NEW YORK (AP) — Americans value press freedom — with some exceptions.
asserted
Americans → value → exceptions
About three-quarters of U.S. adults said press freedom is “extremely” or “very” important to society’s well-being, according to a newly released Pew Research Center study.
uncertain
freedom → say → study
But at least half said they also support government restrictions on reporting in specific circumstances, such as protecting national security or preventing inaccurate information.
asserted
they → say → information
At the same time, many Americans said it is “never acceptable” for the U.S. government to give journalists access to public figures in exchange for positive coverage, or to revoke a news organization’s broadcast license.
asserted
government → say → license
“People are not all or nothing,” says Katerina Eva Matsa, director of news and information at Pew Research Center, when asked what was striking about the findings.
asserted
what → say → findings
“When you give them options and scenarios … they are negotiating.
asserted
they → give → options
That was a very interesting perspective that the data gave us.”
asserted
data → give → us
The study, which was based on two surveys conducted earlier this year, also found that Americans were divided about whether the media is completely free to report the news, with Democrats and Republicans expressing very different levels of worry about restrictions on the press.
asserted
Democrats → base → press
The polling comes at a bumpy time for media in the US
The analysis comes as the relationship between the U.S. media and Donald Trump’s second administration becomes ever more fraught as the president, in his second term, seeks to restrict press coverage not to his liking.
asserted
president → come → liking
He or his administration has attacked, sued or taken administrative action against media outlets that have drawn his ire.
asserted
that → attack → ire
Matsa said that tension was one impetus for doing the report now.
asserted
tension → say → report
Other reasons: the changing media environment and the evolution of what “the press” is now, as well as the emergence of tech companies as gatekeepers of the news.
asserted
press → change → news
“Overall, there’s a lot of public conversation — and it’s the 250th anniversary of our nation,” she said.
asserted
she → ’ → nation
“So, it kind of felt like a good moment to look at how Americans think about this.”
asserted
Americans → feel → this
Most Americans, about 7 in 10, said the Trump administration and the U.S. news media have a “very” or “somewhat” bad relationship.
asserted
administration → say → relationship
That’s a slight increase from 2025, when 64% of U.S. adults said this.
asserted
% → ’ → this
They’re more divided on whether the press faces additional restrictions under Trump’s second term, although few think the press is freer than it was before.
asserted
it → divide → term
About 44% of U.S. adults said the press has become less free under the second Trump administration, while about 26% said there has been no change.
asserted
% → say → administration
Only 12% said the press is more free, and 17% said they’re not sure.
asserted
they → say → ?
Americans hold complex views on when the government can intervene
asserted
government → hold → views
Despite U.S. adults’ broad belief in the ideal of press freedom, the survey found, they’re willing to contemplate restrictions in specific circumstances.
asserted
they → find → circumstances
Most U.S. adults said the government should not be able to require a news organization to take down a story if it is critical of the government or clearly favors one political side.
asserted
it → say → side
But about half say it should be able to force a retraction if a story contains false information, and about 6 in 10 said this about a story that poses a risk to national security.
asserted
that → say → security
The findings indicate most Americans are open to some form of government restriction on the media, despite their broad embrace of press freedom as a concept.
asserted
Americans → indicate → concept
At the same time, there is unlikely to be uniform agreement about what constitutes a national security risk, for example, or who gets to determine that — and the poll did not probe those distinctions further.
asserted
poll → be → distinctions
When asked whether it was more important for the press to be free to report news even if some reporting is inaccurate, or if preventing inaccurate reporting should be prioritized even if it limits press freedom, about half, 53%, of U.S. adults said it was more important to prevent inaccurate reporting, and 45% said press freedom was more important.
asserted
freedom → ask → reporting
But they see limits for government too.
asserted
they → see → government
Just over half of Americans say it is “rarely” or “never” acceptable for the U.S. government to force journalists to reveal the identities of unnamed government sources or take away a news organization’s license to broadcast.
asserted
government → say → license
About 2 in 10 say these actions are “sometimes” acceptable, and only about 1 in 10 say they are “usually” or “always” acceptable.
asserted
they → say → ?
Political affiliation helps determine perspectives
Perhaps not surprisingly in a highly politicized environment, views on press freedom differed sharply according to political leaning.
uncertain
views → help → leaning
Democrats were more likely than Republicans to prioritize a free press to begin with, the study found.
asserted
study → prioritize → press
About 8 in 10 Democrats said a free press is “extremely” or “very” important for society’s well-being, compared to about two-thirds of Republicans.
asserted
press → say → Republicans
Republicans were also more likely than Democrats to say the government should be able to require a news story be taken down in cases of national security.
asserted
story → say → security
About 7 in 10 Republicans said this should be allowed, compared to about half of Democrats.
asserted
this → say → Democrats
A similar gap emerged on the publication of false information.
asserted
gap → emerge → information
The share of Americans who said the media was “completely” free to report the news fell slightly from 33% last year to 28% in the latest survey.
asserted
media → say → survey
About half — 48% — said the press was “somewhat” free and about 2 in 10 said it was “not very” or “not at all” free.
asserted
it → say → ?
—In the new study, only about 2 in 10 Democrats saw the media as “completely” free to report the news.
asserted
Democrats → see → news
—Meanwhile, most Democrats, 64%, said they were “extremely” or “very” concerned about potential restrictions on press freedom, while only about 3 in 10 Republicans held similar worries.
asserted
Republicans → say → worries
The report is accompanied by a knowledge quiz based on the surveys that users can take to test how much they know about the First Amendment.
asserted
they → accompany → Amendment
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
