Americans' Trust in Media Remains at Historical Low

Story Highlights

Four in 10 Americans trust the mass media.
Ties 2014 and 2012 for the lowest trust level in Gallup's trend.
Younger Americans less likely than older to trust the media.

Source

Maybe we as Americans arent so "stupid" after all! As a nation, could we actually be getting smarter or waking up!?

I think the internet has a lot to do with it, we no longer have to depend on one source of "news".

Sites like ATS have paved the way.

But IMHO, Gallup is trying to put a positive spin on these results. If you look at the methodology, only 7% of people trust the media a "great deal". Its not until they combine "Great deal" with "Fair amount" that they can say 4 in 10 or 40% "trust" the media.

a reply to: gladtobehere

Major venerable news organizations have been caught making serious mistakes in the past several years, including the scandal involving former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams in 2015 that some of his firsthand accounts of news events had been exaggerated or "misremembered."

The ever-growing advent of social media has had a knock-on effect inasfar as it only takes one person in the world to post a meme on FB or twitter or to put up a vid on YT expressing their ideas and observations on MSM subjects and questioning the validity of those subjects for others to contemplate the same subject matter and whether it is valid.

When Julian Assange' is holed-up in an embassy for years for leaking "the truth", when Bradley Manning is jailed for leaking "the truth", when Dr David Kelly is suicided for expressing his views as to the "truth", when Snowden skips over to Vlads for leaking the "truth"..........then those memes are filtered onto social media, we will have the knock-on effect that the MSM is owned by corporate oligarchies hell-bent on population control and have very little interest in the "truth".

We are seeing the rise in acute-propaganda from MSM as it becomes more evident that what they spew is lies, lies and more lies layered with a thin veil of truth - aka disinformation.

When Kerry came on TV begging the planets population for permission to free the crap out of Syria and was met with a resounding "piss off", it is no coincidence that just after that, the global elite bloodlines punished the world with the overt rise of ISIS with their new Hi-Luxs, HD beheading vids, weapons galore and a motto of "we're coming to get you".

a reply to: gladtobehere

MSM has been proven time and time again to be false, politically swayed filth meant to make you think a certain thought or way.

4 in 10 is too high in my opinion.

The fact is all mainstream media are nothing more then propaganda machines.

I turned off the mainstream News over 12 years ago and now I am free from all their propaganda.

Best News site to go is Global Research.org

In most of their News stories, the editors post all their sources under their stories.

When I have to listen to comedians podcast for decent info....

When colleges are full of lies....

When the media created social division....

USA is dead.

Wake up. This is not the USA anymore.

The living standards, better than many other places in the world - sure. But what happens when we say we don't like our leaders and what they're doing with the country?

Take a look at Occupy(mass police forces showing up and arresting people left and right police brutality and god knows what other unnamed crimes, "free speech zones", etc.). Imagine if all those protesters we're highly educated, exercising their right to bear arms and DEMANDING THE CORRUPT POLITICIANS BE PLACED IN IMMEDIATE INCARCERATION UNDER CITIZENS ARREST PENDING A FAIR AND JUST TRIAL WITH CITIZEN CHOSEN JUDGES AND JURY like our Founding Fathers would of HOPED we would do right now instead of moping about going day in and day out doing the same thing drafting polls about how the entire country is a god damn lie(not bagging on you OP). Obama, Bush, Clinton should have ALL been impeached(and many before) yet we continue to let the FEDERAL RESERVE BANKING CARTEL and a CORRUPTED CONGRESS run this "Country". This isn't a country anymore. You have no substantial input into how things are ran anymore. You don't. The next election is RIGGED and if the people don't get up and #ing do something about it everyones screwed. Hillary Clinton should be in JAIL right now, NOT on television.

There needs to be a serious cleansing in this country or I am afraid things are going to get really, really ugly.

Don't tell me to do something about it either - I've got a ticket and I am LEAVING the USA. Good luck! I know the EU, AUS and many others don't have it well either right now, and good luck to you as well. But do somethin about it or GTF outta dodge.

I cannot believe this place. It's an absolute sham.

a reply to: gladtobehere

Well of course MSM is not trusted

If they don't lie outright

They lie by omission

originally posted by: b3l13v3
Take a look at Occupy(mass police forces showing up and arresting people left and right police brutality and god knows what other unnamed crimes, "free speech zones", etc.). Imagine if all those protesters we're highly educated, exercising their right to bear arms and DEMANDING THE CORRUPT POLITICIANS BE PLACED IN IMMEDIATE INCARCERATION UNDER CITIZENS ARREST PENDING A FAIR AND JUST TRIAL WITH CITIZEN CHOSEN JUDGES AND JURY like our Founding Fathers would of HOPED we would do right now instead of moping about going day in and day out doing the same thing drafting polls about how the entire country is a god damn lie(not bagging on you OP). Obama, Bush, Clinton should have ALL been impeached(and many before) yet we continue to let the FEDERAL RESERVE BANKING CARTEL and a CORRUPTED CONGRESS run this "Country". This isn't a country anymore. You have no substantial input into how things are ran anymore. You don't. The next election is RIGGED and if the people don't get up and #ing do something about it everyones screwed. Hillary Clinton should be in JAIL right now, NOT on television.

