This follow-up survey, which reconnected us with more than 750 respondents to our 2024 report News Literacy in America, sought to better understand the nature of teens’ distrust in the news media, including their understanding of how newsrooms work.

Among the findings: The majority of teens view news media negatively. An overwhelming majority of teens (84%) express a negative sentiment when asked what word best describes news media these days.

Interviews were conducted online from April 28, 2025 to May 12, 2025, among a recontacted nationally representative sample of 756 adolescent respondents ages 13 to 18. Respondents ages 13 to 17, as well as non-panelist 18-year-olds, were recontacted via their parents using the SSRS Opinion Panel; meanwhile, respondent panelists age 18 were recontacted directly via the SSRS Opinion Panel. The margin of error for total respondents is ±5.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.