New Poll: Almost No One Trusts the Media

Americans have a problem with the media. The problem is they have little to no trust in the people who are supposed to keep them informed.

A new Gallup poll taken between September 1-16 asked the question, “In general, how much trust and confidence do you have in the mass media — such as newspapers, TV and radio — when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately and fairly — a great deal, a fair amount, not very much or none at all?”

The results are damning for those in their ivory media towers in DC, NYC, and LA.

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Broken Down By Party And Ideology

Of those surveyed, a mere seven percent said they have “a great deal” of trust in the media.

38% said they have no trust at all in the media. One would think, as progressive commentator Glenn Greenwald pointed out, that this would cause the media to reflect on why. 

Much of what ails America can be easily seen in how trust breaks down along party lines.

A mere 14% of Republicans have some trust in the media. Democrats, of course, seem intent on believing whatever they are told – with 70% trusting the media.

Most noteworthy here, and relevant for the midterm elections, is that Independents are much closer to Republicans than Democrats when it comes to believing the news industry – only 27% trust the media.

So the question is, why do most people not trust the talking heads on TV?

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Not A New Thing

The media’s practice of embellishing, omitting, or just not reporting stories accurately and fairly goes back a ways. In 1992, the NBC show “Dateline” did a story on General Motors pick up trucks that were allegedly prone to bursting into flames during a crash.

The network was caught putting incendiary devices beneath some of the trucks so that they would explode. 

Fast forward to September of 2021. Border Patrol Agents were accused by Democrats and journalists of whipping Haitian immigrants at the southern border. The bogus story went viral, and even all the way to the top of the halls of power, where reporters dutifully transcribed the outrage of President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

The media went wild with the fake story, most notably with MSNBC’s Joy Reid making comparisons to slavery.

There was just one problem: no such thing ever occurred. In fact, Mayorkas was notified that the photographer who took the picture in question said that the Border agents were using split reins to control their horses and that no migrants were whipped.

Examples are legion. Perhaps the example par excellence is how the media treats “election denial.” 

Watch:

Is it any wonder that another Gallup poll from 2021 that measured the honesty and ethical rankings of different professions put newspaper reporters at 17% and television reporters at 14%? In a possible related ranking, members of congress clocked in at a whopping 9%.