Confidence in the US mainstream media (MSM) has dropped to a record low this year. Despite all the media coverage of 'fake news' a majority of the population share the opinion that we can't trust the mainstream media (television, radio and newspaper). For years Gallup has been asking Americans about their level of trust and confidence in the mass media. Their latest poll held earlier this year shows that only 32% of the US population has a fair amount of confidence in the coverage of mass media. More and more Americans share the opinion that the mass media are not reporting the news fully, accurately and fairly although this should be one of the basic requirements for any news outlet if it wants to be taken seriously.

https://infographic.statista.com/normal/chartoftheday_5883_trust_in_mass_media_n.jpg
*[Infographic: Trust in Mass Media Erodes | Statista](https://www.statista.com/chart/5883/trust-in-mass-media/)*

If we compare the last results with previous years, we clearly see that confidence in the mainstream media is decreasing rapidly. At the beginning of this century, more than half of the population still believed in the news on television, in newspapers and on the radio.

### Where People Trust The News Most And Least

If we compare the results with other countries, we see that trust levels in news vary hugely by country. In many affluent Western European countries trust in the media is much higher. In Germany, for example, 52% of the public believes most news from mass media can be trusted. Most Western European nations have well-funded public service broadcasters who still have a high level of trust. The chart below shows the % agreeing "you can trust news most of the time" in selected countries.

https://infographic.statista.com/normal/chartoftheday_7248_where_people_trust_the_news_most_and_least_n.jpg
*[Infographic: Where People Trust The News Most And Least | Statista](https://www.statista.com/chart/7248/where-people-trust-the-news-most-and-least/)*


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