{"id":87807,"date":"2020-08-31T11:09:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T16:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/"},"modified":"2024-05-16T17:26:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T21:26:06","slug":"americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/","title":{"rendered":"1. Americans are largely skeptical of the news media, but say there is room for confidence to improve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-01-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eee9e3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eee9e3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-01.png?resize=480,672 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-01.png?resize=782,1094 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-01.png?resize=836,1170 836w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"588\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-01.png?w=732\" alt=\"Americans are often more negative than positive about the news media\u2019s role in society, standards\" class=\"wp-image-108753 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, Americans tend to express more negative than positive views about the news media and feel that that it is beneficial for society to approach the media with some level of skepticism. But the public does not view the media as a lost cause: A vast majority of U.S. adults say it is possible to increase their level of confidence in the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans have a number of specific reservations about the news media\u2019s role, standards and impact on society. Respondents were asked to evaluate news organizations overall across five different dimensions: whether or not they care how good of a job they do; whether or not they act professionally; whether they protect or hurt democracy; whether they stand up for America or are too critical of the country; and whether or not they care about the people they report on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across these five areas, Americans rate only one more positively than negatively: whether news organizations care about how good of a job they do. Just under half (45%) say they do care, slightly higher than the share who say they do not (37%). The remaining 17% say neither statement reflects their views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the remaining four evaluations, Americans are more likely to hold a negative than positive view.[1. There is some evidence that Americans feel more positively about <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/GROUP_TRUST_b\/political_party\/us_adults\">local news organizations<\/a> than they do of <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/GROUP_TRUST_a\/political_party\/us_adults\">national ones<\/a>. The current study does not break out views about local or national news media, but instead looks at the institution as a whole.] One that particularly stands out is that many think news organizations lack empathy toward those they cover, with 53% saying news organizations do not care about the people they report on, 30 percentage points higher than the portion who says news outlets do care (23%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is some indication that these evaluations are more negative than in previous years. For example, Americans <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2013\/08\/08\/amid-criticism-support-for-medias-watchdog-role-stands-out\/\">in 2013<\/a> were much more likely to say that news organizations were highly professional than not.[2. In 2013, 60% of U.S. adults said that news organizations were highly professional while 29% said they were not professional. While that survey was conducted by phone, it\u2019s highly unlikely that such large differences could be explained by the different survey modes.] Further, Americans <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/07\/22\/key-findings-about-americans-declining-trust-in-government-and-each-other\/\">think that trust<\/a> more generally has declined in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-02a-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6dfe1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6dfe1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-02a.png?resize=480,535 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-02a.png?resize=782,872 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-02a.png?resize=838,934 838w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"468\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-02a.png?w=838\" alt=\"Fewer than half of Americans say the public is confident in the media, and most do not think confidence should be higher\" class=\"wp-image-108786 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans\u2019 reservations about the news media extend into the level of confidence they think the public overall has in the institution, as well as their own personal confidence. Fewer than half of U.S. adults (45%) say the public has at least a \u201cfair amount\u201d of confidence in journalists, including a mere 6% who think Americans trust the media \u201ca great deal.\u201d A slim majority says the public has either \u201cnot too much\u201d confidence (43%) or no confidence at all (11%) in the news media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s more, relatively few think the public\u2019s level of confidence in the news media <em>should<\/em> be higher. Most Americans say that the public either has too much (40%) or about the right amount (28%) of confidence in journalists, while just three-in-ten say the news media deserve more confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is little connection between views about how much confidence Americans <em>do<\/em> have in the news media and how much they say Americans <em>should<\/em> have. For instance, among those who think the public has at least a fair amount of confidence in journalists, four-in-ten say that it is too much. And among those who say the public has little to no trust in the media, an almost identical share \u2013 41% \u2013 also say this level of confidence is higher than it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-03-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9e2e3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9e2e3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-03.png?resize=480,539 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-03.png?resize=782,878 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-03.png?resize=846,950 846w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"472\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-03.png?w=846\" alt=\"About half of Americans have confidence in journalists to act in the public interest, lower than several other professions \u2013 but higher than elected officials\" class=\"wp-image-108762 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/05\/08\/americans-are-more-negative-in-their-broader-views-of-journalists-than-they-are-toward-covid-19-coverage\/\">reported earlier<\/a> in this yearlong study, Americans also are somewhat split in their own levels of confidence in journalists. About half (48%) have at least a fair amount of confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public, while 51% say they have little to no confidence that this is the case. Faith in journalists is slightly down from <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2019\/07\/22\/how-americans-see-problems-of-trust\/\">late 2018<\/a>, when 55% had at least a fair amount of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-200-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-04-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e5dfd6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e5dfd6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-04.png?resize=404,1018 404w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"504\" width=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-04.png?w=404\" alt=\"Americans more likely to think news organizations are losing than gaining influence in the country\" class=\"wp-image-108766 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Journalists do not fare as well on this measure as several other groups of professionals. Of 10 groups asked about, seven received a higher level of confidence than journalists: medical scientists, scientists in general, the military, public school principals, police officers, college professors and religious leaders.