Politics & Media

France stands out from other Western European countries for its broad discontent toward the news media. About a third of adults say they trust the news media, including just 4% who say they have a lot of trust

There are partisan divisions over certain aspects of local news reporting, including whether local journalists should express views on local issues.

A majority of Americans believe the news media do not understand people like them, and this feeling is especially common among Republicans.

Some 44% of liberal Democrats say they have used social media in the past year to encourage others to take action on an issue that was important to them. A similar share (43%) have taken part in a group that shares their interest in a cause.

While most Americans expect news will be accurate, most also say news organizations cover up mistakes, take sides

The ways that social media shape political attitudes and the intricacies of lawmaking in Congress were two of many topics at the APSA annual conference.

A small share of the public – 14% – say they have changed their views about a political or social issue in the past year because of something they saw on social media.

The U.S. congressional Facebook audience used the “angry” button in response to lawmakers’ posts nearly 14 million times following the 2016 election.

Democratic legislators’ opposition to political adversaries on Facebook spiked after Trump’s election, while "angry" reactions to posts by members of Congress increased among followers.

As the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag turns 5 years old, a look at its evolution on Twitter and how Americans view social media's impact on political and civic engagement