Media Attitudes

U.S. adults’ views of what makes a news story trustworthy vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits.

When Americans were asked to evaluate the media’s standing in the nation, 41% say news organizations are growing in their influence.

We asked U.S. adults whether they consider each of 13 different news outlets to be a part of the mainstream media or not.

Roughly half of Americans or more were able to correctly identify whether three of the six sources asked about do their own reporting.

As election returns rolled in – albeit more slowly than in recent years – Americans were tuning in closely. They also, for the most part, gave their news sources positive marks for the coverage of the returns, though Republicans were less likely to do so than Democrats.

59% of Americans say made-up information that is intended to mislead causes a “great deal” of confusion about the 2020 presidential election.

About eight-in-ten Americans (79%) say news organizations tend to favor one side when presenting the news on political and social issues.

Biden supporters are more likely than Trump supporters to be confident their news sources will make the right call in announcing a winner. And partisans remain worlds apart on how well the U.S. has controlled the coronavirus outbreak.

A majority (82%) say there are times when it is acceptable for journalists to use anonymous sources, with 67% saying it is acceptable only in special cases.

72% of U.S. adults say news organizations do an insufficient job telling their audiences where their money comes from.