Will Americans Ever Trust The Media Again? — I&I/TIPP Poll
“…Recent examples abound.
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- Media gave fawning coverage to Cassidy Hutchinson’s apparently damning evidence against former President Donald Trump in the Jan. 6 congressional hearings, but virtually ignored comments by former members of Trump’s Secret Service detail that contradicted her testimony.
- Again, the media largely ignored a threat of assassination against a sitting Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh and the subsequent harassment that he and other high-court justices have faced after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Major outlets also have covered for the terroristic pro-abortion group “Jane’s Revenge” by even refusing to use its name.
- Then there are the near-silence and outright lies of mainstream media about the secret flights moving illegal immigrants away from the border and locating them in communities far away, making it harder to account for their whereabouts, legal or illegal.
- With a recession looming, several major newspapers have joined the “Don’t worry, be happy” school of journalism, telling Americans that a recession “may not be so bad” (L.A. Times) or advising readers “Don’t rant . . . Try to lower expectations” (Washington Post).
The list could go on and on. These are just a handful of items culled from recent headlines and news accounts. The media’s pervasive political bias and failure to report on significant events has severely damaged its reputation.
And, once again, the I&I/TIPP Poll isn’t the only one to note this.
A recent Pew poll, for instance, asked both journalists and the public how the media were doing their jobs. It found a huge gap: “For example, while 65% of journalists say news organizations do a very or somewhat good job reporting the news accurately, 35% of the public agrees, while 43% of U.S. adults say journalists do a bad job of this.”
Moreover, while declining trust in the media seems to be a global phenomenon, it’s worst here. A massive global Digital News Report, based on a survey of six continents and 46 major media markets by the Reuters Institute and Oxford University, found on average 42% of people globally “trust the news most of the time.”
But one country stood out as lowest among all nations surveyed: The U.S., at just 26%.
I&I/TIPP publishes timely and informative data each month from our polls on this topic and others of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past five presidential elections…”
