Better question, when did they actually have most American's trust? I would say a minimum of a decade ago most American's stopped listening to the media.

Didn't Ted Turner predict the failure of MSM when he sold CNN to Time-Warner? For the very same reasons, CNN would have to make money now to keep the board of directors and shareholders happy, and journalistic integrity would be the casualty.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

I'm not sure...but it seems like it's gotten really, really bad in the last two or three years. The problem gets compounded by all the brainless people out there who believe everything they hear.

For me I started questioning it back in the early 2000's. I was a little more liberal than I am now, and the hard right lean of Fox News caused me to do more research on subject being reported. That being said, I also discovered how left leaning a number of news outlets were too. Like others have said, I try to gather my news from a number of different outlets and form an opinion after some research.

I do think the hysteria has gotten worse since social media has taken off. The ease that incorrect information can be spread without the vast majority of the population bothering to fact check. Critical thinking has been replaced by emotion.

Charter member of the Rush to Excellence tour.

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I'll be what I am
A solitary man

When they launched MTV News, I kinda figured that was the end of Journalism

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Anybody who actually research media would have to see that news credibility started taking a hit with greater media expansion and corporate control.

You have to see media today for what it is. A business in itself. The 6 o'clock news back when there were only three stations was viewed as a loss leader to get you in for the primetime shows. It also was viewed as serving a greater good. Cable news in the 80's broke this triopoly mandating that news sources that largely remained unchallenged had to compete. Viewer impulsivity meant that they would watch the news on NBC than change to CBS or ABC. Creating brand loyalty to the news itself became much more important as it would now have to serve as a revenue center itself.

Then with more and more commercialization of news, concentrated media ownership, etc. it became just another product that needed rating to attract advertising in order to survive. As I already stated, they had to do more with less (cutting back on foreign bureaus and relying on news wires). Print media has become dependent on clicks today and now. Commentary which was always sort of a back page section of a paper or the last 5 minutes of a local favorite became an attraction itself. It created an avenue that allowed pre-existing biases to thrive or not get vetted out properly.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden