Americans Value Press Freedom, Back Some Restrictions

Pew Research Center released findings on September 15, 2026 that 73% of U.S. adults rate press freedom as extremely or very important to society's well-being, and only 8% rate it little or not at all. When forced to choose, 53% said preventing inaccurate reporting matters more even if it limits press freedom, while 45% preferred a free press even if some stories are wrong. About 60% backed government-ordered takedowns for national security risks and 51% for false information, but support sank to 10% for stories merely critical of government and 14% for stories favoring one side. Democrats (81%) were more likely than Republicans (66%) to call press freedom highly important. Forty-four percent said the press has become less free during Trump's second term, and 71% said the administration and news media have a bad relationship. Katerina Eva Matsa of Pew said people are not all or nothing and negotiate when given options and scenarios. She said public conversation and the nation's 250th anniversary made it a good moment to look at how Americans think about this. Focus groups met between May and June 2026. What is contested: A right-leaning man in his 40s said full-fledged press freedom lets any journalist say anything at any time without facts. A left-leaning man in his 50s asked who declares a national-security emergency and called it another opportunity to clamp down on the press.