Poll: Two of Three Voters Say Establishment Media Includes Much 'Fake News'

Two out of three voters believe “there is a lot of fake news in the mainstream media,” according to a new poll.

The most trusting supporters of the establishment media were found among Hillary Clinton’s voters, where only 42 percent said the media contains much fake news. Fifty-eight percent of her voters disagreed with the statement that “there is a lot of fake news in the mainstream media.” One-sixth of Clinton’s voters, or 14 percent, strongly disagreed that the statement that the establishment media includes a lot of fake news.

Eighty-five percent of Donald Trump’s voters believe “there is a lot of fake news in the mainstream media,” according to the poll of the 2,006 registered voters.

Overall, Trump’s voters split 85 percent to 15 percent in agreement, while Clinton’s voters split 58 percent agree to 42 percent disagree. That adds up to a 64-point gap between the two camps about the scale of fake news in the establishment media. 

The poll also reported that independents split 60 percent in agreement to 40 percent disagreement, putting them much closer to Trump’s voters than to Clinton’s voters. 

The survey of 2,006 registered voters was conducted online between May 18 to May 20 by the Harris Poll.

Amid the disagreement over fake news, the survey also showed much agreement between Trump and Clinton voters in some areas.

The poll showed that 78 percent of Clinton voters and 77 percent of Trump voters believe the Internet has made it easier for Americans to become more informed about politics. Eighty-seven percent of both groups believe the Internet has made it easier for Americans to participate in politics.

The two sets of voters also share the same view when asked “Should words and phrases that convey racism, sexism, or anti-Semitism be banned by law from the Internet or would that hinder free speech?”  Trump voters split 49 agree, 51 percent disagree, while Clinton’s voters split fifty-fifty.

The two sets of voters share similar views on whether major companies can be trusted to regulate free speech on the Internet. When asked, “should internet companies be able to remove otherwise lawful content from the internet because it violates their values or should they not be able to regulate such content?” Trump voters split 47 percent yes, 53 percent no, while Clinton’s voters split 44 yes, 56 percent no.

The two groups of voters also split 51 percent to 49 percent when the were asked: “Should internet companies be able to remove otherwise lawful content that they believe is false or should they not be able to regulate such content?”

Also, slightly more than 90 percent of both groups agreed that “personal technology and the Internet have made it easier to bully and shame people.”