Americans’ trust in the news media has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new Gallup survey released Thursday.
The poll found that just 28% of U.S. adults say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” That number is down from 31% last year and has plunged from 40% just five years ago.
Nearly seven in ten Americans say they have little or no faith in the press. About 34% now say they have no trust at all, while another 36% report “not very much” confidence.
The sharp decline reflects deep political and generational divides. Republican confidence in the media has collapsed to just 8%, the first time it has fallen into single digits since Gallup began tracking trust levels in 1972. Among Democrats, 51% say they trust the press, while only 9% report no trust at all. Independents remain split, with 27% expressing trust and 32% saying they have none.
Gallup also found a widening generational gap in trust. From 2023 to 2025, 43% of adults aged 65 and older said they trust the media, compared to no more than 28% in any younger age group.
Media coverage controversies appear to have intensified public skepticism. Critics point to how major outlets handled high-profile stories like the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in North Carolina, incidents that were either downplayed or ignored for days despite going viral online.
The perception of bias has also been fueled by a stark disparity in how political extremism is labeled. Between January and June, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS used terms such as “far right” 1,222 times while referring to “far left” only 86 times, according to data from the Media Research Center.
The findings come as media companies face growing legal and financial pressure over their reporting practices. Paramount recently agreed to pay $36 million to President Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit accusing CBS of manipulating an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 election. The company’s incoming owner, Skydance Media, has pledged to promote “unbiased journalism” and offer a wider range of viewpoints.
Gallup’s survey of 1,000 adults was conducted from Sept. 2 to 16. The margin of error is four percentage points. Trust in the press has been in steady decline since 1972, when 68% of Americans said they had confidence in the media and just 6% said they had none at all.