Listen, here’s the thing: America doesn’t trust the “fake news” media, ok?
That’s because, as Trump put it on Sunday, it’s “made up garbage” that is “more like a poorly written novel than good reporting”:
The Washington Post is far more fiction than fact. Story after story is made up garbage – more like a poorly written novel than good reporting. Always quoting sources (not names), many of which don’t exist. Story on John Kelly isn’t true, just another hit job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018
And when it comes to what constitutes a “poorly written novel”, Trump is the authority because you know he’s spent a ton of time in his 93 years on earth reading “novels”. It’s the same kind of thirst for introspection and quiet study that leads him to eschew cable television for extensive “document study” during “executive time”.
But while Trump doesn’t watch a lot of TV “primarily because of documents” (and because of all the “novels” he’s reading), when he does turn on the television, he makes sure to tune in to the only network where you can get batshit conspiracy theories that are literally written with his gullible, dementia-ridden brain in mind the unvarnished truth: Fox News.
See, Fox is a bastion of credible reporting in a sea of fakeness and it’s only because of people like Sean Hannity (who at this point is indistinguishable from a soggy french toast stick) that America knows the truth.
With all of that in mind, watch the following hilarious clip where Howard Kurtz tries to talk about “fake news” only to have his graphics team fail him miserably, prompting him to demand that the poll – which shows that Fox is the least trusted network in America by a country fucking mile – be taken down:
No, “that is not the graphic” Fox was “looking for”, but by God it was the graphic we were looking for! Let’s see that shit in slow motion!
Poor Howard would go on to begrudgingly acknowledge that poll later in the clip but the damage was already done.
Oh, well! Nothing a half hour’s worth of denigrating minorities won’t fix.
**********
To be fair, that’s something of a misnomer. That’s actually who America trusts more when Trump is pitted against each news network and because Trump and Fox are synonymous, it’s not entirely clear what that comparison even means.
Still, the above is hilarious. For those interested, you can find the full results from the source below.
Full poll from Monmouth
Trump less trusted than CNN, MSNBC, and Fox as info source
West Long Branch, NJ — The news about “fake news” is not good, according to the Monmouth University Poll. Large majorities of the American public believe that traditional media outlets engage in reporting fake news and that outside sources are actively trying to plant fake stories in the mainstream media. When it comes to the meaning of “fake news,” a majority believe that it involves editorial decisions as well as inaccurate reporting. The public feels that social media platforms are partly to blame for the spread of fake news and are not doing enough to stop it. The poll also finds that Pres. Trump continues to be less trusted than the major cable news outlets as an information source.
More than 3-in-4 Americans believe that traditional major TV and newspaper media outlets report “fake news,” including 31% who believe this happens regularly and 46% who say it happens occasionally. The 77% who believe fake news reporting happens at least occasionally has increased significantly from 63% of the public who felt that way last year.
Just 25% say the term “fake news” applies only to stories where the facts are wrong. Most Americans (65%), on the other hand, say that “fake news” also applies to how news outlets make editorial decisions about what they choose to report.
“These findings are troubling, no matter how you define ‘fake news.’ Confidence in an independent fourth estate is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Ours appears to be headed for the intensive care unit,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
The belief that major media outlets disseminate fake news at least occasionally has increased among every partisan group over the past year, including Republicans (89% up from 79% in 2017), independents (82% up from 66%), and Democrats (61% up from 43%). In addition to the fact that a clear majority of Democrats now believe that traditional media outlets report fake news at least occasionally, the poll also finds that a majority of Republicans (53%) feel this happens on a regular basis (up from 37% in 2017).
A plurality of the public (42%) say that traditional news media sources report fake news on purpose in order to push an agenda. Fewer Americans (26%) believe that major media sources tend to report these stories only by accident or due to poor fact checking. Another 7% feel both reasons are equally prevalent. The remainder are either not sure or do not feel that fake news is reported by traditional media outlets. The number who believe this type of false reporting is done on purpose has not changed much from a year ago when it stood at 39%. The number who say it is done accidentally has increased from 17% a year ago as more people feel that the traditional media engages in reporting fake news stories.
Fully 83% of Americans believe that outside groups or agents are actively trying to plant fake stories in the mainstream media. Two-thirds (66%) say this is a serious problem — including 74% of Republicans, 68% of independents, and 59% of Democrats.
“According to the public, fake news is the result of both outside agents trying to plant fabricated stories and the editorial processes of mainstream media outlets that disseminate false narratives. The perception of this problem couldn’t be more pervasive,” said Murray.
Attention has also focused on the role of social media platforms in the propagation of fake news. Nearly 9-in-10 Americans (87%) believe that outside groups are trying to plant fake news stories on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. More than two-thirds (71%) say this is a serious problem — including 81% of Republicans, 69% of independents, and 67% of Democrats.
Most Americans (60%) say that social media sites are partly responsible for the spread of fake news but that other media sources are more responsible. This compares to 29% who say that social media sites are mostly responsible for the spread of fake news. Just 6% say they are not at all responsible. There is bipartisan agreement on this opinion. [Note: the interviews for this poll were conducted prior to recent stories about Cambridge Analytica’s data mining of Facebook user profiles, which, while not directly a “fake news” issue, is related to the topic.]
Even though social media may not be the principal culprit in spreading fake news, fully 69% of Americans say that these sites are not doing enough to stop the spread of fake news on their platforms. Just 20% say they are doing enough.
“The way the public sees it, social media is just one cog that keeps the fake news wheel turning,” said Murray.
The poll also finds that a large majority of the public (86%) believe that online news websites also report fake news, which is up slightly from 80% in March 2017. However, the number who believe that online news sources regularly report “fake news” has increased from 41% a year ago to a majority of 52% today.
Trump versus Cable News
The Monmouth University Poll also finds that Pres. Trump is trusted less as source of information than three cable news outlets — except if you ask Republicans. Nearly half the American public (48%) trusts CNN more than Trump, compared with one-third (35%) who trust Trump more than CNN and another 13% who trust both equally as a source of information. The results are similar when Trump is pitted against the left-leaning MSNBC — 45% trust MSNBC more, 32% trust Trump more, and 16% trust both equally. The right-leaning Fox News also bests the president as a trusted information source — 30% trust Fox more and 20% trust Trump more, although a plurality of 37% trust both equally.
The results for the president versus MSNBC have not changed much in the past year (47% trusted MSNBC more, 33% trusted Trump more, 15% trusted both equally in March 2017). The pendulum has swung slightly but not substantially away from Fox News and toward Trump in that matchup (37% trusted Fox News more, 17% trusted Trump more, 36% trusted both equally in March 2017). CNN was not included in the 2017 poll.
It should come as no surprise that many more Republicans trust the president as an information source than either CNN (12% versus 75% for Trump) or MSNBC (11% versus 72% for Trump). But Republicans are also somewhat more likely to trust Trump (35%) over Fox News (21%), with 40% trusting both GOP-aligned sources equally. In 2017, 29% of Republicans trusted Trump more, 26% trusted Fox more, and 44% trusted both equally, marking a slight gain for the president in the current poll.
“One bright lining in the whole fake news debate is that major cable news operations are still more trusted than a single officeholder. Unless you are a Republican, in which case Trump’s Twitter feed may be your go-to news source,” said Murray.
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from March 2 to 5, 2018 with 803 adults in the United States. The results in this release have a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, NJ.
QUESTIONS AND RESULTS
(* Some columns may not add to 100% due to rounding.)
[Q1-37 previously released.]
- I’m going to read you some names of information sources. For each pair of names I read, please tell me which one you trust more as a source of information, or whether you trust both sources about equally. First, [READ PAIR]
[ITEMS WERE ROTATED]
Donald Trump and CNN
| March 2018 |
|
| Trust Trump more | 35% |
| Trust CNN more | 48% |
| Trust both equally | 13% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 5% |
| (n) | (803) |
Donald Trump and Fox News
| TREND: | March 2018 |
March 2017 |
| Trust Trump more | 20% | 17% |
| Trust Fox News more | 30% | 37% |
| Trust both equally | 37% | 36% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 13% | 10% |
| (n) | (803) | (801) |
Donald Trump and MSNBC
| TREND: | March 2018 |
March 2017 |
| Trust Trump more | 32% | 33% |
| Trust MSNBC more | 45% | 47% |
| Trust both equally | 16% | 15% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 6% | 5% |
| (n) | (803) | (801) |
[QUESTIONS 39/39A and 40/40A WERE ROTATED]
- Do you think some traditional major news sources like TV and newspapers ever report fake news stories, or not? [If YES: Do they do this regularly or just occasionally?]
| TREND: | March 2018 |
March 2017 |
| Yes, regularly | 31% | 27% |
| Yes, occasionally | 46% | 36% |
| No, do not | 21% | 32% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 3% | 6% |
| (n) | (803) | (801) |
39A. Do you think these sources report these stories on purpose in order to push an agenda or do they tend to report them more by accident or because of poor fact checking?
| TREND: | March 2018 |
March 2017 |
| On purpose in order to push an agenda | 42% | 39% |
| By accident or because of poor fact checking | 26% | 17% |
| (VOL) Both equally | 7% | 6% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 1% | 1% |
| Major media do not report fake news (Q39) | 21% | 32% |
| Unsure if major media report fake news (Q39) | 3% | 6% |
| (n) | (803) | (801) |
- Do you think some online news websites ever report fake news stories, or not? [If YES: Do they do this regularly or just occasionally?]
| TREND: | March 2018 |
March 2017 |
| Yes, regularly | 52% | 41% |
| Yes, occasionally | 34% | 39% |
| No, do not | 9% | 11% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 6% | 9% |
| (n) | (803) | (801) |
40A. Do you think these websites report these stories on purpose in order to push an agenda or do they tend to report them more by accident or because of poor fact checking?
| TREND: | March 2018 |
March 2017 |
| On purpose to push an agenda | 58% | 54% |
| By accident or because of poor fact checking | 17% | 17% |
| (VOL) Both equally | 9% | 6% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 1% | 2% |
| Online outlets do not report fake news (Q40) | 9% | 11% |
| Unsure if online outlets report fake news (Q40) | 6% | 9% |
| (n) | (803) | (801) |
- When you use the term fake news, does it only apply to stories where the facts are wrong or does it also apply to how news outlets make editorial decisions about what they choose to report?
| March 2018 |
|
| Only apply to stories where the facts are wrong | 25% |
| Also apply to how news outlets make editorial decisions | 65% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 10% |
| (n) | (803) |
- Do you think outside groups or agents are actively trying to plant fake news stories in the mainstream media, or is this not happening? [If YES: Is this a serious or not too serious problem?]
| March 2018 |
|
| Yes, serious problem | 66% |
| Yes, not too serious | 17% |
| No, not happening | 12% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 5% |
| (n) | (803) |
- Do you think outside groups or agents are actively trying to plant fake news stories on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube, or is this not happening? [If YES: Is this a serious or not too serious problem?]
| March 2018 |
|
| Yes, serious problem | 71% |
| Yes, not too serious | 16% |
| No, not happening | 7% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 7% |
| (n) | (803) |
- How much are social media sites like Facebook and YouTube responsible for the spread of fake news — are they mostly responsible, are they partly responsible but other media sources are more responsible, or are they not at all responsible?
| March 2018 |
|
| Mostly responsible | 29% |
| Partly responsible but other media sources are more responsible | 60% |
| Not at all responsible | 6% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 5% |
| (n) | (803) |
- Are social media sites like Facebook and YouTube currently doing enough or not doing enough to stop the spread of fake news on their sites?
| March 2018 |
|
| Doing enough | 20% |
| Not doing enough | 69% |
| (VOL) Don’t know | 11% |
| (n) | (803) |
[Q46-48 previously released.]
