Trust in media at an all-time low according to latest Gallup poll

This comes as no surprise, and yet it remains incredibly disappointing: trust in the media appears to be at an all-time low.

In a new Gallup poll, only 28% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust in the mass media. Compare that to 1972 when that number was at 68%. And in 1976, in the aftermath of Watergate, trust in the media was at a whopping 72%.

For the record, the question asked by Gallup was: “In general, how much trust and confidence do you have in the mass media — such as newspapers, TV and radio — when it comes to reporting the news fully, accurately and fairly — a great deal, a fair amount, not very much or none at all?”

Keep digging and the numbers get even more grim. Right now, seven in 10 Americans say they have “not very much” confidence (36%) or “none at all” (34%) in the news.

The distrust, predictably, is more stark depending on political views. Republicans’ trust in the media has plummeted to single digits — a mere 8%. Then again, it hasn’t been above 21% since 2015.

Hmm, what happened in 2015?

Oh yeah, Donald Trump ran for president for the first time. Since then, he has intentionally attempted to sway public opinion about the media. He has done this by repeatedly characterizing coverage he doesn’t like as “fake news,” and calling journalists the “enemy of the people.” And judging by these kinds of polls, his tactics have been effective.

The percentage of Republicans who say they have “no trust at all” in the media also skyrocked since Trump hit the political landscape. In 2015, that number was less than 30%. Now, it’s 62%.