Trust in US media hits record low amid Iran war

The information battle inside the United States has intensified as the Trump administration steps up criticism of mainstream outlets over coverage of the ongoing Iran war, accusing them of spreading “fake news” and weakening official war messaging.

Pete Hegseth told reporters, “you’re either informing the people of the truth or you’re not,” underscoring the administration’s increasingly confrontational stance toward traditional media, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

The dispute comes amid a long-term collapse in public trust. Confidence in mainstream media has fallen from about 70% in the late 1970s to just 28% last year, reflecting decades of declining credibility in legacy news institutions.

At the same time, social media has overtaken television as the primary news source in the US for the first time, with 54% of Americans now getting news online.

As a result, Americans are increasingly navigating competing narratives across digital platforms, making it harder to determine which information is reliable during the escalating conflict.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada