What makes a news story trustworthy? Americans point to the outlet that publishes it, sources cited
U.S. adults’ views of what makes a news story trustworthy vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
U.S. adults’ views of what makes a news story trustworthy vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits.
Americans’ confidence in checking COVID-19 information aligns closely with their confidence in checking the accuracy of news stories broadly.
Some 61% of U.S. adults say they follow COVID-19 news at both the national and local level equally, and 23% say they pay more attention to local news.
We thought it would be valuable to combine our study of news coverage itself with data on people’s views about, and exposure to, that coverage.
Most Americans (71%) have heard of a conspiracy theory that alleges that powerful people intentionally planned the coronavirus outbreak.
For some governments, the debt incurred on COVID-19 relief will add to the considerable red ink already on their ledgers before the pandemic.
Those ages 18 to 29 differ from older Americans in their news consumption habits and in their responses to major news events and coverage.
Black adults were much more likely than whites and somewhat more likely than Hispanic adults to frequently discuss the pandemic with others.
The public’s sense about the pandemic’s impact on the financial well-being of most news organizations is far from clear.
Hispanics are more concerned than Americans overall about the threat COVID-19 poses to Americans’ health, their own finances and daily life.
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