[3. This question was asked before the protests in wake of the police killing of George Floyd.] Journalists rank higher than just one group \u2013 elected leaders \u2013 and are on par with business leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside these often negative views of the news media is the sense that the news media are losing influence in the country. In another question asking Americans to evaluate the news media\u2019s standing, about half (48%) say that news organizations are declining in influence, compared with 32% who say their influence is growing. The remaining 19% say that the news media are neither increasing nor decreasing in influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This pattern is the opposite to that of previous years. <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2011\/09\/22\/press-widely-criticized-but-trusted-more-than-other-institutions\/\">Americans in 2011<\/a> were more likely to say the news media were growing than declining in influence.[4. In 2011, 52% of U.S. adults said that news organizations were growing in influence compared with 34% who said they were declining. Again, while that survey was conducted by phone, it\u2019s highly unlikely that such large differences could be explained by the different survey modes.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;most-americans-think-it-is-better-if-people-are-skeptical-of-the-news-media-and-see-potential-for-confidence-in-the-news-media-to-increase&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"most-americans-think-it-is-better-if-people-are-skeptical-of-the-news-media-and-see-potential-for-confidence-in-the-news-media-to-increase\">Most Americans think it is better if people are skeptical of the news media and see potential for confidence in the news media to increase<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-200-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-05-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e0d2b8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e0d2b8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-05.png?resize=404,942 404w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"466\" width=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-05.png?w=404\" alt=\"Most Americans think skepticism of the news media is good for society\" class=\"wp-image-108771 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What may in part explain these often negative or split views is a prominent sense that skepticism of the news media can be healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roughly two-thirds of Americans (63%) think that, ideally, it is better for society if the public is skeptical of the news media. This is far higher than the portion who say it is better if the public is trusting of the news media (36%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not only do Republicans largely feel that skepticism of the news media is a good thing, but a majority of Democrats also feel this way (<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/partisans-remain-sharply-divided-in-many-views-toward-the-news-media-stark-differences-between-trumps-strongest-supporters-critics\/\">see Chapter 4<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quote-from-focus-groups\">Quote from focus groups:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cYou don\u2019t want to not trust them [the news media] no matter what, but you don\u2019t want to be on the other side and trust a news organization 100% of the time.\u201d \u2013 Man, 34<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-06-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e6e0dd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e6e0dd;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-06.png?resize=480,439 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-06.png?resize=626,572 626w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"283\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-06.png?w=626\" alt=\"Three-quarters of Americans say confidence in the news media can improve\" class=\"wp-image-108776 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans, however, also see plenty of room for sentiments toward the news media to become more positive. Three-quarters of Americans say it is possible for the public to increase its level of confidence in the news media, compared with about a quarter (24%) who say it is not possible. This view is largely shared by both major parties, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/\">across demographic groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The view that confidence in the media could increase also is common among both those who say that, in an ideal world, the public would be trusting of the news media (85%) <em>and<\/em> those who say it is better for society to be skeptical of journalists (69%). This suggests that even if views of the news media become more positive, many still think it is important to maintain some level of healthy skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sense that confidence can increase lines up with how Americans feel about other institutions and each other. In 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.people-press.org\/2019\/07\/22\/americans-solutions-for-trust-related-problems\/\">large majorities said<\/a> it is possible to increase the level of confidence in the federal government as well as in other Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;the-news-media-get-fairly-good-marks-at-covering-specific-issues-and-events&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-news-media-get-fairly-good-marks-at-covering-specific-issues-and-events\">The news media get fairly good marks at covering specific issues and events<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/pj_2020-08-31_trust-in-news-media_1-07-png\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9e2e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9e2e4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-07.png?resize=480,430 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-07.png?resize=782,701 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-07.png?resize=846,758 846w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"376\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_1-07.png?w=846\" alt=\"Americans give fairly good marks to the news media\u2019s coverage of COVID-19, protests following Floyd killing\" class=\"wp-image-108781 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the public holds many concerns about the news media broadly, views are somewhat