News Media Accountability and Trust Survey

Thanks for taking a few minutes to share your views on news media accountability — how outlets handle mistakes, sourcing, and transparency. Your responses are completely confidential and anonymized. There are no right answers; honest impressions are most useful. About 6 minutes.

In the last 30 days, how often have you come across a news story you suspected was inaccurate or misleading?

• Never
• Once or twice
• Several times
• Almost every time I checked the news
• Not sure

Thinking about the mainstream news outlets you follow, how would you rate them on each of the following?

How confident are you that major news outlets correct their mistakes when errors are pointed out?

The last time you noticed a factual error in a news story, what did you do?

• Contacted the outlet directly
• Posted about it on social media
• Mentioned it to friends or family
• Looked for confirmation from another source
• Stopped trusting that outlet
• Nothing, I let it go

From the accountability practices below, which matters most to you and which matters least when deciding whether to trust a news outlet?

• Issuing prompt, visible corrections
• Clearly citing original sources
• Disclosing conflicts of interest
• Distinguishing opinion from news reporting
• Disclosing ownership and funding
• Having an accessible corrections or complaints process
• Explaining how a story was reported
• Using independent fact-checking

If you had 100 points to spend on improving how much you trust a news outlet, how would you divide them across these factors?

• Prompt, visible corrections when errors occur
• Clear citation of sources
• Transparent ownership and funding
• Clear labeling of opinion vs. news content
• An accessible way to report errors or complaints

Read the correction notice below. Highlight the parts that make you more confident in the outlet, and the parts that make you less confident.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the new policy took effect in March. It took effect in April. This version has been updated, and we regret the error. (Template n…

Reconstruct a specific, recent incident where the respondent's trust in a news outlet was gained or lost over an accountability issue — what happened, whether the outlet acknowledged it, and how the respondent reacted. Anchor on their confidence rating and the action they said they took after noticing an error, and probe what specifically the outlet would have needed to do to restore or strengthen trust. If they say they 'let it go,' probe whether that was resignation or genuine indifference.

That covers the accountability questions — thank you for the thoughtful answers. Just a few optional background questions to help us compare views across groups.

What is your age range?

• Under 18
• 18-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• 55-64
• 65+
• Prefer not to say

Where do you primarily get your news? (select all that apply)

• Social media
• Television
• Print newspapers or magazines
• Online news sites or apps
• Radio
• Podcasts
• Prefer not to say

Which best describes your political leaning?

• Left
• Center-left
• Center
• Center-right
• Right
• Prefer not to say

All done — thank you! Your responses will be combined with others to build a report on which accountability practices actually move audience trust, shared with newsroom and research partners.