Trust in news sources diverges sharply along partisan lines in the United States, with Democrats far more likely than Republicans to trust major national outlets, according to Pew Research Center surveys.
Recent Pew data shows Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents express significantly higher trust in information from national news organizations. As of late 2025, 69% of Democrats report at least some trust in national news, compared to just 44% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
A June 2025 Pew analysis of 30 news sources highlights the divide: Democrats are more likely to trust and use outlets like ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, PBS, and NPR. Republicans are more likely to distrust these sources and instead place greater trust in Fox News, Newsmax, The Joe Rogan Experience, The Daily Wire, Tucker Carlson Network, and Breitbart.
Forbes and The Wall Street Journal stand out as the only two sources where both parties are more likely to trust than distrust them.
Trust in local news remains higher overall and shows a smaller partisan gap, with 78% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans expressing at least some trust. However, both sides have seen declines in recent years.
These patterns reflect a long-standing partisan polarization in media trust. Republicans’ confidence in national news has eroded particularly sharply since 2016, while Democrats maintain higher—but also declining—levels of trust in traditional outlets. The gaps influence news consumption habits, with each group favoring ideologically aligned sources.
Pew’s findings, drawn from multiple 2025 surveys, underscore how political affiliation remains one of the strongest predictors of media trust in the U.S.