More voters than not find the Big Three network newscasts and the nation’s three largest liberal newspapers “untrustworthy,” continuing a trend that started long before President Trump hit the scene, but one that has escalated since he moved into the White House.

The latest Zogby Poll found that 48 percent believe the media biggies — CBS, ABC, NBC, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post -- are untrustworthy while 45 percent said they could trust them. The rest were unsure.



“What is obvious is the erosion in trust of the mainstream media, which did not happen when Trump announced his candidacy. People have been turning away from major newspapers and network news for years. With new technology available, people get information from many different sources these days. What's true is the partisan element the mainstream media has taken on in recent years, and that's reflected in our polling data and their bottom line,” said the poll analysis from Jonathan Zogby, the CEO of Zogby Analytics.

Trump voters are the most distrusting of the top six news outlets, but there are many other differences, Zogby found:

A majority of men, 52 percent, said the “Big Six” are untrustworthy.

A plurality of women, 47 percent, believes the media is trustworthy.

Two-thirds of Democrats say they trust the media.

69 percent of Republicans don’t trust the networks and three newspapers.

As for Trump voters, “The divide was also even more prevalent,” said the survey.

Seven in ten Trump supporters polled view the mainstream media as not trustworthy, including half who say the "big six" are not trustworthy at all. Of the voters polled who disapprove of Trump, two thirds trust media outlets such as ABC, NBC, CBS and newspapers of record The New York Times, the LA Times, and the Washington Post.

Zogby said noted Trump’s war on the media, and he said the coverage “has been critical.” But, the analysis added, “In fairness, the Trump administration has given them reason to question his actions at times.”

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com