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News Article - Public Trust in Journalism

  • Writer: Julian Irizarry
    Julian Irizarry
  • May 5
  • 4 min read

The Decline of News Media is Undermining Public Trust in Journalism 

Written by : Julian Irizarry


As trust in journalism has progressively declined across the country, Americans continue to question the authenticity and reliability of news media. 


Trust in the news media is at a historic low, reports conducted by Gallup in 2024 showcased an astounding 39% of Americans who had absolute no trust in the media whatsoever. This is the highest recorded percentage of this statistic since Gallup had begun tracking it in 1972. 


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Americans with no trust in the media surpassed those with trust in 2022. 


David Irizarry, a 55 year old father of two who resides in New Jersey, felt strongly about the current state of news media. 


“I don’t really have 100% trust in the media, especially when it comes to politics. I feel that their perspective is skewed to their political affiliation, and they push those respective agendas, regardless of the content delivery or accuracy. The tactics used by some media outlets today are shameful which makes it difficult to identify who’s reporting the absolute unbiased truth… I read newspapers daily. I stay away from shows like FOX News and CNN,” said David. 


He is one of the few Americans who prefer to read newspapers. Pew Research Center shows that only 4% of U.S. citizens prefer to get their news from print publications. Additionally, 6% prefer radio stations, 32% prefer television, and 58% acquire their news through digital devices.


Misinformation is another factor in the declining trust of news media. The Washington Post showcased an article in regards to the false 2020 election fraud claims from FOX. The article writes, “Smartmatic accused Fox News in a court filing Wednesday of embracing false claims that the voting technology company had helped steal the 2020 election for Joe Biden only after the network endured an audience backlash for calling the race in Arizona for Biden.”


“Unfortunately, I feel that the media does more harm than good because there are just too many resources to obtain news. Some outlets look to rile people up so they can keep viewers tuned in or get likes. Also, there is a lot of fake news out there that people accept without fact checking which can lead to negative discourse amongst the population. With that said though, I’m sure there are legitimate news outlets out there that report unbiased facts, but they are overshadowed by the larger media outlets because more money equals more power,” said David. 


Madison Kaplan, a journalism major currently attending Montclair State University, shares her perspective on the current state of news media. 


“I would say my trust in the news media has decreased significantly as I’ve gotten older and paid more attention to different news outlets. I feel as though the opinions of the reporters and even the news stations themselves have bled into what they are reporting on, and made it harder to differentiate between opinion and fact,” said Madison. 


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Posts on social media have gained more trust in 2025 over national newspapers, local newspapers, and news sites


There has been a rise of alternative news sources in the new age of digital media. A report from Wired states that about 20% of adults obtain their news from influencers on social media, when using ages 18-29 the number skyrockets to 37%. 


“While I definitely get a majority of my news by watching clips on social media, I do occasionally watch the news on TV in order to get a more detailed report on things that are happening…While this doesn’t apply to every news outlet, I think that the way that some news gets warped in its delivery can definitely have negative effects on society. Additionally, I think that social media absolutely can have a negative impact when anyone can say anything at any time, and it can reach a mass audience of impressionable people,” said Madison. 


As the younger generations begin to use social media more frequently to obtain their news, the older generations still have a fair amount of trust in traditional news outlets. 


According to a 2024 study by Gallup, 43% of Amercians aged 65 or older express a “great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in mass media. 


However, Deborah Veloz, a 66 year old grandmother who resides in Brooklyn, holds a different opinion compared to Gallup’s reports. 


“I really don’t trust the news that much because I hear such negative things about the media. They are putting misinformation out. I get my news from the NewsBreak app and the local station on television. I would say that I see it on the NewsBreak app more than anything else, I also hear news from friends and family,” said Deborah.


“I feel that many of us have lost faith in the news, there always seems to be something negative going on. Untrue embellished stories, it’s very disappointing.”




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