CFINR logo with “In the News Reporting” text above the YouGov logo on a white background

New poll results: Trust in the media stays low, but confidence in specific national outlets runs higher

CFINR/YouGov survey of 2,000 Americans finds majority trust in just two of eleven major national news outlets

Read Full Poll Results

CFINR Announces 2026 National Award Winners and Finalists, Awards over $150,000 in Prizes to Journalists

Six $25,000 prizes awarded across broadcast, cable television, digital, investigative, print, and White House Correspondents' Association reporting; awards to be renamed the Benjamin Franklin Prize for Impartial, Objective News Reporting in 2027


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CFINR National Journalism Awards entries draw record growth in third year

Honoring impartial and objective news reporting, annual entries are up 213% from last year

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From the Newsroom to the Classroom: CFINR’s Campus Speaker Initiative Gains Momentum

Connecting award-winning journalists with college students to discuss objectivity, fairness, and the craft of trustworthy reporting

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CFINR Takes Case for Objectivity and Trust to Press Associations Nationwide

Recent appearances in Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina and Washington D.C. underscore a consistent message: trust in journalism is rebuildable.

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Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Terry Tang Joins CFINR Board of Trustees

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Welcome TO

THE Center for integrity in news reporting

The Center for Integrity in News Reporting was created to address the public’s declining trust in news reporting. Gallup polls show that trust, which was around 70% in the 1970s, has now fallen to less than a third. CFINR aims to improve public trust by encouraging and rewarding impartial, objective, and fair journalism. By recognizing exemplary reporting, we hope to restore the standards that once earned widespread trust.

Three people are standing in front of a podium.

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the numbers

public trust in news media

americans say they have No trust in mass media at all

A green 36 percent sign on a white background.

americans say they have Great Deal/Fair Amount of trust in mass media

The number 31 is written in green letters on a white background.
The number 18 is written in green letters on a white background.

the american Public's Confidence in Newspapers

A green 12 percent sign on a white background.

the american Public's Confidence in Television News

The number 68 is written in green letters on a white background.

Americans say they see too much bias in the reporting of news

Sources: Gallup- Knight Foundation & Gallup 2025 Poll

meet our

cfinr keynote speaker

Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman delivered the keynote at the 2026 CFINR Awards Ceremony on May 19 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer recipient and the author of seven bestselling books on globalization, the Middle East, and the environment, brought decades of reporting and analysis to a room of journalists, publishers, and supporters of independent news.

Studio portrait of a man with gray hair and mustache, resting clasped hands under his chin on a gray background

cfinr ANNUAL AWARDS

Honoring the best examples of impartial, objective, and fair news reporting in Print, Cable Television, and Digital Reporting.

A close up of a newspaper being printed on a machine

print reporting award

Recognizing excellence in print journalism that demonstrates impartiality, objectivity, and fairness. Along with a $25,000 prize.

A live breaking news background with a circle in the middle.

broadcast reporting award

In the 2025 award ceremony we will recognize outstanding broadcast reporting that upholds the highest standards of journalism. Along with a $25,000 prize.

A person is holding a remote control in front of a television.

cable television reporting award

Celebrating outstanding cable television reporting that upholds the highest standards of journalism. Along with a $25,000 prize.

A person is holding a cell phone with news on the screen.

digital reporting award

Honoring exceptional digital reporting that exemplifies fairness and objectivity. Along with a $25,000 prize.

A podium with two american flags hanging from it in front of a white house.

White House Correspondents' Association Members award

In the 2025 award ceremony we will recognize outstanding White House Correspondents’ Association reporting that upholds the highest standards of journalism. Along with a $25,000 prize.

journalists should pursue "as impartial an investigation of the facts as humanly possible." Walter Lippmann, 1889-1974

A black and white photo of a man in a suit and tie

Credit: American Manhood in Black & White: Walter Lippmann, public intellectual, writer, reporter, and political commentator

2025 INAUGURAL AWARDS DINNER

WATCH NOW

WALTER E. HUSSMAN, JR OPENING REMARKS (0-6:28), rufus friday opening remarks (6:30-11:42), JONATHAN TURLEY'S KEYNOTE SPEECH (11:45-33:25), AWARDS PRESENTATION (34:18-44:45), ENDING MESSAGE (44:45-47:31)

CFINR LATEST NEWS & UPDATES

What's New

Making the Case for Trust in Reporting Across Kansas, Texas and Tennessee

By David Sommers • July 12, 2026
CFINR Executive Director delivers keynote to three state press associations

CFINR State Awards Honor Objective Reporting in Six States

By David Sommers • July 12, 2026
Eleven journalists in six newsrooms accepted the Center’s new $5,000 awards for impartial, objective and fair reporting
CFINR and YouGov logos with text, “The Center for Integrity in News Reporting” and “In partnership with”

New poll results: Trust in the media stays low, but confidence in specific national outlets runs higher

June 8, 2026
June 10, 2026— Only two of eleven of the most well known national news organizations have a majority of Americans who have a great deal or fair amount of trust in them, according to a new survey conducted by YouGov for the Center for Integrity in News Reporting. However, the survey also found greater trust among these 11 national news organizations individually than estimates of public trust in the mass media in general. The survey also highlights a reason for the lack of trust, as only 12% on average say they have 'a great deal of trust' that these news outlets present facts without intentionally omitting important information that could change the meaning or context. It also suggests a possible way to increase trust, with the public saying only 13% of these news organizations on average always make a clear distinction between news and opinion. "For readers and viewers to trust news reporting, they need to understand what a news organization stands for. Adopting a concise statement of core journalistic values and making it transparent is a relatively inexpensive step that a number of news organizations have already taken and one that can help rebuild trust, transparency, and accountability," according to Rufus Friday, Executive Director of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting. The survey, conducted by YouGov between February 16 - 26, 2026, finds that Americans are about evenly divided in their preference for reporting that takes a more neutral approach (reporting the statements of public officials and others and let the news consumer decide what they believe to be the truth- 53% of American say this) and a more active style of reporting that tells news consumers about what news organizations consider the accuracy or inaccuracy of statements directly (47%). Share of Americans who say they prefer media that …
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