while Democrats' fell to 78% from 87%.  Younger Americans under 50 show the least confidence, with only half trusting national news media, compared to 51% trusting national organizations and 50% trusting social media sites; older Americans remain more trusting overall, particularly Democrats.

Key Reasons:

1. Partisan rage at “bias”    Republicans’ trust in national news has been sliced in half since Trump’s 2016 rise, from 70 % to just 44 % today. They call mainstream outlets “fake news” and flock to Fox or X. Democrats’ trust also slid 12 points in six months to 69 %, a new low, as even left-leaning readers decry corporate spin.

2. Money over mission   More Americans now blame corporate owners and advertisers than politicians for slanted coverage. Layoffs, hedge-fund buyouts, and click-chasing have gutted newsrooms; ad revenue collapsed from $50 B in 2005 to under $10 B today. Readers notice the hollow product.

3. Misinformation overload   Six in ten say they regularly bump into fake stories and half admit they can’t tell truth from spin. Social-media algorithms amplify outrage and lies; nondigital news consumers encounter far less garbage and still trust more.

4. Kids log off the news   Only half of under-50s trust national media (vs. 69 % of 65+). Gen Z gets headlines from TikTok memes, not anchors; 38 % of young Democrats and just 17 % of young Republicans trust mass media at all.

5. Local still loved—but broke  70 % trust their hometown station or paper (far above national), yet 3,200 local papers have vanished since 2005. Without paying subscribers, the last trusted source could disappear.

Bottom line: Americans aren’t ditching facts—they’re ditching institutions that feel rigged, remote, and unreliable. Fix the business model, label the fakes, and rebuild local beats, or the trust spiral keeps spinning down.