Pew study shows public attention to press conflicts has halved since 2017, even as engagement with political news grows
Public awareness of Donald Trump’s clashes with the media has dropped sharply since his first term, according to new research from the Pew Research Center, despite a rise in political news engagement overall.
Only 36% of Americans say they’ve heard “a lot” about the Trump administration’s interactions with the press, down from 72% in March 2017. The data comes from a survey of 5,123 adults conducted from 24 February to 2 March.
The fall in awareness comes even as high-profile stories were breaking. These included lawsuits filed by Trump against media outlets such as CBS News and The Des Moines Register, and the exclusion of the Associated Press from Oval Office events. “All those things happened shortly before or during the field period,” said Elisa Shearer, senior researcher at Pew, “yet the responses indicate a marked decline in public engagement with the topic.”
While national news consumption continues to fall, 71% of Americans say they are following news about the Trump administration “very” or “fairly closely” — up from 66% who said the same about the Biden presidency in early 2021. Forty percent say they are paying more attention to political news since Trump returned to office; only 10% say they are paying less.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents described the relationship between Trump and the media as “very” or “somewhat bad”. Just 11% said it was good. Views were heavily split by party: 70% of Democrats said the administration had been “too critical” of the press, compared to 23% of Republicans. Most Republicans (46%) believed the approach had been “mostly fair”.
Opinions on media coverage also diverged. Just 12% of Democrats said the press was “too critical” of Trump, compared to 69% of Republicans. Meanwhile, 62% of Democrats said coverage hadn’t been critical enough, a view shared by only 10% of Republicans.
The reasons people gave for following political news revealed further partisan divides. Among Democrats, 88% said they were motivated by concern about Trump’s actions; among Republicans, 64% said they followed the news out of support. Only 8% of Democrats said the same.
Those who said they weren’t following the administration cited political fatigue and a desire to avoid the news. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say they felt overwhelmed or disapproving.
But across both parties, 62% said the relevance of the administration to their own lives was a key reason for paying attention. “People across party lines and across age groups are paying attention to political news,” said Shearer. “They might be getting it in different ways… but people are still tuning in.”
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/PJ_2025.03.31_trump-and-media_report.pdf – This PDF report from Pew Research Center discusses Americans’ awareness of the relationship between the Trump administration and the media, revealing a decline in interest compared to his first term. It also highlights partisan differences in perceptions of this relationship.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/02/07/public-anticipates-changes-with-trump-but-is-split-over-whether-they-will-be-good-or-bad/ – This Pew Research Center study details public views on Donald Trump’s presidency and administration, including partisan splits in expectations and satisfaction with the government under Trump.
- https://www.noahwire.com – This source is mentioned as the original article but does not provide direct corroboration without additional context; it serves as a reference rather than a primary source of information.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/02/state-of-the-news-media-2017/ – Although not directly referenced, this link reflects historical data on news consumption and media relations during Trump’s first term, providing context for comparative analyses.
- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-lawsuits-media-outlets-rcna70259 – This article discusses Trump’s legal actions against media outlets, which were mentioned as prominent headlines during the survey period, highlighting the tension between Trump and the press.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
9
Notes:
The content references recent events and surveys, such as a Pew Research Center study conducted from February 24 to March 2, indicating current information. The narrative remains relevant due to ongoing discussions about the Trump administration and media dynamics.
Quotes check
Score:
8
Notes:
The quotes from Elisa Shearer appear to be recent and part of the Pew Research Center’s study, but specific online sources confirming these exact quotes were not found. This might be due to the originality of the quote within this context.
Source reliability
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative originates from the Poynter Institute, which is a well-known and reputable source in journalism. This lends high credibility to the information presented.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims and findings align with known trends regarding public perception and media engagement, making the narrative plausible. Partisan differences in opinions also align with expected patterns.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
This narrative passes credibility checks due to its recent data, quotes from credible sources, and its origin from a reputable journalism institute. The plausibility of the claims is strong, reflecting known trends in media consumption and partisanship.
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