Who Are The Most Trusted Names In News?
New poll shines a light on how much people trust the on-screen news stars of today.
We’re far from the era when Walter Cronkite was must watch TV, and his voice was the moral barometer of a generation. Now, in a much more polarized society when journalists are much more comfortable overtly sharing their biases, news anchors rarely enjoy support from both sides of the political spectrum.
A recent THR/Morning Consult poll, conducted on May 4-5 with a sample of 2,239 U.S. adults, highlights the enduring halo effect of network TV hosts, particularly evening and morning show anchors on NBC and ABC. The survey examined opinions about over 40 major TV news stars and explored trends in America's fragmented media consumption during a presidential campaign year. If one clear lesson can be taken from the poll, its that the more partisan the anchor is perceived to be, the less they are trusted.
Let’s explore the poll’s findings:
Lester Holt, the long-standing anchor of NBC Nightly News, emerged as the most trusted TV news personality, with 65 percent of respondents expressing "a lot" or "some" trust in him. Holt's reputation for reliability was similarly affirmed in a previous 2018 survey conducted at the height of Donald Trump's presidency. This year, Holt's trust rating saw a slight increase.
Following Holt in trust ratings is ABC’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir, with 63 percent of respondents placing "a lot" or "some" trust in him. CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell also commands a significant level of trust, with 53 percent of respondents expressing confidence in her.
Morning show anchors also play a crucial role in shaping public trust. ABC’s Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts and NBC’s Today show staple Al Roker both garnered 64 percent trust ratings. These figures suggest that morning show personalities are as influential as their evening counterparts. Notably, 52 percent of survey respondents indicated that it is "very" or "somewhat" important for their political news sources to also be "entertaining," highlighting the dual role of news anchors as both informers and entertainers. Late night hosts Jon Stewart, now back at The Daily Show, had the same trust score (57 percent) as CBS' Late Show host Stephen Colbert, though Colbert had a slightly higher negative score (29 percent), while NBC's Late Night host Seth Meyers had a lower trust score (49 percent) and a negative trust rating of 27 percent.
In cable news, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Chris Wallace both received 60 percent trust ratings. Cooper, who also appears on CBS’s 60 Minutes, saw an increase in trust since the 2018 survey, reinforcing his position as a trusted news source across different networks. 51% of respondents trust MSNBC superstar Rachel Maddow “a lot” (surprising), while only 38% trust Fox News’ Sean Hannity with the same passion (not surprising).
The most polarizing figures in TV news were also identified. Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News anchor now posting on X and his own site, had the highest distrust rating, with 49 percent of respondents saying they trust him "not much" or "not at all." Other divisive figures include Fox News anchor Sean Hannity (45 percent), former Fox and NBC personality Megyn Kelly (40 percent), Fox News host Laura Ingraham (38 percent), former CNN host Don Lemon (35 percent), and MSNBC host Joy Reid (35 percent).
The survey also explored the news consumption habits of politically polarized audiences, and touched on the echo chamber effect in 2024 political news consumption. Among respondents who identified as Joe Biden voters in 2020, 58 percent reported consuming news from a wide variety of sources. This figure is approximately 6 percentage points higher than among self-identified Donald Trump voters, suggesting a more diverse media diet among Biden supporters. This makes sense because there are a limited number of outlets favorably presenting Republican perspectives, while Democrats have more networks representing their outlook.
Forty percent of respondents admitted to having stopped watching a news program because they disagreed with a political view presented. This figure rises to 46 percent among the 18-34 age group, indicating a higher sensitivity to conflicting political views among younger audiences. Furthermore, 20 percent of respondents stated that it is "very important" for their chosen news outlets to present views similar to their own, underscoring the persistent demand for ideologically aligned news sources.
This preference for like-minded news content helps explain why Fox News and MSNBC often lead in linear TV total audience ratings, despite CNN boasting higher monthly unique visitors online. The contrasting strengths of these networks reflect the broader trend of viewers gravitating towards news sources that align with their personal beliefs and values, customizing their news reinforce exactly what they want to see.