I've covered this before on ATS as well. Here is another angle to consider.

I think surveillance tech, tightly controlled media and perfected subterfuge techniques are keeping ALL of us from knowing, if, new activist groups are springing up across the country. I'd argue that the government today, nips such movements in the bud, sending potential participants to jail, will-nilly, with no due process like protesters got in the 60's and in turn give them horrible plea bargains at the end. I think some people ARE indeed trying to take action, but are being quickly stomped out, rounded up by LEO's and NONE of it gets to the media, including blogger and Instagram journalists.

The FBI said Friday it has deployed about 100 agents to the St. Louis area ahead of the decision, in case demonstrators take to the streets

This number certainly doesn't include secret agents from other Federal, State or local law enforcement agencies. Make no mistake surveillance tech, tightly controlled media and perfected subterfuge techniques are keeping ALL of us from knowing if new activist groups are springing up.

I'll give a simple example of something I thought for sure I would see in USA streets during riots, but have yet to see it happen. During Occupy, protesters from EVERY city were easily dispersed by tear gas and flash bangs. Why? Didn't Occupy participants have knowledge that such tactics would be used against them? Did they not prepare to neutralize the effects, especially with some ex-military people participating? The rioters is Greece and Spain were not as easy to disperse, in fact they were not dispersed at all by LEO's.

So I'm supposed to believe that most protesters in the USA, NEVER, thought to prepare and had Goggles/eye-protection, shields, or safety/chemical respirators with them at all times? ALL OF THIS STUFF IS OVER THE COUNTER, but NONE of the protesters I have seen since the 1990's prepare with such equipment.

Another example, imagine if the cop, from the UC Davis scandal, started pepper spraying the student protesters, only to find out that they ALL had respirators and goggles on hand. Would he have instead, started to beat them with his night stick, out of frustration? I would say, most likely, yes.

If protesters know they are going to get shot with rubber bullets and bean bag shotguns, a defensive formation like the Ancient Roman/Greek Phalanx should be Standard Operating Procedure, but nope, they just stand around until the SHTF and then start running in every direction, as if, being shot at by LEO's was an impossibility.

Here are some images of European protesters forming an impromptu phalanx. Note, I've NEVER seen it done this way, EVER, at any, American protest (note that nearly everyone in the crowd is also wearing civilian grade respirators):


in contrast, here is the American version, cut-up Rubbermaid trash cans, polyester neck gaiter and cotton hoodies:


When it comes to effective protesting and HOLDING ground against LEO's, Americans don't know squat!!!

Respirators, Goggles and Safety Helemts, in that order, should be mandatory kit for modern protests in the USA.

I understand why people INITIALLY run from the bean bag rounds and rubber bullets, but ALL protestors should learn, eventually, at least by their SECOND PROTEST, to hold their ground for flash bangs and tear gas. Doing so effectively requires, AT MINIMUM, bringing Respirators and Goggles with you, to the protests (ear protection and safety helmets won't hurt either). Based on what I recommended protesters use, in regards to protective gear, tear gas and flash bangs should be nearly ineffective at dispersing crowds, as opposed to bean bag rounds or rubber bullets.

Look at these guys in Keiv, they know exactly what they are doing, they are even wearing construction hard-hats, for crying out loud:

rt.com...

We need more of this:


and much, MUCH, less of this:


So whats different about American protesters versus Europeans? My guess is anyone that could teach American protesters proper tactics, to counter LEO's, are quickly arrested on trumped up charges and threatened to never return to help the activists again. American protesters are so poorly organized, that I can't imagine them EVER having an ounce of success, but at the same time I think surveillance tech, tightly controlled media and perfected subterfuge techniques are ENTIRELY responsible for said poor organization and preparation for the acts of protesting.

a reply to: gladtobehere

Oh really? That's funny because most of this country STILL watches the mainstream news to get their information, which is all bullcrap and lies.

If anything, the trust and brainwashing are at an all time high.

The ignorance here is amazing. The media has no obligation to inform or educate you. They are a corporation trying to sell a product. That's all, nothing more or less. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines and books are all products up for sale. If they don't find a market, they go away. There is NOTHING to trust the media about.