The Complex Relationship Between the News Media, Democracy, and Political Polarization in the U.S.
According to a recent survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Americans have a mixed relationship with the news media. While many recognize the importance of in-depth and investigative reporting, a significant number lack trust in the media's ability to report news fairly and accurately. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults believe that the news media is increasing political polarization in the country.
The survey revealed that Americans have significant concerns about misinformation and the role of the media, politicians, and social media companies in spreading it. This breakdown in trust has led many Americans to turn to social media and unreliable websites that can become echo chambers, further polarizing society.
The survey shows that while a slim majority of Americans say they have some degree of confidence in the news media’s ability to report the news fully and fairly, only 16% say they are very confident. Furthermore, four in 10 say the press is doing more to hurt American democracy, while only about 2 in 10 say the press is doing more to protect it. The situation is worsened by the fragmentation of the media ecosystem, driven largely by the internet, which has contributed to polarization.
The survey also highlights that Republicans view the news media less favorably than Democrats. The poll shows that Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say that the news media is hurting democracy and is strongly influenced by the U.S. government and the political views of journalists.
While the survey indicates that social media plays a key role in the spread of misinformation, it also shows that many Americans are concerned about the threat posed by misinformation. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said that when they see a news story on social media, they expect it to be inaccurate. Nonetheless, those who rely on social media regularly for their news were somewhat more likely to trust it than others.
Finally, the poll shows that while many Americans believe the U.S. government is doing a good job protecting the freedom of the press, most are concerned about the safety of journalists. Roughly a third say they're very concerned or extremely concerned about attacks on the press.
The poll of 1,002 adults was conducted March 30-April 3 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Alan Herrera is the Editorial Supervisor for the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (AFPC-USA), where he oversees the organization’s media platform, foreignpress.org. He previously served as AFPC-USA’s General Secretary from 2019 to 2021 and as its Treasurer until early 2022.
Alan is an editor and reporter who has worked on interviews with such individuals as former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci; Maria Fernanda Espinosa, the former President of the United Nations General Assembly; and Mariangela Zappia, the former Permanent Representative to Italy for the U.N. and current Italian Ambassador to the United States.
Alan has spent his career managing teams as well as commissioning, writing, and editing pieces on subjects like sustainable trade, financial markets, climate change, artificial intelligence, threats to the global information environment, and domestic and international politics. Alan began his career writing film criticism for fun and later worked as the Editor on the content team for Star Trek actor and activist George Takei, where he oversaw the writing team and championed progressive policy initatives, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ rights advocacy.