Pew Report Finds Deep Partisan Divide Over Press Freedom

The Pew Research Center, through the Pew-Knight Initiative, released a report on September 15, 2026, showing that 73% of Americans view press freedom as extremely or very important to society. Despite this, a majority of respondents support government intervention in specific scenarios, with 60% believing the government should be able to require the removal of stories posing national security risks and 53% supporting restrictions to prevent inaccurate reporting.

Public perception of the media environment is sharply divided by political affiliation. Approximately 44% of Americans believe the press has become less free during the second administration of Donald Trump, a sentiment shared by 72% of Democrats but only 15% of Republicans. Furthermore, 71% of adults characterize the relationship between the Trump administration and the news media as bad. The report notes a specific instance where the administration restricted Associated Press reporters from presidential events after the organization refused to use the term "Gulf of America" instead of the Gulf of Mexico, though a federal judge later blocked the penalty.

The study also highlights significant gaps in civic knowledge. Only 51% of U.S. adults correctly identified that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, and only 33% realized the Constitution does not protect the press from interference by private companies. Additionally, roughly half of respondents believe U.S. news organizations are heavily influenced by corporations, financial interests, or political entities.