Yes, a 2019 Suffolk University Poll Did Name Fox News the Most Trusted TV News Source — With One Important Catch

A 2019 Suffolk University/USA Today poll did find that Fox News was the most trusted television news source among American adults surveyed. This claim is accurate. Fox News topped the list, followed by CNN, local TV news, and MSNBC. The poll was conducted in August 2019 and widely covered by major outlets including USA Today itself.

The key number is 30%. That is the share of respondents who named Fox News as their most trusted TV news source, according to the Suffolk University/USA Today poll. CNN came in second at 18%, local TV news at 16%, and MSNBC at 13%. Fox News genuinely led the field by a meaningful margin.

Here is the important context the Poynter Institute flagged when reporting on these results: 30% is a plurality, not a majority. That means roughly seven out of ten Americans did not name Fox News as their most trusted source. The claim is technically correct, but saying Fox News is 'the most trusted' can create a misleading impression that most Americans trust it most. They do not — they are simply more divided among other options.

None of this makes the poll result false. Suffolk University is a credible institution, USA Today co-sponsored the survey, and the methodology was sound. If someone cites this poll to say Fox News topped the trust rankings in 2019, they are citing a real finding accurately.

This claim tends to spread because it gives Fox News viewers a data point to push back against criticism of the network. It functions as tribal validation — proof that 'real Americans' trust Fox. That emotional utility is why the result gets shared without the plurality caveat, which quietly does a lot of work in changing what the number actually means.