A new Gallup survey says trust in the American news media has hit a new all-time low, and the polling organization says Donald Trump may be fueling that distrust.
The survey, published Wednesday, said that just 32 percent of Americans said they trust the mass media to report information “fully, accurately and fairly,” an 8-point decrease from 2015. Gallup said that was the lowest number since the polling group began asking the question 20 years ago.
Gallup said Trump’s criticism of the press may be a factor.
“With many Republican leaders and conservative pundits saying Hillary Clinton has received overly positive media attention, while Donald Trump has been receiving unfair or negative attention, this may be the prime reason their relatively low trust in the media has evaporated even more,” Gallup said.
“It is also possible that Republicans think less of the media as a result of Trump’s sharp criticisms of the press.”
Among Republicans, only 14 percent said they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the media. For Democrats, the number was much higher at 51 percent. The number for independents was at 30 percent.
