News Media Trends

Nearly three out of four U.S. adults say that, in general, it’s important for journalists to function as watchdogs over elected officials.

U.S. newspaper circulation fell in 2018 to its lowest level since 1940, and newspaper revenues declined dramatically between 2008 and 2018.

Americans who closely follow political news are more likely to have confidence that the public will accept election results. And that's true across party boundaries.

Both Democrats and Republicans express far more distrust than trust of social media sites as sources for political and election news.

Many Democrats and Republicans hold divergent views of President Donald Trump's withholding of military aid to Ukraine. But in today’s fragmented news media environment, party identification may not be the only fault line.

As the U.S. enters a heated 2020 presidential election year, Republicans and Democrats place their trust in two nearly inverse news media environments.

Our director of journalism studies explains how we determined what media outlets Americans turn to and trust for their political news.

An exploration of more than 50 Pew Research Center surveys confirms the overwhelming impact party identification has on Americans’ trust in the news media. And divides emerge within party – particularly the Republican Party – based on how strongly people approve of Trump.

Roughly six-in-ten U.S. adults often get news on a mobile device, compared with 30% who often do so on a desktop or laptop computer.

About one-in-five newsroom employees (22%) live in these three metro areas, which, by comparison, are home to 13% of all U.S. workers.