How the News Lost Time — and the Public Lost Trust

Another poll. Another blow to media. But there’s more to it than that.

The latest from Gallup shows confidence in news has hit an all-time low, with 28 percent of Americans expressing “a great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, TV and radio to report fully and accurately. It’s the first time since 1972, when Gallup started the polling, that the findings dropped below 30 percent.

For those wondering, that initial poll revealed Americans trusted news in the 68–72 percent range. But that was before the birth of cable and the internet. In today’s landscape, is it even fair to think about these numbers the same way?

One Inescapable Truth

The truth is one news story doesn’t give a complete picture. It never has. But back when trust was high, stories were longer—about 1,000 words for a newspaper article and 2.5–3 minutes long for television and radio—and time moved slower. Plus, we weren’t faced with information overload.

The invention of the 24-hour news cycle became the enemy of time. Stories became faster, multiple sourcing for accuracy was deemed too time consuming, and soundbites began replacing perspective. This doesn’t let the news industry off the hook for the mess we’re faced with now; it simply illustrates that choices made to cater to the “new-and-improved” system lost sight of the purpose.

Fast forward to today’s digital landscape, and you already know the story, because you’re living it: algorithms demand stories presented in extreme ways that twist and shout. This takes away our chance at intelligence and replaces it with emotion.

Now, newspaper stories are about 400 words, cable news runs stories that are typically about 60 seconds long, and radio reports are even briefer. How could any news outlet working within these formats provide you with a full and complete report of a current event?

Impact of System Collapse

News didn’t collapse solely from a broken business model. It collapsed because it promises truth while trapped in a system that no longer delivers it.

The worst of news used to follow the “if it bleeds, it leads” philosophy. Now it’s just about the blood. That’s all there’s time for.

What’s missing from this context is that it’s not simply news that’s not trusted. Trust in institutions—from corporations to education systems to political offices and leaders—has declined with it.

Trust as an entity unto itself is broken. And it surfaces in virtually every conversation today like this: You say something I disagree with, so I no longer trust you. The debate over facts and figures that would have taken place years ago? There’s simply no time for that.

The decline of trust in news goes far deeper than the news industry. It’s a body blow to each of us: It hits us in our day-to-day transactions, in our careers and in our leisure time, between our friends and family. It’s personal, because news reflects culture and culture reflects news.