Summary:
Americans’ trust in the media has plummeted to historic lows, with only 31% expressing confidence in its ability to report news accurately and fairly. This decline is partly attributed to perceived bias and inaccuracies by major organizations like The Associated Press (AP). The AP’s role as a global wire service amplifies its influence, but recent controversies, such as its reporting on climate change and agriculture, have further eroded public trust. This trend raises concerns about media integrity and its societal impact.
What This Means for You:
- Verify news stories across multiple reputable sources to counteract potential bias.
- Be critical of sensationalist claims, especially those tied to controversial topics like climate change.
- Advocate for media transparency and accountability by supporting organizations that prioritize factual reporting.
- Expect media trust to remain a contentious issue, with implications for public discourse and democracy.
Original Post:
American’s trust in the media is at all-time lows, which is surprising only to WWII Japanese soldiers only now emerging from remote, Pacific-island caves. According to Gallup, in the 1970s, about 66% of Americans trusted the media to report the news fully, fairly and accurately. By 1997, that figure dropped to 53%. Circa 2025, only 31% trust the media “a great deal or a fair amount.”
“A fair amount?” I suspect that was Gallup’s attempt to give the media more credit than it deserves. Even so, 33% say they don’t trust the media “very much,” and 35% don’t trust the media at all. I further suspect that Gallup’s wishy-washy choices give the media undue credit, but even so, 71% of Americans have little or no trust in the media, which is not as bad for the media as they deserve.
Donald Trump certainly agrees. He’s negotiated towering settlements from the media for their blatant bias.
The Associated Press is certainly one of the main drivers of American rejection of the media. The AP is a “wire service,” so-called because once upon a time its feed was sent out via hard wire. Local news organizations can’t pay to send reporters and cameramen around the world, so they pay a subscription fee to the AP, which has stringers—reporters and cameramen—around the world paid on a story-by-story basis. This allows widespread access to news that would otherwise be unavailable, but there are major problems. If the AP refuses to report a story, its subscribers will never know. And if the AP gets it wrong, so do its subscribers, and so does anyone relying on the AP to report the news fully, fairly and accurately.
The AP has been doing that far less frequently these days, as Powerline reports:
A case in point is this story on agriculture: “To get that perfect ear of corn, weather has to cooperate. But climate change is making it dicier.”
Across major corn-growing states, climate change is fueling conditions that make watching the corn grow a nail-biter for farmers. Factors like consistently high summer overnight temperatures, droughts and heavier-than-usual rains at the wrong time…
Got that? Global warming causes both droughts and too much rainfall–take your pick. In fact, neither droughts nor floods have increased.
…can all disrupt the plants’ pollination — making each full ear of corn less of a guarantee and more of a gamble.
Oh no! We all know Climate Change is the all-purpose, non-falsifiable narrative. No hurricanes? Climate Change. Hurricanes? Climate Change. Drought? Climate Change. Floods? Climate Change. Cold temps in winter? Climate Change. Hot temps in summer? Climate Change. Tuesday? Climate Change. Trump? Climate Change. No sex? Climate Change. No global warming? Climate change.
According to the AP, Climate Change must be all but obliterating this year’s corn crop. We’re all going to starve and worst of all, Ethanol production will grind to a halt! Yeah, not so much:
Author” src=”https://images.americanthinker.com/ca/cannfxjsxj8e1xcovn66_640.jpg” />
Graphic: USDA Graph, Public Domain
2025 has been an all-time high in American corn production. But wait a minute: you’re cherry-picking statistics. That graph only goes back to 2016! OK then:
Author” src=”https://images.americanthinker.com/b2/b2bzws5imhsam37wffuf_640.jpg” />
Graphic: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Public Domain
Oh.
Per-acre yield has more than tripled since 1961, and the last 15 years have seen the highest yields ever. So, if “climate change” has affected corn yields, the impact apparently has been positive.
The Associated Press was once a respected news organization, but now its reporters and editors are hacks who promote liberal narratives, not facts.
The AP certainly has hacks, but editors? Who could tell?
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
Extra Information:
Gallup’s insights on media trust provide detailed data on the decline of public confidence in news organizations. For further analysis of climate narratives, Powerline’s critique of AP’s coverage offers a critical perspective.
People Also Ask About:
- Why has trust in the media declined? Declining trust stems from perceived bias, inaccuracies, and sensationalism.
- What is The Associated Press’s role in news reporting? The AP serves as a global wire service, providing news content to local outlets worldwide.
- How does climate change reporting affect public perception? Misleading reporting can lead to skepticism and confusion about climate issues.
- What are the implications of low media trust for democracy? Low trust can erode informed decision-making and public discourse.
Expert Opinion:
The decline in media trust underscores the urgent need for journalistic integrity and transparency. Without credible reporting, public discourse and democratic processes are at risk.
Key Terms:
- Media trust decline in America
- The Associated Press bias
- Climate change reporting inaccuracies
- Impact of media distrust on democracy
- Public perception of news organizations
- Corn agriculture and climate narratives
- Gallup media trust statistics
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