Gallup: Slight uptick in trust in newspapers, TV

WASHINGTON — A new poll shows public confidence in newspaper and television news has picked up slightly in recent years but still lags behind levels of trust from two decades ago.

The Gallup poll finds that the biggest improvement in media trust over the last year registered among 30-to-49-year-olds. But those under age 30 delivered a split verdict: Confidence in television news rose 10 percentage points for that age group, while trust in newspapers fell 10 points in the same group.

Overall, Gallup says, barely a fourth of Americans say they have much confidence in newspaper and TV news.

Confidence in newspaper and TV news slid during the 1990s and hit bottom in 2007. Gallup says recent small improvements could mark the beginning of a reversal in the trend.