According to a News Literary Project study released in November, 80% of American teens feel that journalists in the U.S. fail to deliver information that is more unbiased compared to other content online, indicating a lack of trust in the media.
The study revealed that almost half of American teens believe journalists are “doing more to harm democracy than to protect it.”
A Gallup poll showed that trust in the news media among Americans generally reached a new low in October 2025, with only 28% of Americans expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the news.
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The News Literary Project’s findings indicated that a significant 84% of teens use negative terms such as “fake,” “false,” “lies,” “boring,” “crazy,” “biased,” and “chaotic” to describe the news media.
Only 9% of teens used positive words like “interesting” or “good” to describe the media. The study also noted that 7% used neutral words, with some simply naming social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, while others referenced general topics such as “Trump” and “War.”
The study indicated that at least half of American teenagers think professional journalists “regularly” engage in unethical practices, including offering favors to sources for information, providing special treatment to advertisers, fabricating details, or presenting photos and videos with misleading context.
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The New Literacy Project surveyed U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 18, mirroring a survey conducted in 2024. The data for the survey was compiled between April and May 2025.
Respondents were also asked to name movies or TV shows that they associate with journalism.
The study revealed that the Spider-Man franchise was the most common association teens made with journalism. They also mentioned “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “The Post,” “Spotlight,” the Superman franchise, and “All the President’s Men.”
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According to an October Gallup poll, 36% of Americans expressed “not very much” trust, and 34% reported having “none at all.”
The results marked the first instance in the poll’s 50-year history that overall trust in the media has declined below 30%, surpassing 2024’s previous low of 31%.
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
