50% of Americans surveyed said they believe national news organizations seek to mislead, misinform or persuade the public to accept a particular point of view.

The survey, released last Wednesday by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, outperforms previous data showing poor media credibility, so much so that many believe have the intent to deceive.

When asked if they agreed that national news organizations did not target disinformation, 50% of respondents disagreed, compared to 25% who did.

Conversely, 52% disagreed with the view that the US media “cares about the interests of readers, viewers and listeners”, and only 23% of respondents believe that journalists act in the interests of their audience.

“We were very impressed,” says Sarah Fioroni, a Gallup consultant. The findings also demonstrated a depth of distrust that transcends the institutions and processes of journalism. “Journalists should not only focus on transparency and accuracy, but also demonstrate the impact of their reporting on the public,” the study notes.

“Americans don’t seem to believe that national news organizations care about the overall impact of their reporting on society,” said John Sands, Knight’s director of media and democracy.

The ability of many people to instantly receive news from their portable devices, the fast pace of the news flow and the increase in the number of sources means that more Americans are watching the news than ever before.

However information overload seems to have the opposite effect. According to the survey, 61% of Americans believe that these factors make it difficult to obtain information, as opposed to 37% who believe it is easier.

As with other polls, including the Knight and Gallup polls, Democrats have more confidence in the news than Republicans.

Over the past five years, the level of distrust has risen sharply, especially among independents. Overall, 55% of respondents answered that there is a lot of bias in journalistic coverage, up from 45% in 2017 to the same question.

Regarding how they are informed, 58% answered online, 31% on TV, 7% on radio and only 3% answered through print, newspapers or magazines.

Among Gen Z ages 18 to 25, their internet awareness jumps to 88%.

The survey results, conducted from May 31 to July 21, 2022, were based on a sample of 5,593 Americans aged 18 and over.

Source: Associated Press.