Media Credibility Reaches Lowest Point in Three Decades

Gallup ^ | 9/23/2004 | Mark Gillespie

[The_Victor]

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- As media analysts and journalists wring their hands over the fallout from CBS News' faulty reporting relative to President George W. Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service, a new Gallup Poll finds the news media's credibility has declined significantly among the public. The Sept. 13-15 poll -- conducted after the CBS News report was questioned but before the network issued a formal apology -- found that just 44% of Americans express confidence in the media's ability to report news stories accurately and fairly (9% say "a great deal" and 35% "a fair amount"). This is a significant drop from one year ago, when 54% of Americans expressed a great deal or fair amount of confidence in the media. The latest result is particularly striking because this figure had previously been very stable -- fluctuating only between 51% and 55% from 1997-2003.

Conversely, 39% currently say they have "not very much" confidence in the media's accuracy and fairness, while 16% say they have "none at all."

Clearly, something new has happened to shake public confidence in the media, but whether that "something" is the recent CBS News controversy is a matter of speculation. One might assume that if the CBS News story were the culprit, that this would be reflected in a disproportionately large drop in confidence in the media among Republicans. However, the data on this is not conclusive. Trust in the news media is typically lower among Republicans, but all three partisan groups show a significant decline in confidence in the media since last year. It did drop by a somewhat greater degree among Republicans than Democrats, however.

[The_Victor]

% Great Deal/Fair Amount of Trust in News Media
	2003	2004	Change
	%	%	%
Republicans	44	31	-13
Independents	53	44	-9
Democrats	66	59	-7

At the beginning of this election cycle, I had two wishes;

1) Re-election of GWB
2) Repudiation of the mainstream media (via the election).

I guess Christmas came early this year (at least on wish 2).

[Maceman]

CBS News' faulty reporting

EuphemismsRus

[Cicero]

If 44% have confidence in the media, that must include a fair number of leftists who KNOW the media is dishonest but also know that it is dishonest in their direction. Maybe such people add up to 33%. So it's hard to see how the numbers could drop much lower.

[dirtboy]

Conversely, 39% currently say they have "not very much" confidence in the media's accuracy and fairness, while 16% say they have "none at all."

39+16=55 percent don't believe what the Old Media is telling them.

A watershed moment. And that's why the Old Media (and, consequently, the Dems) are reacting to us, instead of a few years ago when we reacted to them. And, what's even better - THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT YET. So they're stuck insisting that the TANG story has to be true, attempting to fend off one damning fact after the other, instead of being able to take the initiative.

So, in the end, they are having to respond to our facts with their lies - instead of eight years ago, when we had to respond to their lies with our facts. Puts us in the front of the news cycle.

[Fintan]

 

The 44%.

 

[woodb01]

It's called FOX News. It's called people also starting to make better use of the Internet and the Internet content itself being more accessible and easier to use.

[M-cubed]

Live by the lie......Die by the lie!....CBS is a cancer growing on the MSM....

[The South Texan]

"The poll found that 48% of Americans view the news media as "too liberal", while 15% viewed it as "too conservative" and another 33% perceived the media as "just about right." Clearly, one would expect to find ideological differences on this question. Nearly three out of four conservatives (74%) say the media are too liberal, 6% too conservative, and 19% just about right. However, liberals may look at the large corporations that own many major media organizations and see a much different picture: just 11% say the media are too liberal, 37% say too conservative, and 49% say just about right."

The 6% of conservatives that think the MSM is too liberal need to have their heads examined,

[NRA1995]

"Clearly, something new has happened to shake public confidence in the media, but whether that 'something' is the recent CBS News controversy is a matter of speculation."

Public confidence has been eroding for years, as anyone who doesn't have his head buried in the sand could plainly see.

[The South Texan]

The 6% of conservatives that think the MSM is too liberal need to have their heads examined,

Oops, that should have been too conservative. Maybe Ishould have my head examined

[jcb8199]

Wish #1 is looking better by the day, too...

[Luke21]

The ghosts of Nixon, Goldwater, and Tailgunner Joe are all smiling today.

[BillF]

Here's some good news about the media.

[Old Sarge]

Free Republic = PNN = Pajama News Network

[jpsb]

Great news, folks are waking up to the fact that MSM, is an elitest liberal cult that care nothing about the truth.

[1Old Pro]

At the beginning of this election cycle, I had two wishes; 1) Re-election of GWB 2) Repudiation of the mainstream media (via the election).

Two very good things to wish for. I share the same hopes. It's looking more and more like not only will they come true, but come true big time.

[TheGeezer]

those with lower levels of education and income are more likely to have confidence in the media's accuracy and fairness than those with more education and higher incomes

Liberofascist exploitation of the most vulnerable portions of the citizenry continues...dumb down the educational system so people cannot discern agitprop from fact...

Dan rather, the ultimate news gigolo, and CBS News, the ultimate liberofascist agitprop organization...stand exposed and wounded, at last.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The CBS smear on the president couldn't have resulted in a better unintended carom shot.

[VadeRetro]

Media Credibility Reaches Lowest Point in Three Decades

Just in time for the election, too! It's not a coincidence. CBS in particular was caught writing checks on its credibility that it can't cash. That makes it easier for even the gullible among us to see the fudging the big media do routinely.

[NRA1995]

I love it!!!