Media freedom perceptions hit record low: Survey

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National Headlines September 29 2026

National Headlines September 29 2026

A new poll found that Americans’ perceptions of media freedom hit a record low, its lowest point since pollsters started asking the question almost 20 years ago.

Gallup released a poll on Tuesday showing that 69 percent of Americans believe there is a lot of media freedom in the U.S. The new figure is 6 points below where it was in 2025, which saw a 5-point increase between 78 percent in 2023 to 82 percent the following year.

The highest number of respondents to say the U.S. has a lot of press freedom was 89 percent, back when Gallup first asked the question to Americans in 2010.

Gallup revealed a widening partisan divide over the question of media freedom, with 91 percent of Republican respondents saying U.S. media has many freedoms. This is an........

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