A recent survey from Gallop found that half of Americans believe national news organizations intend to misinform and persuade their viewers to a political viewpoint rather than report facts. The study reports that 50% of those polled disagreed with the statement “national news organizations do not intend to mislead.” And 55% said there is a political bias in the news. While we can speculate about why Americans believe this, what’s concerning is the impact this has on the average American’s ability to be informed, and to responsibly participate in the political process. Truth is vital to a functioning society. Journalists are entrusted with the responsibility of reporting the truth, but when they abuse that responsibility by misinforming or pushing a political agenda, we shouldn’t be surprised when Americans stop listening to them.