While some say Americans are more polarized than ever, there are certainly still issues on which the country is relatively united.
One such topic is distrust of our news media.
a poll A survey released Wednesday by the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that more than half of Americans (53 percent) are extremely or very concerned about news organizations reporting inaccurate information during the election.
Another 30 percent of American adults said it is an issue they are somewhat concerned about.
And as for actually trusting the information, the number is even worse.
“Most Americans follow news about presidential (77%) and local and state elections (64%) at least somewhat closely, and are more likely to report regularly receiving news about national (50%) or local (39% ) than other sources such as friends or family (21%) or individuals on social media,” the poll said.
And yet alone 14 percent of respondents “express high confidence in election-related information they receive from national sources, and only 11% say the same about local media,” the poll said.
Fourteen percent? More Americans admit it they believe in astrology.
“Disinformation” was a major talking point during both the 2016 and 2020 elections, as both parties accused each other of reporting false information.
The biggest was in 2016, when then-presidential candidate Donald Trump reportedly was colluding with Russiaa story that was ultimately shown to be unfounded, but still sparked an investigation special counsel Robert Mueller that haunted much of Trump's presidency.
This coming election cycle will face unique problems that the previous ones did not have as artificial intelligence technology has expanded since 2020.
Americans are concerned about how AI could be used negatively to spread misinformation, as 42 percent of respondents say they are extremely or very concerned.
Other issues, such as whether news organizations will report unverified information or whether the news will be biased, concerned 47 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
It is difficult to blame Americans for their distrust of the established media.
Whether it's news organizations deliberately ignoring or downplaying the story Hunter Biden's laptop or liberal news sources that consistently cover the president Joe Biden's blundersThere is a whole list of reasons to be skeptical of the established media.
But while the media is as unreliable as ever, it is also as plentiful as ever.
It is no longer the 1960s when most Americans had only major networks and newspapers to choose from.
Conservative media outlets – such as The Western Journal – are not difficult to find.
Before the election cycle, this is a perfect time to start vetting different sources and finding out which ones you trust and which ones don't care about integrity.
While it's impossible to find a news source without bias, as long as you know what that bias is, you'll avoid falling into an echo chamber.
The news is important, but it is equally important that it is true.
This article originally appeared on The Western Journal.
