Trust in mainstream media continues to plummet. A recent Gallup poll shows American confidence in mass media has reached near-record lows. Many conservatives report feeling misrepresented by major news outlets.

The problem isn’t getting better. Instead, it’s getting worse.

Traditional media gatekeepers keep making “mistakes” that somehow always target conservatives. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

The latest incident? The Associated Press published a completely false story claiming Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “very good friends.”

There’s just one major problem – she never said it.

AP’s False Putin Connection

What Gabbard actually said was that President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were very good friends. The difference is enormous and revealing.

The AP was forced to retract the entire story after spreading the false Trump-Putin connection. In their retraction, they admitted the story “did not meet our standards” and removed it entirely.

“AP has removed its story about U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard saying President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘are very good friends’ because it did not meet our standards,” the Associated Press told Fox News.

Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff Alexa Henning didn’t mince words about the AP’s “error.”

“The @AP is total trash,” Henning wrote on social media. “DNI @TulsiGabbard was referring to PM Modi & President Trump and this is the headline they publish. This is why no one trusts the maliciously incompetent and purposefully bias media.”

The damage was already done. The false headline connecting Trump to Putin had already circulated widely before the correction was issued. I’ve seen this movie before—publish the lie, whisper the correction.

A Pattern of Media Bias

This isn’t an isolated incident. Indeed, the AP has clashed with the Trump administration repeatedly.

Earlier in March, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had a heated exchange with an AP reporter over tariffs. After persistent questioning, Leavitt finally responded: “I think it’s insulting that you are trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made. I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”

The pattern continues a troubling trend from Trump’s first term. The outlet was previously barred from certain White House events over its refusal to use the renamed Gulf of America, instead insisting on using Gulf of Mexico.

These repeated incidents raise serious questions. Are these honest mistakes? Or something more deliberate?

Why This Matters for America

The implications extend far beyond a single retracted story. When major news outlets publish false information connecting a sitting president to Russia, it damages our national discourse.

This incident highlights why many Americans no longer trust traditional media sources. The original false headline feeds into narratives that have been pushed against President Trump for years.

Even when stories are retracted, the initial false impressions remain. Many people see the original headline but never the correction.

For conservative readers, these incidents confirm suspicions about media bias. When “errors” consistently push the same anti-Trump narratives, coincidence becomes less believable.

The AP incident serves as a reminder to critically evaluate news sources and seek multiple perspectives. Media accountability matters – especially when powerful institutions shape public opinion.

As America’s political divisions deepen, honest reporting has never been more essential. This latest media blunder reminds us why independent conservative outlets continue to gain readers who simply want the unfiltered truth.

Key Takeaways:

• Associated Press falsely claimed DNI Tulsi Gabbard said Trump and Putin were “very good friends.”
• She was actually referring to Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• This follows a pattern of major media outlets making “errors” that consistently push anti-Trump narratives.
• Even after retractions, damage from false headlines undermines public trust in mainstream journalism.

Sources: Fox News