When it comes to getting news about regime and politics, there are stark ideological differences in the sources that online Americans use, equally well as in their awareness of and trust in those sources.

CNN, Fox News Top Listing of Main Sources

Overall, when respondents are asked what outlet they turn to nigh often for news near government and politics, the most frequent mentions are 2 cablevision networks: CNN (named by 16%) and Fox News (14%). Just wide ideological differences exist both in the sources that top the list for those on the left and right and in the degree to which there is reliance on a single source.

Those with consistently conservative political values are oriented around a single outlet—Play a trick on News—to a much greater degree than those in any other ideological group: Virtually half (47%) of those who are consistently conservative proper noun Fox News as their main source for government and political news. Far fewer choose any other single source: Local radio ranks second, named by eleven%, with no other individual source named by more than 5% of consistent conservatives. Those with by and large conservative views too gravitate strongly toward Play a trick on News – 31% name it equally their main source, several times the share who proper noun the side by side virtually popular sources, including CNN (9%), local television (half-dozen%) and radio (half-dozen%) and Yahoo News (6%).

On the left of the political spectrum, no single outlet predominates. Among consistent liberals, CNN (15%), NPR (13%), MSNBC (12%) and the New York Times (x%) all rank near the top of the list. CNN is named by just 20% of those with more often than not liberal views, but still tops their list, followed by local television (eleven%) and NPR (nine%). Both MSNBC and Trick News are mentioned by 5% of those who are mostly liberal. Those in other ideological groups name the New York Times, NPR and MSNBC less often every bit tiptop news sources.

Respondents with a roughly equal mix of liberal and conservative values also have a diffuse mix of news providers. CNN (20%) and local television (16%) are the most oft-named top sources, with a long list of other news sources named by fewer than 1-in-ten. Fox News (8%) is among the nigh-named sources in this "long tail," along with Yahoo News (7%) and Google News (6%), both of which primarily amass and highlight news produced by other outlets.

Conservatives Converge Around Fox News as Main Source; No Single Source Dominates on the Left

In News Sources We Trust—Or Distrust

Lower Levels of Trust in Media Sources on the RightThe public'south understanding of government and politics is also influenced by the extent to which they trust – or distrust – the data they hear from various news sources. In other words – how open people are to the political news and information put forth by diverse outlets, including those they do not actively consume.

In general, the survey finds that there is more trust than distrust of news sources. But there are substantial differences in trust and distrust across the ideological spectrum.

Respondents were asked first whether they had heard of 36 private news sources. If they had heard of the outlet, they were then asked if they trusted it, and if they did non indicate that trust, they were next asked if they distrusted the outlet. The average web panelist has heard of about 21 of the 36 sources and trusts more than of them than they distrust: 7.iii vs. 4.half-dozen, with some other 8.7 that they neither trust nor distrust. At that place is variance, though, past credo.

Those with consistently liberal political values take, on average, heard of more sources than any other ideological group – on average, nearly 26 out of the 36 – and trust about twice every bit many equally they distrust (ten.5 vs. 4.viii). Respondents with mostly liberal views or with about an equal mix of bourgeois and liberal views take heard of fewer sources, on average, simply still trust more than sources than they distrust.

By contrast, those with generally conservative political values, on average, trust and distrust about the same number of sources, most six each, while the boilerplate consequent conservative distrusts more than media sources than they trust (eight.8 vs. 5.6).

The ideological differences also stand out when information technology comes to the specific outlets in which people place their trust.

Interactive: Audience Profiles & Media Habits
Interactive: Audition Profiles & Media Habits

The sources trusted past the greatest per centum of respondents overall, along with those belongings mixed political views, tend to be the most well-known. Iii television-based outlets, CNN, ABC News and NBC News, are trusted by at least 50% of web-using adults. These three outlets are too trusted by similar shares of the large group of those with mixed political views.

While consequent liberals trust CNN, NBC News and ABC News at levels like to — or slightly college than —respondents overall, these news sources are not the pinnacle most trusted among this group. Instead, three public news organizations – NPR (72%), PBS (71%) and the BBC (69%) – are the most trusted sources among those with consistently liberal political values. The New York Times also enjoys a high level of trust from this group (62%). In total, more sources (nine of 36) are trusted by 50% or more of consistent liberals than by any other ideological group.

The most trusted sources among those with generally liberal political values are similar to those of web panelists overall – but they trust these sources at higher rates. About two-thirds of those with by and large liberal political values trust CNN (66%), and majorities also trust NBC News (63%), ABC News (59%) and CBS News (55%).

Conservatives, on the other hand, demonstrate strong allegiance to Fox News. Among those with mostly conservative values, Flim-flam is the only source trusted by a majority (72%). And among those who are consistently conservative, most 9-in-ten (88%) trust information technology every bit a source — by far the highest level of trust by any ideological group of any single source. The other outlets trusted by the greatest proportion of consequent conservatives are the radio shows of Sean Hannity (trusted past 62% of consistent conservatives), Rush Limbaugh (58%) and Glenn Beck (51%), which each take a much narrower audition reach overall than Play a trick on News.

