{"id":271613,"date":"2025-08-20T09:51:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=271613"},"modified":"2026-02-11T07:12:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T12:12:04","slug":"how-americans-view-journalists-and-their-role-in-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-and-their-role-in-society\/","title":{"rendered":"3. How Americans view journalists and their role in society"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This is the third of four detailed sections in a report on Americans\u2019 views about the role of journalists in the digital age. The report also includes <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/\">an overview of the key findings<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In both the survey and the focus groups that were part of this study, we asked several questions to better understand how Americans think about journalists broadly, as well as the role they play \u2013 or <em>should<\/em> play \u2013 in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=271689\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e0d8d9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e0d8d9;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-01.png?resize=480,405 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-01.png?resize=782,659 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-01.png?resize=840,708 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"354\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-01.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say journalists are highly important to society\" class=\"wp-image-271689 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A<\/strong><strong> majority of Americans (59%) say journalists are extremely or very important to the well-being of society.<\/strong> An additional 31% say journalists are somewhat important, while just 9% say they are not too or not at all important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These findings mirror those from our focus groups, where participants largely agreed that journalists play, or at least should play, a critical role in informing society about what\u2019s happening in the world. One woman in her 50s said, \u201cI think [journalists\u2019 role is] to make sure that we are informed \u2026 to open the door for more questions, more answers, and a deeper understanding of what is happening, whatever it is, whether it\u2019s medical or political or whatever\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A woman in her 20s said the role journalists should play in society is of a \u201cwatchdog and informer, to let the public know when something\u2019s wrong, to raise the alarm, raise the alert \u2026 even things that aren\u2019t an alert, but just things that we need to know to function.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some groups of Americans are more likely to say journalists are highly important to the well-being of society:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Democrats<\/strong> and independents who lean Democratic are far more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners to say that journalists are extremely or very important to the well-being of society (73% vs. 45%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Americans who consume news more often <\/strong>also see journalists as more important: 63% of those who say they follow the news at least some of the time say journalists are highly important to society, while 43% of those who follow the news less often say the same.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About two-thirds of<strong> college graduates <\/strong>(68%) say journalists are extremely or very important to society\u2019s well-being, versus 58% of Americans with some college education and 51% of those with a high school diploma or less education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;many-americans-see-journalists-as-losing-influence&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"many-americans-see-journalists-as-losing-influence\">Many Americans see journalists as losing influence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, <strong>about<\/strong><strong> half of Americans say journalists are losing influence in society (49%).<\/strong> This is much higher than the share who say journalists are gaining influence (15%). Roughly a third (36%) say they are neither gaining nor losing influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=271690\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7e2d8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7e2d8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-02.png?resize=480,406 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-02.png?resize=620,524 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"262\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-02.png?w=620\" alt=\"Bar chart showing far more say journalists are losing influence in society than gaining it\" class=\"wp-image-271690 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats and Republicans are both much more likely to say that journalists are losing \u2013 rather than gaining \u2013 influence in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, perceptions vary among Americans with different levels of formal education. A majority of those with at least a college degree (62%) say journalists are losing influence. About half of those with some college education (48%) and roughly a third of those with a high school diploma or less (36%) say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of our focus group participants agreed that the rise of alternative news sources has, to some extent, affected the influence of journalists in society. Because people have access to so many sources in the digital age, one woman in her 20s said, \u201cI feel like anyone can do it, in a way. There\u2019s a lot of people out there just starting their own channels taking a little bit of the importance of somebody maybe who went to school to do that. \u2026 It can make it feel like a journalist isn\u2019t as important. Although, they are the ones that are really skilled in that job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some participants also noted that this digital shift has lowered barriers to entry for news providers, with consequences for both journalists and their audiences. As one man in his 60s explained: \u201cThat\u2019s made the journalism job harder in a good way, in that the truth will hopefully get to it quicker, if you will. If they don\u2019t say something that\u2019s accurate, there\u2019s a lot more folks that are fact-checking and checking things out. And I appreciate that it has made journalism harder, but navigating it for us also makes [our job] harder because who are you listening to becomes more of an issue. There are so many sources out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;public-confidence-in-journalists&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"public-confidence-in-journalists\">Public confidence in journalists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While most Americans see journalists as at least somewhat important to society, our recent surveys have not found widespread confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public across several years. In our <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/science\/2024\/11\/14\/trust-in-science-2024-appendix\/\">past surveys<\/a>, journalists have been less trusted than several other institutions and professions, such as the military, scientists and police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=271691\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-03.png?resize=480,535 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-03.png?resize=782,871 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-03.png?resize=840,936 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"468\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-03.png?w=840\" alt=\"Line chart showing Democrats are more confident than Republicans that journalists act in best interests of the public\" class=\"wp-image-271691 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the new survey, <strong>fewer<\/strong><strong> than half of U.S. adults (45%) say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public. <\/strong>Four-in-ten U.S. adults have not too much confidence in journalists, and 14% have no confidence at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats remain far more likely than Republicans to express confidence in journalists. However, party differences have decreased somewhat since 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The share of Democrats who say they have at least a fair amount of confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public has fallen over the past five years, from 70% in April 2020 to 62% in April 2025. Meanwhile, the share of Republicans who say this has increased slightly during the same period, from 23% to 27%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When explaining why they do not have a lot of confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public, many focus group participants discussed corporate or political influence. One woman in her 50s mentioned journalists being influenced by \u201cthe money they\u2019re going to make by what they say or the punishment they\u2019re going to receive for what they say by the government or consumers or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This aligns with <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/04\/24\/americans-remain-concerned-about-press-freedoms-but-partisan-views-have-flipped-since-2024\/\">prior Pew Research Center surveys<\/a> finding that large majorities of Americans believe U.S. news organizations are at least somewhat influenced by financial or political interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A woman in her 40s described what she felt was a \u201ccultural shift\u201d of journalists increasingly \u201cgoing after ratings \u2026 they want to not only report the news but be entertainment. \u2026 I know that they\u2019re reporting the stories in a sensational way that\u2019s going to get people to watch and kind of going for that entertainment value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;how-do-americans-describe-journalists&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-do-americans-describe-journalists\">How do Americans describe journalists?