America's trust in the media is at its lowest point in more than 50 years, and the media's crusade against Donald Trump likely is what has caused this drop in trust.

A recent Gallup survey indicated that only 31% of Americans trust the media a great deal or a fair amount.

The poll showed how Americans have felt about the media in their country over the past few decades.

Trending in the wrong direction

The evening newscaster used to be one of the most respected and trusted people in America.

In 1972, 68% of Americans trusted the media a great deal or a fair amount. That number grew to 69% in 1974 and hit an all-time high of 72% in 1976.

The upward trend was short-lived, however. By the year 2000, trust in the mass media fell to 51% before dropping to 44% in 2004.

Since 2004, the trend has generally continued downward, falling to 32% in 2016. 2016 was the year that Donald Trump ran against twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and both of them accused the media of getting things wrong at certain points.

Perhaps there were so many allegations and so much dirt against both of these candidates, neither of them wanted you to believe everything you read about them in the papers. Donald Trump wanted you to believe that it was just harmless "locker room talk" and Hillary Clinton tried to convince America that her emails and Benghazi were really no big deal.

Two years into Donald Trump's presidency, trust had crept back up to 45%, but it's pretty much continuously fallen since then.

The current state of the media

It's clear that Americans trust the media less than they ever have before, and for good reason. Take the Associated Press, for example. They're supposed to be the most unbiased news source in the world and they won't even call the Gulf of America by its proper name.

Examples like this may seem small, but when you have hundreds or thousands of opportunities to make small adjustments to the truth every day, you can end up saying something totally dishonest, even if it happens only a little bit at a time.

In 2020, only 40% of Americans trusted the media. That number fell to 36% in 2021, 34% in 2022, and 32% in 2023.

Finally, in 2024, the number of Americans who trust the mainstream media fell to a pathetic 31%.

Do you think this could inspire the media to start telling the truth to get some of their credibility back?

Or will they simply continue to push their agendas regardless?

GALLUP: Americans’ trust in the mass media is at its lowest point in more than five decades. pic.twitter.com/EBwH7h3Nd2

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) February 27, 2025