Seeking the Truth

The American news cycle is a swirling, chaotic mass of information right now. It might be more accurate to label this constant barrage of mainstream media as misinformation – or biased news, at best.

Whatever rhetoric is used to describe the national reporting of news, the reality is that many, if not most, Americans are weary and wary of mainstream media. The truth is, we are all tired of trying to decipher the truth from the lies in every news story we read or view.

It all comes down to a matter of trust, and according to a September 2025 Gallup poll, Americans on both sides of the political aisle are losing all trust in mass media. In fact, only 28% of those surveyed “expressed a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly.”

Gallup has been conducting its poll on the nation’s confidence in media since 1972, when Americans trusted media sources on an average of 68% to 72%. But this latest poll marks the lowest confidence level in over five decades.

To be fair, the 2025 poll did reveal that slightly more than half of surveyed Democrats (51%) expressed faith in national news sources, with independent voter confidence in media at 27%, near the poll’s average. But for the first time, Republicans voiced a single-digit trust (8%) in mass media.

I concur.

Actually, my trust in mainstream media is probably closer to zero. Maybe it’s the teacher in me or the momma, or maybe even the writer, but whatever the case may be, I absolutely do not trust anything I read or view from national news reporters. I immediately detect bias, exaggeration, and an agenda in almost every piece of news I consume from our nation’s obviously opinionated mainstream sources. And maybe that is my bias showing, but I refuse to accept statistics or thinly veiled and leading phrases without proof – real proof.

That leaves me with two options: Avoid all mainstream news reports or fact-check everything I read or view. Admittedly, neither option is great, but when I absolutely cannot avoid consuming news, I opt for doing my own research from all sides of the issue. But, also admittedly, this option is time-consuming and tiresome for my brain and my heart, especially when I discover disturbing facts.

Take the latest news about Venezuela as an example.

By now, most Americans have heard about our military’s precise nighttime extraction of Venezuela’s president and first lady, Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, to the United States. We have read and watched the reports of this major event with bated breath. We saw the couple plead “not guilty” to narcoterrorism and other charges in an American court this past Monday.

As we watched and read the countless news reports of this unprecedented time in history, we have been exposed to a flurry of varying opinions from these national news sources on the legality and morality of Maduro’s capture. Some of those biased reports were cloaked and hidden to some degree; others were outright and unapologetic opinions of the situation.

As I read these pieces, I spotted inconsistencies in every report. So, I prepared to do what I always do with media bias in news: research.

But then, I read a provocative comment on a conservative page (possibly even written by one of Gallup’s 8% of the population that does not trust mass media). And this one comment stopped me in my tracks. It basically stated that the average Venezuelan has lost 30 pounds over the past few years, with the poverty rate rising to 92% during that same timeframe.

I seriously did a double-take and reread that comment numerous times. Because even though I have visited several poverty-ridden countries on mission trips and seen hunger up close, I had never heard of a national poverty rate of 92%. That was unbelievable to me, not to mention an average weight loss across the nation of 30 pounds.

Now, keep in mind that the United States Census Bureau reported our national poverty rate here in the USA at 12.9% in 2024, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited a national adult obesity rate of 40.3% in 2024.

Talk about a complete contrast between our nation and that of Venezuela. For me, the differences were almost inconceivable. So, after reading this comment on poverty and weight loss, I ditched my intentions to research the legality of Maduro’s capture and the morality of decades of American oil embargoes and sanctions of Venezuela.

Instead, I had to find out if more than 90% of Venezuelans are truly living below the poverty line. It just seemed unimaginable, more like a fact that was stretched way out of proportion to suit the scenario desired by conservative newscasters.

But after hours of reading and searching, I had to admit that the facts of that initial provocative statement were a whole lot closer to the truth than I wanted to imagine.

As far back as 2014, data from a variety of reliable sources, including the congressionally chartered (in 1968) Wilson Center, as well as a consortium of Venezuelan universities called Encovi, the Venezuelan Finance Observatory, the Catholic Relief Society, and UNICEF. And yes, over the years, the stats have changed, and yes, they vary slightly from agency to agency, but the facts remain alarmingly consistent.

The first alarming statistic I discovered was that in 1950, Venezuela was the fourth-wealthiest nation in the entire world. But perhaps more alarming, nearly 8 million Venezuelans have packed up and left their once-prosperous country since 2014.

Even after this mass exodus, anywhere from 86% to over 91% of Venezuelans are reported to currently live below their nation’s poverty level. And yes, the average Venezuelan adult has lost anywhere from 24 to 30 pounds since 2014, due to food insecurity across their nation.

In March of 2025, The Rio Times reported that the Venezuelan poverty threshold stood “at US$391 monthly, representing the cost of a basic food basket for a family,” while the nation’s average household income fell drastically short at just US$231.49, with the highest reported Venezuelan poverty rate (92.7%) reported in the state of Aragua.

If 92.7% is not shocking enough, UNICEF reported in 2024 that a third of Venezuelans skip at least one meal daily, while “12% go an entire day without food.” And that report came out well over a year ago, so circumstances have grown worse, much worse.

World Vision has been working within Venezuela since 2019, and they shared on January 5, 2026, that the situation is growing dire: “Ongoing instability in the country places millions at greater risk of hunger, displacement, and uncertainty. Currently, some 5 million Venezuelan children face hunger[,] and 3.9 million are out of school.”

For some perspective, that means more than half of Venezuela’s 9.9 million children ages 19 and under are now going hungry, according to data from the World Health Organization in 2023.

For further perspective, maybe it’s time for me (and possibly those who are reading my words) to turn off the television, put down our phones, and get on our knees in prayer for these starving children and the other 92.7% of their nation.

And if the urge to do more than pray hits us, I also discovered in my research that Samaritan’s Purse has been well aware of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela for a while. They have been faithfully ministering to the critical needs of those exiting Venezuelans since 2019, via a location in neighboring Colombia.

As Samaritan’s Purse declares about Venezuela: “This may be the largest migrant crisis in Latin American history. We’re offering relief from multiple locations –providing medical care among other services. As we minister, we are pointing people to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

To donate or learn more about the ongoing humanitarian efforts of this trustworthy international Christian aid organization, visit Samaritan’s Purse.

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