The 57% Trust Gap and What Mission Driven Organizations Can Do About It

TL;DR: More than half of Americans don't trust journalists, so mission-driven organizations must earn belief, not just media coverage, by prioritizing transparency, verifiable data, ethical storytelling, and strong direct communication channels.

I've written a lot about a service-first approach to media relations. This is the same idea under harder conditions. When you make it easier for reporters and audiences to verify what you say, your story travels farther and holds up longer.

Pew Research Center's Feb. 11, 2026, study shows a real confidence problem: 57% of Americans say they have low confidence in journalists to act in the public's best interests (40% "not too much," 17% "none at all"). The partisan gap is just as stark. Pew found 61% of Democrats report at least some confidence, compared with 25% of Republicans.

Pew's focus groups also capture the everyday reality. People said they "curate their news more carefully" and have to "put a filter on it" to decide whether a source is credible. When audiences feel like they're doing extra work to sort fact from noise, they reward organizations that show their receipts.

Mission-driven organizations can act as defenders of truth by tightening the basics. Share primary documents, publish methodologies, and keep numbers consistent across pitches, your website, and leadership talking points. When claims are specific and linkable, then reporters can move faster, and skeptical readers can confirm the story without guessing.

Make your spokespeople useful on deadline. Offer clean context, define terms, and acknowledge what you don't know yet. When a story touches politics or identity, then slow down and double-check language, sourcing, and data before you hit send.

If you want a communications system that makes your impact verifiable and your credibility durable, reach out through our contact page. We'll help you build service-first media materials that support journalists and earn trust with the audiences you serve

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