Media Polarization

In recent years, several new options have emerged in the social media universe, many of which explicitly present themselves as alternatives to more established social media platforms. Free speech ideals and heated political themes prevail on these sites, which draw praise from their users and skepticism from other Americans.

55% of journalists surveyed say that every side does not always deserve equal coverage in the news. 22% of Americans overall say the same.

Nearly 12,000 U.S.-based journalists in a pair of open-ended questions were asked to write down the one thing the news industry does the best job of these days and what it does worst.

A survey of U.S.-based journalists finds 77% would choose their career all over again, though 57% are highly concerned about future restrictions on press freedom.

The declining public trust in the news media and polarization of news audiences have profound effects on civic life.

Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts Americans into cohesive, like-minded groups based on their values, beliefs, and views about politics and the political system. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.

In just five years, the percentage of Republicans with at least some trust in national news organizations has been cut in half.

Here’s a look at how adults in the United States see cancel culture, political correctness and related issues, based on the Center’s surveys.

Americans’ trust in media varies widely by political party and whether they see the outlet in question as part of the “mainstream media.”

A new study of posts on popular public Facebook pages about the early days of the Biden administration finds that the focus of these posts, as well as the assessments of the new president, differed widely by the ideological orientation of the pages.