Media Misinformation: Examining Sources and Impact – Milwaukee Community Journal

Teens View News Media with Deep Distrust, Study Reveals Amid Presidential Attacks on Journalism

A troubling new study from the News Literacy Project has revealed that an overwhelming 84% of American teenagers describe the news media in negative terms like “fake,” “false,” “lies,” “chaotic,” and “distorted.” This crisis of confidence among young people threatens the foundation of an informed society at precisely the moment when presidential attacks on journalism have intensified.

The findings paint a disturbing picture of teens’ relationship with news. Many believe journalists lie more than they inform, with one in three saying journalists are doing well at “lying or deceiving.” Half believe reporters “make up quotes,” while 60% think reporters “take images out of context.” Only 30% believe journalists regularly verify information before reporting, and just 23% say reporters correct errors when they make mistakes.

Perhaps most concerning, when asked to name one thing journalists are doing well, 10% of teenagers responded with “nothing.” A mere 9% used positive descriptors like “informative” or “good” when discussing media.

The report’s authors warn that this weak understanding of journalism principles leaves young people vulnerable to manipulation and political propaganda. Without a grasp of how legitimate news operations function, teens become more susceptible to conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and partisan content disguised as news.

This skepticism isn’t limited to the younger generation. Adult confidence in mass media has also plummeted, with only 28% of Americans saying they trust news organizations to report fully, accurately, and fairly. The Reuters Digital News Report found similar results, with just 30% of Americans trusting most news most of the time.

Against this backdrop of eroding trust, the Trump administration has escalated unprecedented attacks on the press. The president routinely insults reporters during press conferences and encourages regulators to punish newsrooms. In one incident aboard Air Force One, when pressed about the Epstein files, he told a Bloomberg reporter “quiet quiet piggy.” During an appearance with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his response to a question about Jamal Khashoggi’s murder was “You are a terrible person.”

These verbal confrontations have been accompanied by institutional pressure. After Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman publicly targeted Jimmy Kimmel, ABC briefly suspended the late-night host. The FCC has launched investigations into nearly every major broadcast network. Trump has sued numerous media organizations, sometimes winning multimillion-dollar settlements despite filing claims legal experts consider meritless.

The White House now maintains a website cataloging journalists it labels “biased,” listing their names and work under headings such as “malpractice” and “left-wing lunacy.” A leaderboard ranks the Washington Post at the top of what the administration calls “offenders.”

Even within conservative media, conflict has emerged. Trump echoed Newsmax’s position in a regulatory fight over television station ownership, writing “NO EXPANSION OF THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS” and “If anything, make them SMALLER!” after executives warned him that lifting ownership caps could harm conservative voices.

For teenagers observing this environment, news appears increasingly hostile, fractured, and untrustworthy. Yet amid this crisis of confidence, the Black Press of America continues to operate with a clear mission that has remained consistent since 1827, when Freedom’s Journal became the first Black-owned newspaper in the United States.

This legacy was celebrated at this year’s Black Press Day in Washington, where the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing more than 200 Black-owned publications, marked 198 years of African American publishing. The organization, chaired by San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Publisher Dr. John Warren, emphasized the Black Press’s historical and continuing role in documenting and defending Black life in America.

“The Black Press of America continues to plow up the ground with our publications and our applications. It is our job. It is our calling. It is our legacy. It is our responsibility to fight and advocate for freedom, justice, and equality,” said NNPA President Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr. “We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not give up that trust for anything.”

At the event, Westside Gazette Publisher Bobby Henry Sr. helped honor the founders and journalists who built an institution that remains vital today. “The publishers we honor today were more than just storytellers. They were guardians of history, fearless in their pursuit of truth, unwavering in their service to our people,” Henry remarked. “Their newspapers were battlefields of justice, their words weapons against oppression. Their legacy is forever enshrined in the fabric of our history.”