Public trust in American news media has grown modestly since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to new survey data released by the business intelligence firm Caliber. While overall confidence remains low, the findings indicate a renewed credibility for newspapers and television news, even as approval of the White House stays flat.
Caliber’s latest survey, conducted from April 30 to May 11 among 1,126 U.S. adults, found that 17% of respondents now identify newspapers as the institution they most trust to tell the truth, up from 14% in August. Trust in television news also rose, from 12% to 16% over the same period.
By contrast, trust in the White House remains unchanged at 10%, down slightly from 11% recorded in December. The White House figure has not moved since August.
The rise in trust comes as Trump’s second term renews tensions between the executive branch and the press. As in his first term, the president has repeatedly attacked the press, labeling major outlets “fake news.” That adversarial dynamic appears to be contributing to a rebound in the perceived credibility of traditional media.
The August and December surveys had sample sizes of 1,367 and 1,278, respectively.
The increase in trust spans party lines, though the gains are more pronounced among Democrats. Among Republican respondents, trust in newspapers rose from 8% to 10%, while confidence in television news climbed from 11% to 16%. Among Democrats, trust in newspapers ticked up from 24% to 25%, and television news from 19% to 21%.
A separate March survey by Pew Research Center reported a similar trend. It found that 53% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed at least some trust in national news organizations, up from 40% in September.
Despite the modest uptick, skepticism remains widespread. A Gallup poll conducted ahead of the November elections found that only 31% of Americans said they had “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. That figure stood at 45% in 2018 and was as high as 72% in 1976.
Partisan divisions remain sharp when it comes to trust in the presidency. Among Republicans, confidence in the White House rose from 7% in August to 17% in May. Among Democrats, it dropped by half over the same period — from 16% to 8%.
