Leading online news brands in the U.S. 2021

The most popular online news brands in the United States as of June 2021 were CNN.com and Yahoo! News. A study found that 18 and 16 percent of respondents to a survey had visited those sites respectively for news in the last week. Also high in the ranking were The New York Times online and Fox News online. Support for and trust in both sources varies significantly according to the political affiliation of audiences, particularly among Democrats and Republicans.

News and politics

A survey revealed that more than 40 percent of Republicans reported not trusting The New York Times, whereas The NYT is one of the most trusted news sources among Democrats. The same study found that over 60 percent of Democrats did not trust Fox News**. The perceived credibility of major news sources in the United States changes annually and is often influenced by election campaigns and the voting persuasions of the American public. However, whilst most Democrats believe the mass media to be objective in its reporting, very few Republicans feel the same. In 2020, just 10 percent of Republicans trusted news organizations to report fully, accurately, and fairly.

Trust in news

The most trusted news sources in the United States are radio, network news, and newspapers, despite online outlets being used more frequently by younger audiences. Social media and podcasts are considered the least trustworthy news platforms by all American voters, though again, the survey indicated that Republicans are generally more distrusting of mass media news than voters of other political parties.