Jeffrey Gottfried

59% of Americans think news organizations do not understand people like them, while a minority – 37% – say they do feel understood.

Americans’ confidence in checking COVID-19 information aligns closely with their confidence in checking the accuracy of news stories broadly.

More Americans hold positive than negative views of the news media’s COVID-19 coverage, but Republicans and Democrats remain starkly divided.

66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days – a feeling that has persisted for several years now.

An exploration of more than 50 Pew Research Center surveys confirms the overwhelming impact party identification has on Americans’ trust in the news media. And divides emerge within party – particularly the Republican Party – based on how strongly people approve of Trump.

Republicans largely say fact-checking by news outlets and other organizations favors one side. Democrats mostly think it is fair to all sides.

A majority of Americans say altered videos and images create confusion about current issues, and most support restrictions on such content.

Politicians viewed as major creators of it, but journalists seen as the ones who should fix it

Republicans and Democrats are particularly divided on how closely they connect made-up news to the news media or to President Trump.

A majority of Americans believe the news media do not understand people like them, and this feeling is especially common among Republicans.