A Matter Of Trust
We Are In The Post Trust Era
Happy Monday War & Peaceniks. Do you trust me?
The graphic above charts Americans’ “trust in Media” since 1972, as tracked by Gallup, year after year. Recently, Gallup’s polling showed that in 2023, our belief in the News Media has hit its lowest point in the history of the poll, equalling the nadir it reached in 2016.
There are countless arguments for how and why America has lost its trust in the Fourth Estate. However, to me, this ongoing fifty-year tracking study, chronologically juxtaposed against crucial events in American politics, culture and Media, clearly diagnoses not just the root causes for our eroded belief in journalistic institutions, but also the historic levels of tribalism that now control nearly all aspects of our society.
From 1972 through 1976, by continually pulling back the veil of failed policies and unbridled corruption, the American News Media helped bring an end to both the war in Viet Nam and the Nixon Presidency. By the time our Milita…
