The trust of Americans in the mass media has hit an all-time low in 2024, according to the analysis company Gallup.
As reported by the news website Axios, American citizens' favorability toward the media temporarily increased after the 2016 election, but this improvement was offset by increased political polarization. According to Gallup, in 2024, only 31% of Americans said they had a “fair amount of trust” in the media, while the percentage of those who had "not much" trust rose from 27% to 33%.
According to researchers, Donald Trump's presidency has led to record discrepancies between Republicans and Democrats on trust in the media. However, the gap has narrowed in recent years as Democrats and independent voters have become less trusting of the media.
A detailed analysis shows that the level of trust among "independent" voters has reached a record low of 27%, while among Democrats, it stands at a record high of 54%. Among Republican supporters, whose trust levels are comparatively lower than those of other parties, there has been only a slight increase in this indicator compared to 2020. This indicates that trust in the media, which serves the interests of the ruling elites, continues to decline overall.
The authors of the article on the Axios news website link the decline in trust to the younger generation, which prefers to get news from the Internet and social networks. However, this explanation is superficial, since the real reason lies in the contradictions of the capitalist system, which are particularly acute during periods near "democratic" elections [1].
There is no fundamental difference between "Democrats" and "Republicans" in American politics. The president, regardless of party affiliation, represents the interests of big business and is a tool for implementing policies that benefit corporations. Election campaigns require huge financial resources, making politicians dependent on wealthy sponsors who lobby their own interests through legislative initiatives.
We recently published a detailed analysis of the U.S. electoral system, examining the role of the president, the structure of elections, and the influence of big business on the electoral process. These studies show that the primary role of the American political system is to serve the interests of elites rather than to protect the rights of ordinary citizens.
Axios concludes its analysis by saying, "Citizens’ confidence in all major political and social institutions in the United States has declined significantly in recent years, posing a serious threat to American democracy." However, this frustration of the working class with the outdated political mechanisms of capitalism is of concern not only to analysts but also to the ruling elites.
Politsturm noted the facts of open control over independent media by the American establishment. For example, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security organized tenders for services to suppress criticism of capitalism under the pretext of fighting "fake" news.
In an effort to maintain its dominance, the ruling elite uses the media to divert public attention from real problems such as military conflicts, declining living standards, unemployment, and high levels of debt, replacing them with abstract rhetoric about democracy under capitalism.
The decline of trust in the media reflects growing public dissatisfaction with the current world order. Living standards for the majority continue to decline, military conflicts intensify, and inflation and unemployment rise — regardless of which particular member of the ruling class is in power.
It is important to realize that attempts to divide the working class into the “toxic” West and “Putin's” Russia are lies aimed at destroying workers' solidarity. This propaganda, coming from both sides, serves the interests of the bourgeoisie and prevents the unity of the workers across national lines in the struggle for their rights.
Sources:
[1] Axios News Portal — “Trust in media hits another historic low” — October 15, 2024.