NEW YORK – From a young age, Cat Murphy had a clear vision for her future: she wanted to be a journalist. Now a student in college, Murphy faces skepticism from those around her who don’t share her passion for the profession.
Her friends often question her career choice, expressing confusion over the chaotic landscape of modern news. They are overwhelmed by the multitude of voices, unsure of whom to trust. The perception of biased reporting and frequent errors only fuels their doubts, leading them to question why anyone would choose to work in what they see as a declining industry.
“I often hear comments like, ‘Good for you, but what are you getting yourself into? You’re just going to be shouting into the void, contributing nothing,’” Murphy shared. Despite these criticisms, the 21-year-old graduate student at the University of Maryland’s journalism school remains resolute in her aspirations.
Murphy’s determination comes as no surprise given the findings of a recent study, which highlights a pervasive skepticism towards the media among young Americans aged 13 to 18. While negative perceptions of the press are not uncommon among adults, it is particularly alarming to see such sentiments taking root in the formative minds of the younger generation.
In a survey conducted by the News Literacy Project, teens were asked to describe today’s news media in one word, and the responses were overwhelmingly negative. Words like “biased,” “crazy,” “boring,” “fake,” “bad,” “depressing,” “confusing,” and “scary” were among the most common descriptors used by 84% of the participants.
Asked by the News Literacy Project for one word to describe today’s news media, 84% of teens responded with something negative — “biased,” “crazy,” “boring,” “fake, ”bad,” “depressing,” “confusing,” “scary.”
More than half of the teens surveyed believe journalists regularly engage in unethical behaviors like making up details or quotes in stories, paying sources, taking visual images out of context or doing favors for advertisers. Less than a third believe reporters correct their errors, confirm facts before reporting them, gather information from multiple sources or cover stories in the public interest — practices ingrained in the DNA of reputable journalists.
To some degree, teens reflect the attitudes they’re exposed to, particularly when the most prominent politician of their age has made “fake news” a mantra. Experts say few teens follow news regularly or learn in school about the purpose of journalism.
Journalists don’t help themselves with mistakes or ethical lapses that make headlines. Opinionated reporters or commentators in an era of political division make readers wonder what to believe.
“Some of this (attitude) is earned, but much of it is based on misperception,” said Peter Adams, senior vice president of research and design for the Washington-based News Literacy Project.
Never picking up the news habit
There are ways to turn things around, but it will take work.
Many of Lily Ogburn’s classmates get their information from social media. Their parents didn’t watch or read news reports as they grew up, so they didn’t pick up the habit, said Ogburn, a senior at Northwestern University’s journalism school.
Ogburn is the former editor-in-chief at the well-regarded Daily Northwestern student newspaper. The newspaper’s 2023 reports on alleged hazing and racism within the school’s football program led to the ouster of its coach. Still, she found some students don’t understand the newspaper’s role; they believe it exists to protect people in power rather than hold them accountable.
She frequently had to explain what she did to classmates. “There’s a lot of mistrust toward journalists,” she said. But it has firmed her resolve to stick with the profession.
“I want to be a journalist that people trust,” Ogburn said, “and I want to report news that makes people believe and trust in the media.”
The news industry’s financial troubles over the past two decades have hollowed out newsrooms and left fewer journalists on duty. Along with not seeing much legitimate journalism, young people frequently don’t experience it through popular culture — unlike a previous generation, which learned in detail how Washington Post reporters Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein exposed the Watergate scandal in the Academy Award-winning movie “All the President’s Men.”
When the News Literacy Project asked, two-thirds of teens couldn’t think of anything when asked what movies or TV shows come to mind when they think about journalism. Those who had answers most frequently cited the “Spider-Man” franchise or the movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Neither portrayal was particularly flattering.
Upon retiring as editor of Newsday, Howard Schneider helped develop the State University of New York system’s first School of Journalism. But instead of teaching future writers, editors or producers, he became drawn to teaching non-journalists about being news consumers.
Now the executive director of SUNY Stony Brook’s Center for News Literacy, Schneider wasn’t surprised about any of the recent survey’s findings, either.
“The negativity, the feeling that news is biased, is just a reflection of how their parents feel,” Schneider said. “The more exposed to news, legitimate news, the more their attitudes turn positive.”
He has developed news literacy programs for school districts. “Students will say, ‘I get my news from YouTube,’” he said. “I say, ‘No, you don’t,’” and explains where the news originates and how to be discerning about what they see.
Lessons from a news literacy class
That’s one of the lessons that 16-year-old Brianne Boyack has taken from her course in news literacy at Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. She had little trust in news going in, but has learned the importance of double-checking sources when she sees something interesting and seeking outlets she’s found reliable.
Her classmate, Rhett MacFarlane, applied what he learned in class to investigate when a friend told him the Louvre was robbed in Paris.
“I’ve learned that there is definitely fact-checking (in journalism),” MacFarlane, also 16, told The Associated Press. “You guys are professionals and you have to tell the truth or you’d be fired. I thought you guys just did whatever you wanted and chose what to say about a topic.”
Still, news literacy programs in schools are relatively rare. Schools already have a lot of subjects to cover to prepare students for the future. And, remember, journalists don’t have the best reputations. It can be hard for educators to stick their necks out for them.
“There’s an inertia here,” Schneider said, “and this is an urgent issue.”
At the University of Maryland, Murphy said she didn’t think there was an inherent hatred toward journalists among her fellow students. “They don’t have any experience reading journalism,” she said.
That’s where she sees the journalism industry needing to make more of an effort. One of the things she finds most frustrating about her chosen field is a resistance to change, particularly an unwillingness or inability to make meaningful use of social media.
“There’s very little movement in the direction of going to where people are, as opposed to expecting them to come to where you are,” Murphy said. “The only way to turn it around is going to be to switch to doing things that captivate people today, as opposed to captivating people 20 years ago.”
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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social
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