On both the right and the left, media has been under fire before and after the 2016 election. According to Gallup, Americans’ trust in media has dropped to 32 percent, its lowest level in Gallup polling history. That’s an 8 percent decrease in one year alone, a fall that was consistent across age groups.
This lack of trust could be attributed to a variety of factors. Fake news has exploded, with 23 percent of Americans admitting to sharing a fake news story on the internet. Many of these fake news stories are extremely hyper partisan, contributing to a rise of unfavorable views of the opposing party. Reporters from traditional mainstream media outlets are increasingly viewed with suspicion - by both the Executive Branch and the public - a situation exacerbated when President Trump called the media “the enemy of the people” at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Given all these factors, how does the media cover President Trump and his administration? Can - or should - the mainstream media remain neutral? Will the publics' suspicion of media subside? Join us for a free panel discussion with local reporters on the challenges of covering politics under President Trump.