Poll: Confidence In Media Drops Among Democrats

The sign over the west entrance of the New York Times building at 620 Eighth Ave. in New York. on April 28, 2016. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

Democrats are less likely to believe the media than they were at this time last year, according to a new poll released by the Morning Consult on April 9.

The poll, which was conducted among 2,201 U.S. adults from March 28 through April 2, asked respondents which of the nine most popular news outlets they find credible: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and NPR. The Morning Consult has done this survey for each of the last four years.

The average credibility for Democrats in this 2019 poll was 69% with The NYT, CNN, ABC, and NBC all finishing above that percentage. Every outlet except NPR had a drop from last year to this year.

Fox News Channel’s credibility is the lowest of any of the media outlets among Democrats, with its approval rating hovering consistently below 50%. Conversely, FNC stands out as the only outlet who’s rating was above 70% among Republicans.

According to a different part of the survey, both Democrats’ and Republicans’ view of newspapers and television news have dropped from July 2018 to December 2018.

This declining trust in the media comes less than a month after the conclusion of special counsel Mueller’s probe into whether or not the Trump administration colluded with Russia. The media spent two years since Mueller’s appointment speculating and questioning what could be for it to have not come to fruition.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow specifically saw a dramatic drop in ratings since then. The week following Mueller’s submission of his report, Maddow brought in her smallest audience of the year.

Follow Mike on Twitter