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new survey asked Americans whether several characteristics describe <em>most<\/em> journalists well or not. <strong>Majorities of U.S. adults characterize journalists positively, <\/strong>saying that most journalists are <strong>intelligent<\/strong> (63%) and <strong>well-intentioned<\/strong> (58%). But 58% also say most journalists are <strong>biased.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/05\/13\/what-is-news\/#what-americans-think-news-is-and-is-not\">Prior Pew Research Center work<\/a> has also found political bias in news to be a recurring concern among many participants in our qualitative research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=271692\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eae4dd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eae4dd;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-04.png?resize=480,481 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-04.png?resize=782,784 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-04.png?resize=840,842 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"421\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-04.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing more than half of Americans describe most journalists as intelligent and well-intentioned \u2013 but also biased\" class=\"wp-image-271692 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some focus group participants expressed a lack of confidence in journalists today providing \u201cunbiased\u201d or \u201cfactual\u201d information: \u201cWe just see them as manipulators of facts trying to bring us to a particular way of thinking or opinion,\u201d one man in his 30s said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly half of Americans (47%) say that most journalists are <strong>relatable.<\/strong> And smaller shares say most journalists are <strong>elitist<\/strong> (39%) and <strong>dishonest<\/strong> (34%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"differences-by-party\">Differences by party<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Again, Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to associate positive characteristics with most journalists. About three-quarters of Democrats (77%) say that most journalists are intelligent, while half of Republicans say the same. Similar patterns exist when it comes to whether most journalists are well-intentioned or relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=271693\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f3f3f3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f3f3f3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-05.png?resize=480,796 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-05.png?resize=620,1028 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"514\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_03-05.png?w=618\" alt=\"Chart showing Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say negative traits describe most journalists well\" class=\"wp-image-271693 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans, meanwhile, are far more likely than Democrats to say that negative characteristics describe most journalists well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, 74% of Republicans and 45% of Democrats say that most journalists are biased. And while 51% of Republicans say most journalists are dishonest, 19% of Democrats say the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A majority say journalists are extremely or very important to the well-being of society, but about half say they are losing influence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":675,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[398,342],"tags":[],"bylines":[2094,651,983,545,560,854,659],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[2808],"primary_audience":[2812,2811,2813],"information_type":[2814],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[527],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-271613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journalists-1","category-trust-in-media","bylines-christopher-st-aubin","bylines-jacob-liedke","bylines-katerina-eva-matsa","bylines-kirsten-eddy","bylines-luxuan-wang","bylines-michael-lipka","bylines-naomi-forman-katz","level_of_effort-limited","primary_audience-engaged-public","primary_audience-media","primary_audience-stakeholders","information_type-survey-results","formats-report","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-journalism"],"label":false,"post_parent":271609,"word_count":1270,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-and-their-role-in-society\/","art_direction":{"A2":{"id":271627,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"caption":"Reporters interview House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on his way to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)","chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":271627,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"caption":"Reporters interview House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on his way to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)","chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":271627,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"caption":"Reporters interview House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on his way to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)","chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":271627,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"caption":"Reporters interview House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on his way to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)","chartArt":false},"A1":{"id":271627,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"caption":"Reporters interview House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on his way to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)","chartArt":false},"social":{"id":271627,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_featured.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"Reporters interview House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on his way to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)","chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":271609,"title":"How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age","slug":"how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/","is_active":false},{"id":271611,"title":"1. What do Americans want from their news providers?","slug":"what-do-americans-want-from-their-news-providers","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/what-do-americans-want-from-their-news-providers\/","is_active":false},{"id":271612,"title":"2. What makes someone a journalist?","slug":"what-makes-someone-a-journalist","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/what-makes-someone-a-journalist\/","is_active":false},{"id":271613,"title":"3. How Americans view journalists and their role in society","slug":"how-americans-view-journalists-and-their-role-in-society","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-and-their-role-in-society\/","is_active":true},{"id":271614,"title":"4. How do Americans think journalists should act?","slug":"how-do-americans-think-journalists-should-act","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-do-americans-think-journalists-should-act\/","is_active":false},{"id":271615,"title":"Acknowledgments","slug":"role-of-journalists-acknowledgments","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/role-of-journalists-acknowledgments\/","is_active":false},{"id":271616,"title":"Methodology","slug":"role-of-journalists-methodology","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/role-of-journalists-methodology\/","is_active":false}],"report_materials":[{"key":"_zmw05jqd4","type":"report","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_report.pdf","label":"Report PDF","icon":"","attachmentId":272728},{"key":"_db1nlj4sc","type":"topline","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_topline.pdf","label":"Topline","attachmentId":271625},{"key":"_phudtxv10","type":"questionnaire","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_questionnaire.pdf","label":"Questionnaire","attachmentId":271640}],"report_pagination":{"current_post":{"id":271613,"title":"3. 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