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Abstract

Americans’ trust in mass media and other institutions has plummeted in recent years. I argue media and experts appear “out of touch” when economic news becomes disconnected from public experience, a misalignment made particularly salient by online commentary spread on social media and news platforms. During the 2021–2025 “vibecession,” when consumer sentiment fell despite positive economic indicators, I show that online commentary about economic conditions aligned more closely with consumer sentiment than mainstream news. I test the implications using an experiment that varies the tone of both economic news articles and a set of anonymous comments. I find comments substantially shape readers’ perceptions of public economic experience. Further, positive articles reduce trust in media and experts among economically dissatisfied readers, while pairing positive articles with negative commentary causes even broader declines in trust. Paradoxically, accurate reporting can reduce institutional trust when citizens perceive elite narratives as disconnected from public experiences.