As lies and deceptions continue to swirl, a recent poll reveals that trust in mainstream media has reached a new record low, with the vast majority of Americans expressing little to no trust in mainstream news.

Help support IFA monthly by becoming an MMP.

View Comments (1)

From Gallup:

Americans’ confidence in the mass media has edged down to a new low, with just 28% expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. This is down from 31% last year and 40% five years ago.

Meanwhile, seven in 10 U.S. adults now say they have “not very much” confidence (36%) or “none at all” (34%).

When Gallup began measuring trust in the news media in the 1970s, between 68% and 72% of Americans expressed confidence in reporting. However, by the next reading in 1997, public confidence had fallen to 53%. Media trust remained just above 50% until it dropped to 44% in 2004, and it has not risen to the majority level since. The highest reading in the past decade was 45% in 2018, which came just two years after confidence had collapsed amid the divisive 2016 presidential campaign.

Gallup notes, interestingly, that this distrust is a both-sides issue. Only 8% of Republicans expressed trust in the media. 51% of Democrats expressed trust in the media, a number that Gallup notes is a repeat of a previous low in 2016. Independents, meanwhile, sit squarely in the middle, with 27% expressing confidence in mainstream news.

For savvy intercessors, this should come as no surprise. We have seen the mainstream media lie countless times in recent years about President Trump, COVID-19, the COVID vaccine, Elon Musk, Israel, President Biden, and more. IFA has even started documenting these lies recently with our weekly Three Things the Left Lied About series. With so many prominent, obvious lies, it’s no wonder why Americans, especially on the right, have lost virtually all trust in the mainstream media.

As trust continues to plummet, let’s pray for an end to dishonestly and for a return to integrity in journalism!

How are you praying about the mainstream media? Share your prayers and scriptures below.

(Excerpt from Gallup. Photo Credit: Thom Holmes on Unsplash)