The news media might be in desperate need of some public relations assistance.
According to a Gallup Poll released today Americans’ distrust in the media hit a new high this year, with 60% saying they have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly.
Distrust of the media is up from the past few years, when Americans were already more negative about the media than they had been in years prior to 2004.
The record distrust in the media, based on a survey conducted Sept. 6-9, 2012, also means that negativity toward the media is at an all-time high for a presidential election year. This reflects the continuation of a pattern in which negativity increases every election year compared with the year prior. The current gap between negative and positive views — 20 percentage points — is by far the highest Gallup has recorded since it began regularly asking the question in the 1990s.
Trust in the media was much higher, and more positive than negative, in the years prior to 2004 — as high as 72% when Gallup asked this question three times in the 1970s. This year’s decline in media trust is driven by independents and Republicans. The 31% and 26%, respectively, who express a great deal or fair amount of trust are record lows and are down significantly from last year.
Republicans’ level of trust this year is similar to what they expressed in the fall of 2008, implying that they are especially critical of election coverage. Independents are sharply more negative compared with 2008, suggesting the group that is most closely divided between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney is quite dissatisfied with its ability to get fair and accurate news coverage of this election.
More broadly, Republicans continue to express the least trust in the media, while Democrats express the most. Independents’ trust fell below the majority level in 2004 and has continued to steadily decline.
CONSIDERS CNN NEUTRAL
I can understand that, when we have three cable news channels. CNN tries to play it pretty straight, though they’re now running everyone through an anchor meatgrinder to improve their dismal ratings. But the other two, FOX is outrageously right leaning, and MSNBC is outrageously left leaning. People who like their news truly balanced must watch BOTH FOX and MSNBC or watch neither of them. Neither of the partisan networks are making any attempt to be objective. Both have viewpoints. They throw softballs at the interviews on their side, and argue and interrupt those guesting from the other side of the network’s views.
I did notice, however a week ago that the ratings show that most cable viewers LIKE their cable shows partisan…for both Fox and MSNBC now are nearly even, and CNN–more balanced– is noticeably lower.
The article was in this week’s MEDIAITE, which displays the 3 way ratings.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/tuesday-ratings-maddow-odonnell-top-hannity-greta-in-demo-come-close-in-total-viewers/attachment/rachel-maddow-5/
HUMOR NOT APPRECIATED
Avoiding the quote approval trap and keeping comedians and other such clowns away from the daily weather report is a good place to start if the collective media has it in mind to improve their image in the eyes of the general public. There’s no room in this field for anything except personal integrity, accountability, honesty, transparency, accuracy, objectivity, clarity, and thoroughness.
TALKING HEADS VS. NEWSCASTS
Only the Fox talking-head shows are right leaning. The Fox Report at 6pm and Special Report (without the panel in the 2nd half hour) are very fair. Talking head shows and newscasts are different as black and white.