US Citizens Don’t Trust Traditional Media, Still Use Them: WashPo

By Staff, Agencies

While Americans use social media as their main source of news, there is a significant and contradictory distrust in social media, The Washington Post reported, citing YouGov data.

Recent YouGov data highlights a growing divide in media trust between Democrats and Republicans, with more Republicans reporting getting news from social media, while Democrats increasingly rely on friends and family, as WashPo highlighted on Friday.

The study revealed that most popular social media platforms are not considered very trustworthy.

YouTube and LinkedIn are the exceptions among American adults, as they had a net positive trust rating when subtracting the percentage of distrust from those who expressed trust.

The YouGov study found that Republicans viewed X and Truth Social as more trustworthy than not, while Democrats' trust in X significantly declined, likely influenced by Elon Musk's heightened political visibility and his changes to the platform.

WashPo highlighted that although Americans frequently consume news through social media, they tend to view these platforms as unreliable.

Democrats generally trust most traditional news outlets, while Republicans place greater confidence in sharply partisan sources like Fox News and Newsmax.

The YouGov study found that very few news sources are trusted on the net by both Democrats and Republicans, with the Weather Channel being the most notable exception.

However, most social media face distrust among members of both parties