Overall, about two-in-ten Americans say they have ever spoken with or been interviewed by a local journalist.
There are partisan divisions over certain aspects of local news reporting, including whether local journalists should express views on local issues.
About two-thirds of Americans have heard about social media bots. Many are concerned that bots are used maliciously and negatively affect how well-informed Americans are about current events.
News stories about the beginning of Trump administration’s presidency that included one of his tweets were more likely to have an overall negative assessment.
Just 5% of more than 3,000 news stories from the first 100 days of the Trump presidency cited a member of the public.
Among the challenges U.S. police officers perceive on the job is a widespread feeling that police are mistreated by the media.
About two-in-three U.S. adults say fake news stories cause a great deal of confusion about the basic facts of current issues. And nearly a quarter say they have ever shared completely made-up news.
A majority of U.S. adults (59%) reject the idea of adding interpretation, saying that the news media should present the facts alone
As the news media cover the turbulent 2016 presidential election, there’s been considerable debate around how much emphasis they should put on inaccurate or potentially offensive statements made by candidates.
Enshrined in the Bill of Rights, free expression is a bedrock American principle, and Americans tend to express stronger support for free expression than many others around the world.
