Teens Don’t Trust the News — And Many Don’t Understand What Journalists Actually Do

Cat Murphy has known she wanted to be a journalist since she was 11. The reactions she gets today? Mostly confusion — and sometimes mockery.

“There’s a lot of commentary: ‘Good luck, journalism is dying… you’re screaming into the void… you’re going to be useless,’” said Murphy, now 21 and a graduate student at the University of Maryland’s journalism school.

She keeps going anyway. And she wasn’t shocked by a new study from the News Literacy Project showing that teens have overwhelmingly negative views of the media — echoing many of the same criticisms adults have voiced for years.

84% of Teens Describe the News Media Negatively

When asked for a single word to describe the news industry, teens offered answers like:

“biased,” “fake,” “boring,” “confusing,” “bad,” “crazy,” “depressing,” “scary.”

More than half believe journalists often engage in unethical behavior — making up quotes, paying sources, taking images out of context or doing favors for advertisers. Meanwhile, less than a third believe reporters:

• Correct errors

• Verify facts before publishing

• Use multiple sources

• Cover stories in the public interest

In other words: many teens simply don’t understand what legitimate journalism looks like.

“A lot of this is misperception,” said Peter Adams of the News Literacy Project. “Some of it is earned — but much of it isn’t.”

A Generation Raised on Social Media, Not News

Experts say most teens don’t follow traditional news at all. Their media diet is built around social platforms, influencers and commentary — not reporting. Add in a decade dominated by politicians attacking the press as “fake news,” and trust erodes even further.

Journalism’s own high-profile mistakes haven’t helped. Nor has the hyper-opinionated style of cable and online commentary that blurs the line between reporting and personal takes.

Northwestern University senior Lily Ogburn, former editor-in-chief of The Daily Northwestern, said many of her peers don’t even understand what journalists are supposed to do.

“They think we’re here to protect people in power,” she said. “They don’t understand that our job is actually the opposite.”

Young People Rarely See Real Journalism — Even in Pop Culture

Hollywood used to dramatize journalism — “All the President’s Men” made a whole generation believe in investigative reporting. Today, two-thirds of teens told researchers they couldn’t name a single movie or show about journalism.

Of those who could, many cited Spider-Man or Anchorman — neither exactly a master class in news ethics.

Meanwhile, real newsrooms have been gutted in the digital age. Fewer reporters means fewer chances for young people to encounter credible journalism at all.

Teaching Teens to Be News-Literate

At SUNY Stony Brook, journalism school founder Howard Schneider shifted gears and began teaching non-journalists how to understand the news.

“The negativity they feel is just a reflection of how their parents feel,” he said. “The more they’re exposed to legitimate news, the more their attitudes improve.”

High schools that offer news literacy courses see that shift firsthand.

Sixteen-year-old Brianne Boyack said she started her class with very little trust in the media. Now she double-checks sources and knows which outlets are credible.

Her classmate, Rhett MacFarlane, said the lessons helped him debunk a rumor that the Louvre had been robbed.

“I thought journalists just said whatever they wanted,” he admitted. “Now I understand there’s fact-checking. There are rules.”

Can Journalism Win Back Young Audiences?

Murphy believes the core issue isn’t hate — it’s ignorance.

“They don’t have any experience reading journalism,” she said.

But she also believes the industry must meet young people where they already are.

“There’s so little movement toward going where the audience is,” Murphy said. “You can’t expect people to come to you. You have to adapt.”

And that, she says, may be the biggest challenge facing journalism’s future: learning how to reach — and earn back — a generation that’s never really known it.

— Associated Press