Democrats Trust Mainstream Media, Republicans Don't

The Gallup chart reveals a stark erosion of trust in mass media across political affiliations from 1972 to 2023. This isn’t a subtle shift; it’s a dramatic decline, especially when broken down by party. While trust in media has diminished across the board, the pace and extent of this decline differ sharply among Republicans, Independents, and Democrats.

Republicans show the most striking trend. I think we all agree that this is obvious. In the early 1970s, around 70% of Republicans reported trusting the mainstream media. By 2023, this figure had plummeted to a mere 11%. The 2016 election cycle stands out as the premier inflection point.

Independents have also seen a major drop, with trust levels falling from about 60% in the 1970s to 29% in 2023. This decline is understandable; they face a barrage of conflicting, partisan-laden reports, making it difficult to discern fact from spin without very deep political engagement.

Democrats, however, maintain a relatively high level of trust in the mass media. This isn’t surprising given the alignment between media messaging and Democratic viewpoints. The feedback loop is evident: the media reinforces the party’s narrative, and loyal viewers continue to trust the media. They spoon-feed the faithful with effective messaging (or propaganda, if you will). America's left-wing media is the all powerful messenger for American Democrats.

Partisanship’s influence on media is undeniable. Watching the Democratic National Convention, the supporting left-wing media bias was crystal clear. It was impossible to miss. Conservatives have nothing like this. Take MSNBC: Lawrence O’Donnell’s relentless repetition of the network’s narrative left no room for dissent. His guests were predictable, echoing the same points, much like the rest of MSNBC. While Fox News has its partisanship, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find conservative media not overshadowed by the liberal monolith.

American Journalism, as a career, is in decline. In a market-driven media landscape where ratings and clicks outweigh substance, journalism succumbs to the lowest common denominator of partisan banter. Not to mention activist journalists, or “activist journalism,” whatever they may be called.

What does this mean for the future? We might be heading into a golden age of partisan media. Maybe this really is a moment in time for independent news media to find explosive growth. Whether this results in a more informed populace or further entrenches ideological silos is another situation altogether. But one thing is certain: the era of broadly trusted, non-partisan media is behind us. Ardent Democrats might disagree.