The Washington Post: A case study in why Americans don’t trust the media

According to Gallup, more Americans distrust the “mass media” (which Gallup defines as “newspapers, TV, and radio”) than ever before. A full 60 percent of respondents told Gallup they have little or no trust in the fourth estate.

And that fall in trust comes mainly from Republicans and independents. “Republicans’ level of trust this year is similar to what they expressed in the fall of 2008, implying that they are especially critical of election coverage. Independents are sharply more negative compared with 2008, suggesting the group that is most closely divided between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney is quite dissatisfied with its ability to get fair and accurate news coverage of this election,” Gallup reports.