Donald Trump's 'fake news' claims are real, say 46% of voters in poll

WASHINGTON — It isn't just President Donald Trump who thinks the media engages in "fake news" about him and his administration.

A poll by Morning Consult and POLITICO, the Washington, D.C-area media brand, shows that 46% of registered voters believe the nation's major news organizations fabricate stories about the president, his advisers and his administration's actions.

And that's no lie. 

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The poll — which was released in a story Wednesday by POLITICO — found that only 37% of voters say the major media outlets don't make up stories about Trump; another 17% were undecided.

For the survey, Morning Consult contacted 1,991 registered voters between Oct. 12-16. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. 

Unsurprisingly, many more Republican voters are critical of the media, with three-quarters believing the media makes up news about Trump. But 20% of Democrats and 44% of self-described independents do, too. 

What do voters think should be done about it? Not much.

Only 28% believe the federal government should be able to yank the broadcasting license of an organization it says is making up stories, with a majority — 51% — saying it should not be able to do so. Twenty-one percent were undecided.

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.