Americans' distrust in mass media stems from percieved media bias

Source

The perception of media bias has been on the rise since 1985, according to Pew Research Center. In their study, they found in 2011 that 77% of the public believed that news organizations tended to favor one side. This is a 24% increase since 1985. In 2011 they also found 80% of the public believed news organizations were often influenced by powerful people and organizations, which is a 27% increase since 1985.



The trust of the media from Americans is at an all-time low of 40% 

Pew Research Center

The Pew Research center conducted a survey and the results showed that only 4 out of 10 Americans trust the media. Compared to the 55% of Americans that trusted the media in 1999, there has been a 15% decrease. When election seasons came, trust dipped to low percentages. The Pew Research Center also points out that this downwards trend is similar to "Americans' confidence in many institutions and their declining trust in the federal government's ability to handle domestic and international problems."


Being a Democrat or Republican can affect how you perceive media bias

According to Gallup, Democrats have been significanly more likely than Republicans to trust the media.