Poll: 84% of Teens View News Media Negatively Over Bias and Dishonesty

A 2025 report from the News Literacy Project (NLP) has revealed deep skepticism amongst American teenagers toward journalism and news organizations.

 

Based on a survey of 756 teens aged 13-18 conducted in the spring of 2025, the findings highlight widespread perceptions of bias, deception, and unreliability in media.

 

Key Negative Perceptions

 

Overall Sentiment: 84% of teens described news media with negative terms, such as “biased,” “boring,” “bad,” “fake,” “lies,” “chaotic,” “depressing,” “deceptive,” “untrustworthy,” and “misleading.” Only 9% used positive descriptors (e.g., “great,” “okay,” or “decent”), while 7% were neutral.

 

Views on Journalists:

 

• Many teens believe journalists prioritize “lying and deceiving” over informing the public.
• At least 50% think journalists often “make up details.”
• At least 60% say photos and videos are frequently taken out of context.
• 45% believe journalists do more to harm than protect democracy.
• 80% feel news outlets fail to provide more impartial information than other online creators.
• 69% perceive intentional bias added to advance specific agendas.

 

Areas for Improvement: Teens most commonly suggested journalists focus on “being honest” and “minimizing bias.” Other recommendations included greater positivity, authenticity, transparency, and professionalism. Some said nothing needed improvement, while others claimed “everything” did.

 

Corrections and Accountability: 39% of teens said journalists “rarely or never” correct mistakes.

 

Positive Aspects Acknowledged

 

Despite the criticism, some teens recognized strengths:

 

• At least 56% believe journalists take standards like accuracy and fairness seriously.
• At least 62% praised journalists for “informing the public,” “keeping people updated,” “stating facts,” “being honest,” and “exposing truths.”
• Others noted skills in storytelling, timely reporting, and serving as watchdogs.

 

However, 37% had nothing positive to say about journalists, and about 10% provided minimal responses to prompts for positives.

 

NLP’s Analysis and Recommendations

 

The NLP survey aimed to assess whether teens believe journalists follow ethical standards, such as verification, fairness, impartiality, balance, context, accountability, transparency, and independence. The consensus: Teens see unethical practices as more common than adherence to these principles.

 

To address this, NLP has recommended:

 

• Encouraging youth to distinguish standards-based journalism from other content.
• Teaching verification skills and how professional newsrooms operate.
• Promoting accurate perceptions by highlighting high-quality journalism and questioning overly broad criticisms of “the media.”

 

The report notes that teens increasingly get news from social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X, where traditional journalism mixes with opinion and entertainment. A 2023 Pew Research Center poll (with likely higher figures now) showed TikTok as the fastest-growing news source among young users.

 

Expert Commentary

 

Katelynn Richardson, an investigative reporter for The Daily Caller, has attributed teens’ views to legacy media’s eroded credibility through factual errors and narrative-building and now sees new platforms filling the gap with diverse voices but warns of challenges in an unguided information environment.

 

As a Christian journalist, Richardson emphasizes personal responsibility for truthfulness, transparency about biases, and fairness—linking trustworthy reporting to broader credibility.

 

This survey underscores a generational trust gap in media, driven by perceptions of bias and a shift to social sources, while calling for education to build discernment.

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