Gallup: U.S. Media Trust Falls to 28%

A Gallup poll conducted Sept. 2–16, 2025 finds just 28% of U.S. adults say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly — the first time the measure has fallen below 30%. Seventy percent of respondents say they have “not very much” (36%) or “none at all” (34%) confidence in the media. Trust is at record lows across parties: Republicans plunged to 8% (the first single‑digit reading), Democrats register 51% and independents 27%; younger adults show markedly lower trust while those 65 and older report about 43%. Gallup’s long-term trend traces a decline from a 68% high in 1972 with notable drops after 2004 and during the 2016 campaign; the telephone survey sampled 1,000 adults and has a ±4 percentage‑point margin of error. Gallup analysts attribute the slide to widening partisan and generational fractures and warn it poses a significant credibility challenge for news organizations.