Lots of voters say the press fabricates Trump stories. What’s going on?

When a reputable poll recently found that nearly half of American voters – 46 percent – think the news media are fabricating stories about President Trump, alarm bells went off.

Mr. Trump’s constant cries of “fake news” must be working, some surmised. The president is actively degrading public trust in the media, his opponents say, and threatening a central pillar of democracy whose freedom is enshrined in the First Amendment.

For Trump supporters, the Politico/Morning Consult poll seemed to be vindication. The media been unfair to Trump, they say, running with any unflattering gossip they can find or just making stuff up out of whole cloth, and people are starting to understand