Many Americans Don’t Trust Legacy Media

“16% of the public in America say that they trust the federal government always or most of the time, which is the lowest level in seven decades in this country. And trust in media among Americans is at an unprecedented low.”
    — Tara McGowan on the 12 Geniuses podcast

In the latest episode of “Debate Without Hate: Elections 2024,” Tara McGowan, a media entrepreneur and former journalist, talks about Americans’ high distrust of traditional news media. Based on her experiences in journalism and working on political campaigns, McGowan provides insights into this crisis and what we can do to counter the lack of faith in the pillars that make our democracy tick. 

The host of 12 Geniuses, Don McPherson, described watching a news network that aligned with his political views and noticing that “story after story was served up to me to be outraged.” 

Tara and Don discuss the incentives across the media landscape, for both news and social media, that reward “emotional and conspiratorial theories” and “rage bait.” This media can make “Americans feel like they are more divided than we actually are.” 

The incentives to focus on more sensational and divisive content can lead some news consumers to a “saturation point” where they decide to disengage. As Tara points out, very few people would say, “I like to be enraged.”

Tara also argues that when media outlets are more transparent about their values, this can help reduce distrust: 

If you [say] you don’t stand for anything, they’re not going to believe you, and they’re going to believe that you’re selling them a [bill] of goods. So I am the biggest proponent for transparency of point of view, being clear about what your point of view is.

Watch this 12 Geniuses episode now. 

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