Trust in the media hits an historic low

Five charts to start your day

Trust in American media has hit rock bottom, reaching historic lows in a story that reveals deep fractures in our information landscape. Only 31 percent of Americans now say they trust the mass media –a stunning drop from an era when more than half the country had faith in their news sources.

What's particularly striking is that Americans now trust Congress, the Supreme Court, and even the executive branch more than they trust the media. Think about that: institutions often criticized for gridlock and partisanship are now seen as more reliable than the press that covers them.

The numbers tell an even more concerning story when we look at different age groups. Young Americans aged 18-29 show the lowest trust levels ever recorded, at just 26 percent. Among young Democrats, only 31 percent trust the media, compared to 74 percent of those over 65 – a generational divide that speaks volumes about our changing information landscape.

While there's a tiny silver lining – the number of Americans with absolutely no trust in media dropped slightly from 39 percent to 36 percent – the overall trend is clear. We're witnessing a fundamental shift in how Americans consume and trust information, with social media and online sources reshaping the landscape, especially for younger generations.

This isn't just about the media – it's a symptom of a broader erosion of trust in American institutions. Only local and state governments now command the trust of more than half of Americans, painting a troubling picture for the future of our democratic discourse.

Source: Axios

Coming up:

• Troubling is brewing in US consumer debt

• Elon Musk’s wealth soars $34 billion

• Corporate America has shifted leftward

• The US is living off 4.9 planet’s worth of resources