From Knight/Gallup:
Gallup and Knight have been tracking the decline of trust in the news media since 2017. Gallup’s long-term trend on this measure hit a record low in 2020, when the share of Americans with no confidence in the news media surpassed that of people with at least some confidence for the first time in 40 years.1 Furthermore, findings from the American Views 2020 report showed that Americans were “very concerned” about increasing political bias in news coverage and the perception that news organizations “push an agenda.” – February 15, 2023
Specifically,
– Only 26% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the news media, the lowest level Gallup and Knight have recorded in the past five years, while 53% hold an unfavorable view.
– Across all political affiliations, more Americans say they hold an unfavorable opinion of the news media compared to a survey conducted in late 2019-early 2020. This rise is especially pronounced among independents but is also apparent among Democrats — who typically hold more favorable views of the media.
– Perceptions of political bias in news coverage have also increased, with independents driving the trend, followed by Republicans, then Democrats.
– Young people continue to hold more negative perceptions of the news media than older generations, confirming previous findings. – February 15, 2023
Thought from an old hack: When mainstream media really mattered — say in the 1970s — they told us things it would have been difficult for us to find out otherwise. Those times are gone. Anyone with an internet connection can find out all kinds of things from a variety of sources. So values like objectivity matter much less to the MSM and they readily ally with any political group that will – by various means – help keep them in business.
The burden of actual news coverage is gradually falling on private citizens. Example: During a violent incident some months ago in my own community, I relied heavily on private coverage and reportage of what was happening, not on official media. Anyone on the scene with a cell phone or an internet connection…
Watch for American media to ask for government subsidy, as the Canadian media have successfully done, to stay in business. And — this is the scary part — expect denunciations of freedom of the press (US First Amendment) because it benefits The Wrong People (citizen competitors).
You may also wish to read: As the Twitter files drop, ponder the future of mainstream media. Mainstream media are largely ignoring the story for reasons that go to the heart of their own growing weakness and unstoppable decline. Journalism will never matter anywhere near as much to the MSM again as doing what their betters want. And they view those who follow the story as a threat.
and
Big Tech censorship goes well beyond Twitter. Big Tech media is not, in itself, an answer to current legacy mainstream media if we would like to know information that our betters would prefer that we didn’t. Governments that gain control of media generally want an absolute rewrite of history so that it re-emerges as a PR machine for their governance.