It’s been a tough few days for the news media, having exaggerated the involvement of white supremacists and haters at the gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, hyping impeachment coverage, and watching in dismay as level-headed Arizona Sen. Martha McSally called a CNN reporter a “liberal hack.”

And now, there’s a survey that shows just how much confidence in the news media consumers have lost, a trend started decades ago but supercharged since the 2016 election.

According to a survey done for SeniorList, a medical device firm focused on older Americans, 55% of Americans believe that the media is “corrupt.”

The most fascinating thing about the liberal media is that they think they’re neutral. Maybe they check their journalistic objectivity at the door. pic.twitter.com/v6jyQkSsYh — Martha McSally (@SenMcSallyAZ) January 18, 2020

In addition, many, especially Republicans, believe that the media exaggerates stories while some Democrats believe reporters minimize issues, a sign that the political polarization in media has deepened.

“Republicans were much more likely than Democrats to think the media overblow issues on a large scale, indicating a more conservative trend of questioning the mainstream media,” said the survey analysis, citing issues such as Russian interference in elections, the treatment of illegal immigrants at the border, and racism.

And, said the survey provided exclusively to Secrets, consumers are bored with the repetitive nature of some electronic and internet outlets.

“The repetitive programming on networks and websites and the emphasis of the media to pump the news cycle with the same stories can create burnout, causing many to question the overall quality of the news,” said the survey analysis.

The answer, it said, is to read more news sources and check facts out.

And it offered some tips to news media consumers:



Be aware of inherent bias in reporting, and stick to media that deliver quality news stories.

Read up on which sources have a high level of bias and which are objective in their reporting.

Enjoy opinion-based programming with a grain of salt, knowing they have a narrative to push.

Fact-check whenever possible, even when you trust the source.