The Roots of Media Distrust: More Than One Story
A record number of Americans now report that they simply don’t trust what they see, hear, or read in the news. That’s no idle statistic; according to recent Gallup data, just 32% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mass media. This trust deficit formed the core of a spirited conversation between actor Rainn Wilson, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on “The Office,” and MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle during a recent episode of Wilson’s “Soul Boom” podcast.
Wilson argued that much of the blame lies at the feet of the mainstream media itself—particularly left-leaning outlets, which he believes have been “in denial” about persistent problems within the current administration. Citing poll data that 40% of Americans distrust the media, Wilson invoked the metaphor of Cleopatra, “Queen of Denial,” to describe the way some outlets have reportedly tiptoed around uncomfortable stories, notably President Joe Biden’s “faltering mental acuity.” The criticism, Wilson said, isn’t limited to Biden’s health; issues like inflation and immigration, he argued, have often received less scrutiny from left-leaning newsrooms than when similar issues surfaced under Donald Trump’s tenure.
Ruhle provided a markedly different diagnosis. She referenced infamous comments by former Trump advisor Steve Bannon—”The goal is to blow the whole thing up”—to contend that public trust in media has not merely slipped due to editorial shortcomings or bias. Instead, she suggested, powerful actors on the right have intentionally orchestrated an assault on mainstream institutions, including journalism, in order to undermine their legitimacy as arbiters of fact. “This loss of trust,” Ruhle insisted, “is not an accident. It is by design.”
Media Responsibility: Fairness, Coverage, and Critique
Accountability in media isn’t a partisan ideal—it’s a prerequisite for a functioning democracy. Yet, as Rainn Wilson’s pointed remarks and Ruhle’s impassioned defense make clear, how, whom, and when the media holds accountable is fraught with complexity. Wilson’s critique that liberal-leaning outlets have too often shielded President Biden from tough scrutiny taps into a larger grievance many Americans voice: a sense that ideological loyalties have eclipsed journalistic neutrality.
But is that sense justified? A closer look reveals a more nuanced reality. Ruhle pushed back against Wilson’s assertion, emphasizing moments when outlets like MSNBC broke stories critical of Democratic leaders—such as their extensive coverage of Republican governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis bussing migrants to northern cities, a clear rebuke of White House immigration policy. “We report on what’s happening,” Ruhle said. “We push Democrats on immigration, on inflation, just as we pushed Republicans in power.”
This push-pull dynamic is not new. American journalism has always walked a tightrope between pursuing truth and resisting the pull of ideological filter bubbles. During the Nixon era, relentless investigation by newspapers exposed Watergate, catalyzing reforms and earning public trust. Contrast that with today’s fragmented media landscape, where social media echo chambers and cable news segmentation limit the reach—and sometimes the rigor—of critical reporting. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, audiences now self-select their news sources based on political identity far more than a generation ago, amplifying the perception of bias even when journalists strive for objectivity.
“If journalists are not willing to ask tough questions regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, we concede the narrative to those who want to destroy truth itself.”
You don’t have to squint to see the consequences of this environment. When trust in media falters, bad actors find opportunity. The January 6th Capitol riot, fueled in part by fringe outlets and misinformation, stands as a grim reminder of what happens when large swathes of America simply disbelieve what mainstream sources report.
Institutional Erosion and the Battle Over Credibility
The root of the credibility crisis spreads far wider than cable news studios. Ruhle noted that media isn’t the only institution losing public favor. “We are watching faith in medicine, banking, even democracy itself erode,” she warned, placing media mistrust in a broader context of institutional unraveling. Democracy cannot function when every pillar—press, science, government—becomes suspect in the public imagination. Public skepticism, once a healthy check, now threatens to tip into cynical paralysis.
Liberal media outlets cannot afford complacency. To rebuild trust, progressive news organizations must recommit to interrogating power honestly—even when it stings their favored leaders. Ruhle’s reminder that coordinated attacks on the media have been “by design” is not wrong. As documented by Harvard media scholar Yochai Benkler, “The right’s long-term project has been to delegitimize mainstream news as a common ground, thus fracturing consensus on basic reality.” But the answer is not defensiveness; it’s a reassertion of core journalistic values.
For many Americans, growing up in the post-Watergate world meant learning that objective truth was supposed to be possible, even heroic. That ideal has been battered—not just by partisan attack, but by the media’s own lapses into self-protection and tribalism. When major newsrooms minimize real issues, whether out of fear of helping “the other side” or simple institutional inertia, they do their own brand lasting harm.
Is there a way forward? Some critics, like Wilson, argue that the answer requires courageous self-examination. News leaders would do well to heed voices from inside and outside their own echo chambers, remembering that the real audience is an American public hungry for the truth, not partisan affirmation. According to Columbia Journalism Review, trust increases when media are transparent, admit mistakes, and demonstrate fairness—even (and especially) when it means holding allies’ feet to the fire.
Americans deserve a press that can call out hypocrisy from any quarter. In this moment of democratic vulnerability, rebuilding trust won’t happen overnight—or by scapegoating any one figure, whether Trump, Musk, or Biden. It will take hard work, humility, and an unwavering commitment to facts, equality, and justice. That is the work of a real free press—and it’s work that simply cannot wait.