Levels of distrust in media sources also reveal pronounced ideological divides. Consistent conservatives are more likely to distrust these 36 media sources than are liberals or those with mixed political views.

Interactive: Audience Profiles & Media Habits
Interactive: Audience Profiles & Media Habits

Among respondents overall (likewise every bit those with mixed or mostly conservative views), no news source is distrusted by a majority. But those at both ends of the ideological spectrum stand out for their high levels of distrust in individual sources; consistent conservatives and consistent liberals are the only groups in which majorities distrust multiple sources. The outlets distrusted the nearly by consistent conservatives and consequent liberals are entirely different, but the loftier levels of distaste for the sources at the top of the lists are similar: Fob News is the most distrusted source amidst consistent liberals (81% distrust), while MSNBC is the most distrusted source among consistent conservatives (75%).

Along with MSNBC, sibling network NBC is distrusted by 62% of consistent conservatives, slightly more than the share of consistent conservatives who distrust the 2 other network news sources (52% ABC News, 51% CBS News). CNN is besides distrusted by about half-dozen-in-ten consistent conservatives (61%), while fifty% say they distrust the New York Times. Notably, four of the sources distrusted by majorities of consistent conservatives are amid the most trusted sources overall.

Amidst consistent liberals, the radio programs of Rush Limbaugh (75% distrust), Glenn Beck (59%) and Sean Hannity (54%) round out the listing of those distrusted by majorities. These same sources are the most trusted by consistent conservatives.

Smaller Audience, But Stiff Trust

Interactive: Audience Profiles & Media Habits
Interactive: Audience Profiles & Media Habits

Another style to examine attitudes beyond media sources is to await at the relationships between sensation and trust (or distrust) for news nearly authorities and politics. Some media outlets are improve known than others and thus amass trust or distrust across a larger share of panelists. There are only more people who know of them and have a view one fashion or another.

Other outlets elicit high levels of both trust and distrust, making it useful to look at the ii measures side by side. And many outlets asked about here are merely recognized by subsets of the public, but derive some trust or distrust from those who do recognize them.

One example is the Economist. Simply 34% of panelists take heard of the outlet, merely within that group there is far more trust (12%) than distrust (2%), when it comes to news about government and politics. The BBC is recognized by a greater portion of respondents (76%), but is similarly more trusted (36%) than distrusted (7%).

Trust Levels of News Sources by Ideological GroupBy contrast, the Glenn Beck Programme is more distrusted than trusted. Almost one-half of panelists (48%) take heard of Brook'south radio plan, and by about ii-to-one, more panelists distrust than trust information technology (24% vs. 10%).

An case of an outlet with very little awareness overall is Mother Jones: Merely 22% have heard of it, and those who accept heard of it are fairly evenly split betwixt trust and distrust.

And so at that place is Play tricks News, recognized past almost all respondents (93%), and with strong levels of both trust (44%) and distrust (37%). Only 12% do non offering a view on the outlet either style.

Looking at the media landscape overall, there are a few areas of agreement in a sea of ideological disagreement. Only one source is more trusted than distrusted past all five ideological groups: The Wall Street Journal. Among consistent conservatives, 30% trust the Wall Street Journal for news about government and politics and 17% distrust it; amidst consistent liberals, 35% trust it and 14% distrust it.

Among consistent liberals, fully 28 of the 36 sources are more trusted than distrusted. And though just eight sources are more than distrusted than trusted past consistent liberals, six of them are overwhelmingly more distrusted than trusted: Play a joke on News, the Drudge Report, Breitbart, the Glenn Beck Program, the Rush Limbaugh Show and the Sean Hannity Show.

All vi of the sources overwhelmingly distrusted by consistent liberals are overwhelmingly trusted by consistent conservatives. And they are among the only sources that consistent conservatives trust more than distrust (along with the Wall Street Journal and the Blaze). (Run into Appendix C for detailed tables on trust, distrust and awareness of all 36 sources across all groups)

The Long Tail

NPR, CNN Most Consumed on the Left, Fox News on the Right; Local TV Spans Ideological DivideThe list of pop sources these panelists turn to for political and regime news frequently parallels the listing of sources they are most likely to trust. Panelists were asked whether they got news from each of the 36 sources (plus local telly news) over the by week, and while these data do not speak to the number of hours spent on each outlet, they do reveal singled-out orientations that segment along ideological lines.

For example, consistent conservatives not only trust Play a trick on News at high rates, but also coalesce around it every bit a source. Fully 84% of consistent conservatives got news about government and politics from Fox News in the past week. Other sources that appear at the top are the radio programs of Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Brook, as well as the Blaze.

While Fox News has a large audience overall, the other outlets that consistent conservatives turn to do not have much reach beyond this conservative base. Fewer than 10% of digitally connected U.S adults got news virtually government and politics from whatever of these sources in the previous week.

Fifty-fifty amongst those with generally bourgeois political values, there is a drop-off in usage of sources like the Rush Limbaugh evidence, the Sean Hannity Testify and the Glenn Beck Program. For instance, simply 19% of those who are mostly conservative got news almost government and politics from Sean Hannity's radio show in the past week (compared with 45% of consistent conservatives). Far more in this group got news from sources such as ABC News (32%) and CNN (32%).

Consistent conservatives, then, are both united around a single source in a way no other ideological group is, and when they plow to other sources, they opt for those non consumed by many others.

Consistent liberals, on the other hand, show signs of a more lengthened network of news sources. 10 of the 37 sources (local television was included in this consumption measure) were used by at least a third of this grouping for news almost government and politics in the by week; by comparison, only five sources were used by a third or more than of consequent conservatives in the past week.

Still, several of the about popular sources among consistent liberals differ from other groups.

Consistent Liberals Turn to More Sources About one-half of consequent liberals (53%) say they got news from NPR in the by week, similar to the share who got news from CNN (52%). But the public radio news network is far less central to the news diets of those in the other ideological groups. Even among those with mostly liberal views, but 23% got news from NPR in the previous calendar week.

Roughly a third of consequent liberals besides got news from other sources that are less pop, such as PBS, the BBC and the New York Times. MSNBC was watched by 38% of consistent liberals, along with 32% of the mostly liberal and about a quarter of both the ideologically mixed (25%) and those who are generally conservative (23%).

Those with mixed ideological views (who also tend to follow political and government news less closely than those in other groups) gravitate to both broadcast and cablevision television set sources.

On average, consistent liberals plough to more than sources for news about politics and government than exercise those in other groups. Those with consistently liberal political values say they got news about government and politics in the by week from vi.seven of the 37 news outlets the survey examined. Consequent conservatives turn to somewhat fewer sources (5.4), just more than those with mixed ideological views (4.five).

News Audition Profiles

The dissimilar ideological preferences detailed to a higher place result in singled-out audience profiles for each news source. Each source is placed on the line graph beneath according to the average ideological composition of those who apply the source for news well-nigh politics and authorities. The dashed vertical line shows the ideological placement of the average respondent (just slightly to the left of someone holding an equal mix of liberal and conservative positions).

Interactive: Audience Profiles & Media Habits
Interactive: Audition Profiles & Media Habits

For instance, ABC News's audience, on boilerplate, is very close to the average survey respondent. The New Yorker on the other manus is placed further to the left because its audience is, on boilerplate, more liberal.

Ideological Composition of News Sources' AudiencesOverall, more of these outlets' audiences fall to the left of the average respondent than to the right (and many cluster well-nigh the middle). Only the overall audience distributions tin can differ even for outlets that are similarly placed.

To help readers understand why sources are placed where they are, Pew Research has created interactive visuals for each outlet. Here are a few examples.

On the continuum higher up, Flim-flam News sits to the right of the midpoint but non most as far right as sources such as the Rush Limbaugh Show or the Glenn Brook Program. Looking at the audition breakdown helps explain why.

While Fox News is a dominant source for conservatives, it also draws a pregnant portion of its audition from across the ideological spectrum: Those with mixed ideological views make up 37% of its audition (they make up 36% of all panelists), and those to the left of centre business relationship for eighteen% of its audition (xiv% more often than not liberal, 4% consistently liberal).

Though those to the correct of center make upwardly a far greater proportion of the Trick News audition than of all respondents (46% vs. 26%, respectively), still less than half of those who turn to Fox News for political news in the form of a week are conservatives.

MSNBC follows a pattern that is somewhat the opposite, though information technology has a smaller audition overall. Those with mixed political views make up a third (33%) of its audience, and about half of its audition is either generally liberal (26%) or consistently liberal (22%); by comparison, 38% of all panelists are left of eye. Conservatives account for eighteen% of those who turn to MSNBC for political news (14% mostly conservative and 4% consistent conservative).

The Wall Street Journal's overall placement, on the other hand, is at roughly the same spot as the average respondent, driven past the mostly even distribution of its audience across the continuum: 20% are consequent liberals, 21% by and large liberal, 24% mixed, 22% mostly bourgeois and 13% consistent conservatives. Notably, this distribution reflects the relatively low levels of usage of the Journal among the ideologically mixed (they are merely 24% of Periodical consumers, only 36% of all panelists).

For other, smaller outlets, the audiences are concentrated much more on one ideological side or the other. The Daily Show's audience for political news in the past calendar week, for example, skews heavily to the left. About three-quarters of those who get political news from the Daily Show in a given week concord liberal views: 45% are consistently liberal and some other 27% are mostly liberal. By contrast, just 7% fall on the conservative side of the spectrum (6% mostly bourgeois and ane% consistently conservative). The remaining 21% take roughly an equal mix of liberal and conservative political values.

The audience for the Blitz Limbaugh Prove, on the other hand, is incomparably conservative: About 8-in-ten (83%) of those who listened to Rush Limbaugh's talk radio show in the by calendar week have political values that are right of center. By comparison, a small proportion (3%) is left of center and fourteen% are in the eye.

See our interactive to connect directly with this information and examine all the outlets in the survey.