{"id":311675,"date":"2025-08-21T14:38:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T18:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:15:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:15:52","slug":"how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/","title":{"rendered":"How Americans view journalists in the digital age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Newsmax settles Dominion election defamation lawsuit<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New from Pew Research Center:<\/strong> How Americans view journalists in the digital age<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> PBS cuts its budget, and how philanthropists are seeking to help local stations<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> MSNBC will rebrand to MS NOW<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Americans value honesty, intelligence, authenticity in their news providers<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cable news channel <strong>Newsmax<\/strong> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/ckgend9yreeo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">agreed to pay $67 million dollars<\/a> to settle a libel lawsuit brought by <strong>Dominion Voting Systems<\/strong> over claims that the company had rigged their voting machines in the 2020 U.S. presidential election against President Donald Trump. Dominion first sued Newsmax in 2021, accusing the network of<strong> knowingly spreading false claims about the voting machine company <\/strong>on television and on social media. Newsmax stood by its coverage, saying it chose to settle because the proceedings were unfair.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew Research Center study of 30 major news sources<\/a>, 40% of Americans <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/newsmax\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have heard of Newsmax<\/a>, while 8% say they regularly get news there. The audience leans heavily Republican, with <strong>15% of Republicans and independents who lean Republican saying they get news there, compared with 1% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.<\/strong> And while 11% of Americans say they trust Newsmax as a source of news, 15% say they distrust it \u2013 figures that are also split along party lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udea8 <strong>New from Pew Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Center survey<\/a> explores what people think about the role of journalists in the digital age \u2013 including what makes someone a journalist, what Americans think is important for journalists to do in their daily work, and what backgrounds and attributes people are looking for in their news providers broadly (whether they are journalists or not). Here are a few takeaways:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Most Americans (79%) agree that <strong>someone who writes for a newspaper or news website<\/strong> is a journalist \u2013 higher than the share who say the same about someone who reports on TV (65%), radio (59%) or any other medium.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Most U.S. adults say that the people they get news from <strong>definitely should<\/strong> report the news accurately (84%) and correct false information from public figures (64%). Few say news providers should seek out audience input (19%) or express personal opinions about current events (8%).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Americans care <em>more<\/em><strong> <\/strong>that someone they get news from has <strong>deep knowledge of the topics they cover<\/strong> than whether they are <strong>employed by a news organization<\/strong> or <strong>have a journalism degree.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A majority of Americans (59%) say journalists are <strong>extremely or very important to the well-being of society,<\/strong> but 49% say they are <strong>losing influence.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Americans\u2019 views and expectations of journalists in the digital age<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>PBS<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/pbs-budget-cut-21-percent-staffing-downsize-nj-staff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cuts its budget<\/a> by 21% after federal funding stopped&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A look at how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/19\/business\/the-race-to-rescue-pbs-and-npr-stations.html?partner=slack&amp;smid=sl-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">organizations are seeking to help<\/a> PBS and NPR stations&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/media\/5462376-house-democrats-skydance-paramount-probe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Democrats send letter<\/a> to <strong>Paramount<\/strong> seeking documents about its <strong>merger with Skydance<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>How <strong>a<\/strong> <strong>pro-Russian propaganda group <\/strong>is<strong> <\/strong>using big events to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/17\/russia-us-news-media-disinformation-campaign-00512173\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">produce fake U.S. news content<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The White House <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/white-house-launches-tiktok-account-with-trump-saying-i-am-your-voice-2025-08-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">creates a TikTok account<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Inside <strong>California Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/08\/20\/gavin-newsom-twitter-trump-00515785\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">use of social media<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Wired<\/strong> and <strong>Business Insider<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pressgazette.co.uk\/publishers\/digital-journalism\/wired-and-business-insider-remove-ai-written-freelance-articles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove freelance journalist\u2019s articles<\/a> after concerns about being written by AI&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/08\/18\/comcast-versant-rename-msnbc-peacock-logos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>MSNBC will be renamed to MS NOW<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> an acronym for My Source for News, Opinion and the World, and will lose its peacock logo. This is among the first public-facing changes as part of Comcast\u2019s planned separation of many NBCUniversal cable networks later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Americans are <strong>familiar with the MSNBC name:<\/strong> 85% of U.S. adults have heard of the network and 22% say they regularly get news there, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/feature\/news-media-tracker\/msnbc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a March Center survey<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week\u2019s chart comes from a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Center study<\/a> on how Americans view the role of journalists in an evolving media landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked what they value in a news provider, large majorities of Americans say it\u2019s important for the people they get news from to display <strong>honesty<\/strong> (93%),<strong> intelligence<\/strong> (89%) and <strong>authenticity,<\/strong> or \u201cbeing their true selves\u201d (82%), in their work. However, as our focus group discussions illustrate, <strong>people hold differing views of what the term \u201cauthenticity\u201d means<\/strong> when it comes to news providers \u2013 and <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2025\/08\/20\/what-do-americans-want-from-their-news-providers\/#the-value-of-authenticity-from-news-providers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">some aren\u2019t entirely sure<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ece7e4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ece7e4;\" 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_0-02_dec673.png?resize=480,562 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_0-02_dec673.png?resize=782,916 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_0-02_dec673.png?resize=840,984 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"750\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/08\/PJ_2025.08.20_role-of-journalists_0-02_dec673.png?w=640\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Americans value honesty, intelligence, authenticity in the people they get news from \u2013 but not popularity\" class=\"wp-image-272869 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner and Mary Randolph. It is edited by Kirsten Eddy and copy edited by David Kent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalism@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story Cable news channel Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million dollars to settle a libel lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over claims that the company had rigged their voting machines in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"How Americans view journalists in the digital age","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, Newsmax settles Dominion election defamation lawsuit","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311675","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":784,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"How Americans view journalists in the digital age","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. 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