ABSTRACT
For decades, U.S. Republicans have claimed news media bias against them and have exhibited a precipitous decline in news media trust. These intertwined sentiments hit a fever pitch under Donald Trump’s presidency and because of his prolific denigration of non-conservative news media. Combined, these factors have spurred Republicans to adopt an anti-press stance as core to their partisan identity. This chapter examines these contextual factors and discusses how anti-press sentiment is likely to continue among Republicans due to youth political socialization, affective and motivated media use, and supportive opinion leaders. The chapter concludes by discussing potential mitigation efforts to legitimize and regenerate trust in news media among U.S. Republicans, grounded in research on corrections, inoculation, misperceptions, and the cultural and legal challenges to these efforts.
