Overview
- Based on a follow-up of 756 respondents from a 2024 cohort of teens ages 13–18, the report quantifies deep skepticism toward journalists and news outlets.
- About half of teens say journalists often make up quotes or do favors for sources, 60% say visuals are taken out of context, and only 30% believe facts are reliably confirmed before publication.
- Eighty percent say professional journalists are not more impartial than other online creators, and 45% believe journalists do more to harm democracy than protect it.
- Two-thirds of teens report little concern about the decline of news organizations, reflecting broader adult distrust measured by Gallup’s 28% confidence level in the media.
- Authors recommend nonpartisan news-literacy instruction and student reporting experiences to help teens distinguish standards-based journalism from opinion, influencers, advertising and propaganda.