Political divide on media's watchdog role grows significantly since Trump's election

Pew Research graphic; 
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There is huge divide in how Democrats and Republicans view media criticism of political leaders, especially since President Trump was elected, according to results from March from Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel survey. The survey, which has been conducted every year since 1985, asks participants if they think criticism from news organizations keeps political leaders from doing things that shouldn't be done.

During this year's survey, 89 percent of Democratic respondents agreed, while 42 percent of Republicans did not, Michael Barthel and Amy Mitchell report for Pew Research Center. Early last year, when the same question was asked, 77 percent of Republicans supported the media's watchdog role, compared to 74 percent of Democrats.

"This partisan split is found in other attitudes about the news media, though none in so dramatic a fashion as with the watchdog role," reports the Pew Research Center. "Compared with 2016, Democrats and Republicans are more divided on whether the press favors one side in its political coverage, on how much trust they have in national news media, and on how good a job national news organizations are doing in keeping them informed."

Pew Research graphic;
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While nearly half—45 percent—of adults get news from mobile devices, up from 36 percent last year, Democrats are more likely to do so than Republicans, notes the Pew Research Center. "What’s more, an increasing share of Americans also prefer getting news on mobile over a desktop computer. Among those who get news on both types of devices, nearly two-thirds say they prefer mobile."