Trust in the media is at an all-time low, but should it be?

KEMBERLEE KAYE NOV 6, 2017 7:30 PM

No one trusts the media these days and for good reason. Biased reporting, a disproportionate amount of attention exerted towards tearing down conservatives and traditionalism, and supposed fact-based reporting sneakily meshed with opinion all contribute to the growing tension between the American people and the fourth estate.

Faith in reporting is so low, only 37% of “Americans believe news outlets report straight facts”.

Sharyl Attkisson, investigative journalist, host of news program Full Measure, and author of The Smear, joins PrageU to discuss how the state of media has changed and explores the driving factors behind the ‘fake news’ epidemic.

Attkisson discusses three main points:

1. the distinct lines separating news from opinion have become hopelessly blurred
2. despite journalists’ personal feelings toward a politician, they have the obligation to treat the individual equally—yet this rarely happens
3. journalists have become tools of politicians and spin-meisters in order to get something in return, a method known as “transactional journalism”

We’ve covered media bias at length here on LI. From the AP’s trouble reporting the facts to the New York Times admitting they harbor left-leaning bias. So ridiculous has our press corps become, they’ve fact checked a Senator’s porcupine sex reference while ignoring major political scandals. Is it any wonder they’ve lost the faith and trust of the American people?

Long-standing media outlets centered in coastal locals with little to no interaction with the rest of America has only exacerbated the cultural disconnect. Couple that with  upcoming generations groomed to see everything as a political cause, it’s highly likely media will have to hit rock bottom before being afforded the opportunity to rebuild trust with the public it’s seemingly intentionally alienated.

Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye

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