Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Ministry of Health: Final toll from airstrike on car in Zebdine, Nabatieh District: Two martyrs, four injured
Egyptian media: Indirect talks between Hamas and Israelis begin in Sharm el-Sheikh.
AFP: France's new PM Sebastein Lecornu resigns just hours after unveiling cabinet.
Trump: Technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to discuss and clarify the final details, and the first phase is scheduled to be completed this week
US President Donald Trump: Talks with Hamas have been very successful and are moving at a rapid pace
Local sources in Aleppo: Violent clashes erupt between the SDF and factions affiliated with the transitional authority on the Deir Hafer and Tishrin Dam fronts in the eastern Aleppo countryside
Israeli media: Interceptor missiles fired in an attempt to shoot down the drone
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded amid suspected "enemy aircraft" infiltrating the Eilat area
Israeli media: "Israel" won the battle but lost the war strategically and politically
Israeli media: Ben Gurion Airport's airspace closed to air traffic following missile launch from Yemen

Americans show distrust in media: no credibility, politically-dividing

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 1 May 2023 18:16
3 Min Read

These results demonstrate the increasing number of people who believe that the media take orders from their respective governments and thus alter news to fit in the respective mold.

  • x
  •  sign showing major news organizations along with the words
    A sign held up during former US President Donald Trump's speech at a Make America Great Again Rally in Michigan on April 28, 2018 (Reuters)

In a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights advocacy organization, results show that 9 in 10 adults in the US say misinformation is the main problem behind their distrust in the media's ability to report news correctly and fairly. 

Two-thirds of the participants view news stories on their social media as inaccurate, and almost 6 out of 10 placed blame on the media for spreading misinformation and not owning up to the responsibility of addressing it.

Four out of 10 respondents believe the press is harming US democracy while about 2 in 10 believe it protects it, and 4 in 10 state neither that nor this. A mere 16% show confidence in the media's ability to report without bias while a whopping 45% show otherwise. 

Read next: Republicans slam Biden with 'fact check' website

These results come just two days before World Press Freedom Day this week on Wednesday, which also demonstrates the increasing number of people who believe that the media take orders from their respective governments and thus alter news to fit in the respective mold.

Related News

Half of top mental health TikToks have misinformation: The Guardian

Fact-checking declines as trust in institutions erodes in the US

  • Americans show distrust in media: no credibility, politically dividing
    Half of all Americans feel that news outlets are misleading, saying that they disagreed that these outlets "care about the best interests of their readers, viewers, and listeners."

One example is when the Western media played the propaganda card during the riots in Iran by supporting separatist dissidents and terrorist groups that were aiming to cause chaos under the title of advocating women's rights. 

While Washington markets itself as the beacon of human rights and the savior of the planet, the compromisation of its own fake values clearly comes to exhibit its priorities in the domestic and international arena.

Back in December 2022, in a Pew research, only 34% of respondents in the US believed that social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp had a positive influence on democracy, while 64% believed the opposite. More Americans than residents of any other nation surveyed think that social media sites and the internet, in general, have widened political chasms.

With regard to the different political parties, 61% of Republicans say the news negatively impacts democracy and believe that media fuels political division as opposed to 23% of Democrats and 36% of independents.

Read next: Sanders predicts Biden 'landslide' win, says age not a factor

The poll further shows that the internet-driven division of the media ecosystem was a major factor causing polarization, as it cites "experts" who claim that gerrymandering that diminishes political competition, as well as politicians who instill fear and distrust, are the causes but misinformation highly contributes as well.

  • Misinformation
  • Republicans
  • US
  • media
  • fake news
  • Democrats

Most Read

Hamas fighters stand in formation ahead of a ceremony to hand over Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP)

Hamas reviews Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan as PIJ rejects

  • Palestine
  • 30 Sep 2025
Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Hezbollah's representative in Iran, Sayyed Abdullah Safieddine, during an interview with Al Mayadeen which aired on October 6, 2025 (Al Mayadeen)
Politics

Tehran never interferes in Hezbollah decisions: Representative in Iran

Smoke billows over the Gaza Strip following an Israeli bombardment, as seen from southern Palestine, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Indirect talks for a ceasefire in Gaza begin in Sharm El-Sheikh: Egypt

Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to attend a military parad in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Security forces seal Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh districts

Amsterdam Captain Mohammed Ali Mohiuddin, who took part in the Global Sumud mission to Gaza, talks to Al Mayadeen on October 6, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

GSF captain says despite abuse, 'Israel weaker than spider's web'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS