Who spreads ‘fake news’ more – Trump or cable news? Here’s what Americans say

A new poll shows what affect President Trump’s war on the media has had on Americans’ opinions about the mainstream news.

Here’s what the poll shows

The Monmouth poll shows that more Americans believe that the mainstream news participates at least partly in “fake news” than they did last year.

About 77 percent of Americans polled think “traditional major TV and newspaper media outlets” report fake news at least occasionally. Of those, 31 percent believe they report fake news so regularly.

Last year, 63 percent believed the same, meaning that 14 percent more of Americans believe the mainstream media reports fake news at least occasionally.

“These findings are troubling, no matter how you define ‘fake news.’ Confidence in an independent fourth estate is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy,” said Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray. “Ours appears to be headed for the intensive care unit.”

More “Fake News” in Trump or cable news?

When Monmouth asked Americans to compare who reported more fake news between Trump and the cable news outlets, the outcome was probably not too surprising to most.

Nearly half believe in CNN more than the president (48 percent to 35 percent respectively), while 45 percent believe more in MSNBC than the president (32 percent), and 30 percent believe Fox News more than the president (20 percent).

“One bright lining in the whole fake news debate is that major cable news operations are still more trusted than a single officeholder,” said Murray. “Unless you are a Republican, in which case Trump’s Twitter feed may be your go-to news source.”

The poll seemed to indicate that Trump has been successful in eroding the faith the public has in the traditional news outlets, but that he has not been able to gain more trust himself as a source of reliable news.