And falling fast, down 10% from just 2007.
Poll: News media's credibility plunges to new low
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
2009-09-14
SAN FRANCISCO - The news media's credibility is sagging along with its revenue.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the news stories they read, hear and watch are frequently inaccurate, according to a poll released Sunday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. That marks the highest level of skepticism recorded since 1985, when this study of public perceptions of the media was first done.
The poll didn't distinguish between Internet bloggers and reporters employed by newspapers and broadcasters, leaving the definition of "news media" up to each individual who was questioned. The survey polled 1,506 adults on the phone in late July.
The survey found that 63 per cent of the respondents thought the information they get from the media was often off base. In Pew Research's previous survey, in 2007, 53 per cent of the people expressed that doubt about accuracy.
The findings indicate U.S. newspapers and broadcasters could be alienating the audiences they are struggling to keep as they try to survive financial turmoil.
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With few exceptions, the news media's credibility has been eroding since 1985. Back then, 55 per cent of the respondents believed newspapers and broadcasters generally got things right.
By 1999, the figure had fallen to 37 per cent. The only time the Pew survey recorded a significant shift in the media's favor was in November 2001, when 46 per cent said they believed news stories were accurate. Dimock attributes the anomaly to the sense of goodwill that permeated the United States after the September 2001 terrorist attacks.
The most recent poll found just 29 per cent believed news reports had the facts straight. (Eight per cent said they didn't know.)
Similarly, only 26 per cent of the respondents said the press is careful to avoid bias. The figure was 36 per cent in 1985.
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