A new poll shows that men 18-45 believe that long-form podcasts are more trustworthy than traditional news sources like cable news and legacy media networks. Eighteen percent of men 18-45 selected long form podcasts like the one hosted by comedian Joe Rogan and the Ruthless Podcast as the most trustworthy and honest source of information about politics and government, according to polling from National Research, Inc. exclusively shared with the Daily Mail.

Fourteen percent of men in the same age demographic chose social media from X and TikTok as the most trustworthy news sources, followed by 14 percent who cited legacy and cable news networks like ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC/MSNBC.

xTwelve percent of young men cited newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post. Another 12 percent chose the liberal cable news channel MSNBC with 28 percent saying they were ‘not sure.’ The poll of 1,000 registered voters in the United States was conducted by the Republican pollster.

‘What we are seeing is a massive shift in how younger people and Republicans consume news and information and I think podcasts like Ruthless and Rogan are really out the forefront of this,’ Adam Geller, the CEO of National Research Inc. told the Daily Mail. Overall, 20 percent of Americans consider conservative cable news networks like Fox News more trustworthy followed closely by legacy media outlets at 17 percent.

But the trend for younger voters toward podcast was notable, Geller said. He said he threw the question in about podcasts in his polling routine and included the name of the Ruthless Podcast with Rogan’s podcast to get perspective from younger voters.

Geller said his own media habits shifted during the election, and grew to enjoy both Rogan and the Ruthless podcast, hosted by Republican political operatives Josh Holmes, John Ashbrook, Michael Duncan, and ‘Comfortably Smug’ in Washington, DC. ‘Trust in the media is going down,’ he said. ‘I do find it very, very informative.’

While Joe Rogan consistently tops all podcast rankings, Ruthless currently sits at #30 in politics and #95 in news, according to Apple podcast charts. The Ruthless podcast built up their audience during the 2024 campaign, most notably going on a fishing trip with Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance and frequently appearing with journalist Megyn Kelly on her podcast to comment on the presidential race.

The trend toward podcasts and the Trump campaign’s ability to seize on that trend helped the president win in 2024. The Ruthless podcast grew in influence after one of the hosts John Ashbrook appeared in the ‘new media seat’ created by Trump press officials in the White House press briefing room. Ashbrook’s viral appearance at the White House press briefing in January, helped them reach new levels of popularity and grow their subscriber base.