Americans' Trust in Mainstream Media Falls to Lowest Point in Polling History

Trust in the credibility of the mainstream media among Americans has declined to the lowest point in the history of polling amid coverage of the 2016 election campaigns and significant public doubts of fair coverage, a Gallup poll revealed.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — "Americans'… confidence in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly has dropped to its lowest level in Gallup polling history, with 32 percent saying they have a great deal… of trust in the media," Gallup stated on Wednesday.

The poll suggests that Republican Party representatives who have made comments on "overly positive media attention to the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton," contributed to the significant decrease in trust in the media.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has widely criticized the mainstream media for biased coverage, misinterpretation of his comments and outright lying.

"Republicans who say they have trust in the media has plummeted to 14 percent from 32 percent a year ago," the release noted. "Democrats' and independents' [confidence] has declined only marginally, with 51 percent and 30percent."

Gallup started asking Americans for feedback about the mass media in 1972. The highest level of trust in journalists was registered at 72 percent during the presidency of Gerald Ford in 1976 when newspapers began publishing investigative materials regarding the Vietnam war and the Watergate scandal.