A large majority of Americans say they think U.S. news organizations are at least somewhat influenced by corporate and political interests. Many Americans say some restrictions are OK when weighed against concerns about false information or national security

This includes roughly half who say they think U.S. news organizations are influenced a great deal by corporations and financial interests (54%) or government and political interests (49%).

The Pew Research Center surveyed 3,507 U.S. adults from March 23 to 29, 2026, and 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 to 28, 2026. Everyone who took part in these surveys is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The surveys represent the views of the full U.S. adult population.

We also conducted 10 online focus group discussions led by SSRS with 74 U.S. adults, held from May 20 to June 4, 2026. These discussions do not represent the entire U.S. population. This report shares findings and quotes from the focus groups to help illustrate and add detail to the survey results. Quotes were lightly edited for spelling, punctuation and clarity.

Here are the survey questions used for this report, the detailed responses and the methodology.