Recent years have seen a stagnation in America’s trust in the media, with only about one-third of Americans expressing trust in the news. Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu has visualized the trust levels in various news organizations based on a 2024 YouGov survey commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. It’s important to note that this is not an exhaustive list of media brands.
Data from the survey revealed that local television news and newspapers are still the most trusted news sources among Americans, despite the decline in local news outlets over the past decade. Meanwhile, brands like ABC News, BBC News, and CBS News also enjoy a trust rating of over 50%.
| Brand | Trust | Neither | Don’t Trust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📺 Local television news | 62% | 21% | 17% |
| 📰 Local newspapers | 58% | 24% | 18% |
| 🅰️ ABC News | 52% | 20% | 28% |
| 🌍 BBC News | 52% | 25% | 23% |
| 📺 CBS News | 52% | 20% | 28% |
On the other end of the spectrum, HuffPost emerges as the least trusted news brand with a 39% trust rating. In contrast, Fox News stands out as the most polarizing brand, with an equal share of 43% for “trust” and “don’t trust.” It is the only outlet where more than 40% of respondents express distrust.
If you found this article interesting, you may also want to explore Ranked: The Most Popular Paid Subscription News Websites for insights into news outlets that subscribers are willing to pay for.
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