more positive about news coverage of a range of specific issues and events, including recent ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Previous Pew Research Center studies have shown that about seven-in-ten Americans say the news media have done \u201cvery\u201d or \u201csomewhat\u201d well <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/COVIDCOVER1\/total_us_adults\/us_adults\">covering the coronavirus outbreak<\/a>, and more than half (57%) say news organizations have done an \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cgood\u201d job <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/06\/12\/majorities-of-americans-say-news-coverage-of-george-floyd-protests-has-been-good-trumps-public-message-wrong\/\">covering the protests following the police killing of George Floyd<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is similar to views of other specific issues and events. For example, the public has thought highly of the news media\u2019s coverage of other crises, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2001\/11\/28\/terror-coverage-boost-news-medias-images\/\">war against terrorism immediately after 9\/11<\/a>. And Americans also have expressed somewhat positive views about coverage of specific science news topics, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/science\/2017\/02\/02\/public-views-of-media-coverage-on-childhood-vaccines\/\">childhood vaccines<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In general, Americans tend to express more negative than positive views about the news media and feel that that it is beneficial for society to approach the media with some level of skepticism. But the public does not view the media as a lost cause: A vast majority of U.S. adults say it is possible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":377,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[1841,1020],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[527],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-87807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","datasets-american-trends-panel-wave-62","datasets-american-trends-panel-wave-72","formats-report","research-teams-journalism"],"label":false,"post_parent":87815,"word_count":1348,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":108984,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":108984,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":108984,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":108984,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":108984,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":108984,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_trust-in-news-media_featured.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":87815,"title":"Americans See Skepticism of News Media as Healthy, Say Public Trust in the Institution Can Improve","slug":"americans-see-skepticism-of-news-media-as-healthy-say-public-trust-in-the-institution-can-improve","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-see-skepticism-of-news-media-as-healthy-say-public-trust-in-the-institution-can-improve\/","is_active":false},{"id":87807,"title":"1. Americans are largely skeptical of the news media, but say there is room for confidence to improve","slug":"americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-are-largely-skeptical-of-the-news-media-but-say-there-is-room-for-confidence-to-improve\/","is_active":true},{"id":87802,"title":"2. Americans largely see news organizations as opaque, particularly when it comes to finances","slug":"americans-largely-see-news-organizations-as-opaque-particularly-when-it-comes-to-finances","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-largely-see-news-organizations-as-opaque-particularly-when-it-comes-to-finances\/","is_active":false},{"id":87792,"title":"3. Americans who have a closer relationship with their news sources are more supportive of the news media overall","slug":"americans-who-have-a-closer-relationship-with-their-news-sources-are-more-supportive-of-the-news-media-overall","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/americans-who-have-a-closer-relationship-with-their-news-sources-are-more-supportive-of-the-news-media-overall\/","is_active":false},{"id":87778,"title":"4. Partisans remain sharply divided in many views toward the news media; stark differences between Trump\u2019s strongest supporters, critics","slug":"partisans-remain-sharply-divided-in-many-views-toward-the-news-media-stark-differences-between-trumps-strongest-supporters-critics","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/partisans-remain-sharply-divided-in-many-views-toward-the-news-media-stark-differences-between-trumps-strongest-supporters-critics\/","is_active":false},{"id":87772,"title":"5. Black Americans see representation as key in determining how they stay informed","slug":"black-americans-see-representation-as-key-in-determining-how-they-stay-informed","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/black-americans-see-representation-as-key-in-determining-how-they-stay-informed\/","is_active":false},{"id":87767,"title":"Acknowledgments","slug":"trust-in-news-media-acknowledgments","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/trust-in-news-media-acknowledgments\/","is_active":false},{"id":87757,"title":"Methodology","slug":"trust-in-news-media-methodology","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/trust-in-news-media-methodology\/","is_active":false}],"report_materials":[{"key":"b3c33752-18a8-4cae-b62d-4feb034ceb2a","type":"report","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/08\/PJ_2020.08.31_Trust-In-News-Media_FINAL1.pdf","label":"","icon":"","attachmentId":108990},{"key":"ffb4e89c-7897-4752-a677-3c0b7633f3fc","type":"link","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/ATP-W62-Topline.pdf","label":"February-March 2020 Topline","icon":"topline","attachmentId":""},{"key":"30f58cf4-fa83-4416-80f1-1157cc3e9b97","type":"link","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/08\/ATP-W72-Topline.pdf","label":"August 2020 Topline","icon":"topline","attachmentId":""},{"type":"dataset","id":1841,"label":"American Trends Panel Wave 62","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/dataset\/american-trends-panel-wave-62\/"},{"type":"dataset","id":1020,"label":"American Trends Panel Wave 72","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/dataset\/american-trends-panel-wave-72\/"}],"report_pagination":{"current_post":{"id":87807,"title":"1. 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Black Americans see representation as key in determining how they stay informed","slug":"black-americans-see-representation-as-key-in-determining-how-they-stay-informed","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/black-americans-see-representation-as-key-in-determining-how-they-stay-informed\/","is_active":false,"page_num":6},{"id":87767,"title":"Acknowledgments","slug":"trust-in-news-media-acknowledgments","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/trust-in-news-media-acknowledgments\/","is_active":false,"page_num":7},{"id":87757,"title":"Methodology","slug":"trust-in-news-media-methodology","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/08\/31\/trust-in-news-media-methodology\/","is_active":false,"page_num":8}]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"Americans See Skepticism of News Media as Healthy, Say Public Trust in the Institution Can Improve","parent_id":87815},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"1. 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