Shortly before the 2022 midterm elections, a shocking poll result appeared that received virtually no coverage from the news media. Perhaps that’s because the survey question did not concern a candidate running for office, but rather the news media itself. The New York Times/ Siena College National Survey in October asked if American democracy is currently under threat, and included a question on whether the media bears responsibility. The poll showed 71% of registered voters believe American democracy is under threat. Both Democrats and Republicans believe it: 74% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans. Then, the survey asked for specific causes. The news media was viewed as the number one threat to democracy, with 84% of respondents saying “the mainstream media” is either a major threat (59%) or a minor threat (25%) to democracy, ranking higher than all other possible causes presented in the poll: Republicans, Democrats, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, the federal government, the Supreme Court, the Electoral College, electronic voting machines, and voting by mail.
Given that an informed electorate is a critical underpinning of the democratic process, so important that freedom of the press is protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, this result—84% claiming the mainstream media is a threat to democracy—is simply stunning. Even as trust in journalism has been declining for years, the poll of 792 registered voters reveals an unprecedented level of antagonism towards the news media.
Antagonism towards the news media was far more prevalent among Republicans who see democracy under threat—80% of them blame the mainstream media, believing it is a major threat to democracy. For years, conservatives have believed the news media is tainted by a liberal bias and felt that many journalists have a condescending attitude towards conservatives. Donald Trump seized on this resentment in launching his political assault on the press. His election-denying acolytes who ran for office in 2022, most prominently Arizona’s Kari Lake who even attacked her former TV news colleagues in Phoenix, pushed the narrative forward. Their persistent cries of “fake news” clearly have damaged the news media’s credibility.
The survey found Democrats also have serious problems with the news media. Among those who said democracy is under assault, 38% said the mainstream media is a major threat. While the survey did not ask about specific news outlets, it’s clear Democratic respondents are including right-leaning broadcasters in this assessment, most prominently Fox News, where some popular hosts repeatedly claimed, without proof, that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. Sadly, some Fox News hosts are far more concerned with promoting falsehoods that fuel outrage, boost ratings, and generate lucrative contracts for themselves than responsibly informing their viewers.
Americans’ increasing reliance on news from social media—an environment rife with rumors and conspiracy theories—is yet another factoreroding trust in the mainstream media.
Voters rejected the worst of the election deniers in swing states during the midterm elections. That may offer some solace to those who value truth in reporting. But the widespread hostility that remains towards the news media is, in fact, a genuine threat to our democracy.
Two steps can begin to remedy the situation. First, media literacy education is urgently needed in our schools, and for adults as well, to help our citizens improve their ability to discern fact from fiction online, in print, and on the air. Second, members of the news media must redouble their efforts to report responsibly, avoid bias to the best of the ability, and refrain from permitting newsmakers from spewing unfiltered lies on the air. Failing improvement in these two areas of media literacy and media responsibility, journalism and democracy in America may continue to be threatened and become ever more fragile.