As they have for the past four decades, most Americans say criticism from news organizations keeps political leaders from doing things they shouldn’t, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in September 2024.
But Republicans’ and Democrats’ views on this question often shift depending on which party controls the White House. And Republicans became much more skeptical about the media’s so-called “watchdog role” during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Pew Research Center has been asking Americans about the news media’s role in investigating and reporting on public officials to hold them accountable since the mid-1980s. That was about a decade after The Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal contributed to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.
