do Americans believe what they are told on CNN and fox or do they seek the truth from trustworthy sources?

Opinions of their trustworthiness vary wildly. You can't generalize an answer to this question.

One point worth making, though, is that Americans generally have fewer and fewer trustworthy sources of news. As giant corporations buy up more and more of the media outlets, and even independent newspapers have fewer resources, there is less chance to tell the news.

Well, W is still in office instead of sitting in a jail cell somwhere, what does that tell you?

BTW, when someone says they favor Fox over CNN, or the other way around, don't you wonder why? Is it because this is the 'news' source that tells them what they want to hear? Personally, I listen to 'news' sources I disagree with as often as the ones I do agree with, just to try to hear both sides of an argument. Isn't it sad to have to do that just to get the news?

Both CNN and FOX put their own spin on the news - as well as CBS and MSNBC. I'm learning that people in other countries are surprised at our news networks, and how Americans are given spun information, or no information on certain world topics.

My chief source of news and information for over forty years has been English language short wave radio. Now, in the computer age, I can listen to many of those stations via the "web streaming" feature. They report the news because it is their mission to report news. They do not do it to draw a crowd so that the advertisers can sell stuff to a captive audience.

Yeah when it favors us to do so.

I favor FoxNews vs. Communist News Network (CNN)

Fox news fan here also, So where do you get your info ?

Let me guess

www.ronpaul.com