Partisan Divide in News Consumption: Republicans Turn to Fox News, Democrats Prefer CNN and More

The partisan divide in news consumption is stark, with Republicans overwhelmingly turning to Fox News for their political and election news, while Democrats rely on a wider range of sources, with CNN being the most popular choice. This pattern of polarization is evident in the sources each party trusts and distrusts.

According to a recent study, six-in-ten Republicans say they got news from Fox News in the past week, with ABC News, NBC News, and CBS News following behind at similar levels. Despite Republicans’ deep distrust of CNN, it is still among the more commonly used sources among Republicans, along with radio shows like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.

On the other hand, Democrats rely on CNN as their top source for political news, followed by major commercial broadcast networks like NBC, ABC, and CBS. MSNBC, The New York Times, NPR, and The Washington Post are also popular choices among Democrats.

Interestingly, there is some overlap in news consumption between the two parties, with a quarter of Republicans getting news from CNN and a similar percentage of Democrats turning to Fox News. However, the study also found that getting news from a source does not always mean trusting it, especially among Republicans. Many Republicans who use CNN also report distrusting it, along with other mainstream sources like NBC, CBS, and ABC.

In contrast, Democrats tend to trust the sources they use, with the exception of Fox News, where nearly a quarter of Democrats got news from but do not trust as a reliable source of information about politics and the election.

Overall, the study highlights the deep partisan divides in news consumption and trust, with Republicans relying heavily on Fox News and Democrats turning to a more diverse range of sources. Despite some overlap in news consumption, the level of trust in these sources varies significantly between the two parties.