Which organizations publish annual trust rankings for news and how did 2025 results compare?
Executive summary
Multiple organizations publish annual “trust” rankings or surveys of news and institutions; prominent annual trackers in 2025 include the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, Gallup’s annual media confidence poll, Edelman’s Trust Barometer, YouGov’s U.S. outlet trust poll, and Pew Research’s outlet‑specific studies (sources: Reuters Institute [3]; Gallup reporting [4]; Edelman [10]/[11]; YouGov [6]; Pew [16]1). In 2025 these datasets converge on two clear patterns: global trust in news has been roughly stable around ~40% in Reuters’ multi‑country sample [1] [2] [3], while U.S. national measures show record lows — Gallup reported only 28% of Americans trust the news in 2025 [4] [5], even as outlet‑level polls (YouGov, Pew) show large variation with public broadcasters and non‑partisan brands scoring highest (The Weather Channel, BBC, PBS) and partisan or sensational outlets scoring lowest [6] [7] [8] [9].
1. Who publishes annual “trust” rankings and surveys — the short list
Global and national trackers dominate the landscape. The Reuters Institute issues the Digital News Report each year covering 48 markets and produces cross‑country trust measures [3] [1]. Edelman publishes an annual Trust Barometer that measures institutional trust including media [10] [11]. Gallup runs an annual poll of confidence in institutions, and its 2025 finding about media trust drew broad coverage [5] [4]. In the U.S. market, YouGov releases an annual outlet‑level “net trust” ranking of specific news brands [6] [7]. Pew Research runs targeted studies on Americans’ trust in particular outlets and platforms [9] [12]. Newsweek and Statista publish separate corporate “trustworthy companies” rankings, which are about corporate trust rather than media trust [13] [14].
2. What the Reuters Institute found in 2025: stable global trust, sharp national differences
The Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report found overall trust in news held at about 40% for the third consecutive year, while underscoring large national differences — Finland and other Nordic countries score very high, and countries such as Hungary and Greece scored among the lowest at 22% in the sample [2] [1] [3]. The report highlighted an accelerating shift toward social and video platforms that erodes “institutional journalism” influence and signals alternative ecosystems gaining traction [15] [2].
3. The U.S. picture: Gallup’s 2025 low and outlet‑level nuance
Gallup’s 2025 annual poll recorded an historic low for Americans’ confidence in newspapers, television and radio — just 28% saying they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust [4] [5]. That broad distrust coexists with outlet‑level differences captured by YouGov and Pew: public service broadcasters and specialty brands sit at the top of net trust scores (The Weather Channel, BBC, PBS), while tabloids and overtly partisan outlets rank lowest (National Enquirer, Infowars, Breitbart) [6] [7] [8] [9].
4. Why results diverge across trackers: method, scope, and framing
Different trackers measure different things. Reuters reports cross‑national trust in “news” overall via large representative samples across countries [3] [1]. Gallup asks a single, long‑running question about trust in newspapers/TV/radio and reports a trend in American public opinion [5] [4]. YouGov computes net trust scores for specific outlets among U.S. respondents, producing a brand ranking rather than a single index of “the media” [6] [7]. Edelman and Newsweek/Statista add corporate and institutional lenses. These methodological differences explain why global averages can be steady while U.S. national measures hit new lows and brand lists show high variance [2] [1] [5] [6].
5. Competing explanations and implicit agendas in the data
Analysts offer competing narratives. Reuters frames the problem as structural — platform shifts and misinformation are fragmenting audiences [15] [2]. Gallup’s reporting and Poynter’s coverage emphasize political polarization and elite rhetoric as drivers of the U.S. drop to 28% trust [4] [5]. YouGov and Pew highlight partisan differences in which outlets are trusted, suggesting distrust is selective rather than universal [6] [9]. Note the implicit agendas: industry reports (Reuters, Edelman, YouGov) also serve stakeholders—publishers, brands, and clients—with an interest in portraying actionable findings that justify subscriptions, strategy shifts, or commercial products [3] [10] [6].
6. What’s missing or uncertain in available reporting
Available sources do not mention long‑term causal experiments that definitively attribute the U.S. trust decline to any single factor; they report correlations and plausible mechanisms [2] [1] [5]. Comparative methodological metadata (exact questionnaires, sampling differences) are summarized but not fully reproduced in secondary coverage, which complicates direct numeric comparisons across trackers [3] [10].
7. Bottom line for readers and newsrooms
Across major 2025 trackers, global trust is mixed but relatively steady around a 40% baseline in Reuters’ cross‑national work, while U.S. national sentiment toward legacy media is at historic lows (28% per Gallup) even as some outlets retain much higher net trust scores (public broadcasters, specialty brands) [1] [2] [5] [6]. The divergence signals both structural change in how audiences consume information and political polarization shaping perceptions — a challenge newsrooms must confront with clearer accountability reporting and stronger audience engagement if they hope to rebuild broader public trust [15] [2] [5].