A Pew Research Center study indicates that Americans’ trust of the media is the lowest it’s been since at least 1985, the first year that the study took readings. What role has the rise of the Web played in this trend? Instead of a handful of trusted national dailies and a few TV stations, news consumers now have a wider variety of sources — and many more outlets for media criticism.
The graph that accompanies a Pew Research Center survey on media credibility released Monday shows blue lines heading south: Now just 29 percent of Americans surveyed believe the media gets the facts right, and a scant 18 percent think news organizations are truly objective.
While “Public Evaluations of the News Media, 1985-2009″ does not focus on technology’s impact on media, those downward trends may intersect with rising chart lines for the use of Web sites and blogs as news sources. Along with that comes better access to information for pointing out journalists’ errors and overall critiques of the media.
Another obstacle for mainstream media: After years of conservatives and Republicans leading the press attack pack in terms of accuracy and bias, now the other side of the political aisle is joining that chorus. Pew results show 59 percent of Democrats now think that press reports are often inaccurate, and 67 percent say the media chooses sides on issues more often than not.
If that is also the graph of American’s Tolerance for being told they aren’t No 1, aren’t the Lord’s Chosen People, can’t live on credit forever, does that mean anything?
I only trust what I read on DU, especially the comedic stylings of Bobbo, Dallas, Awake, Ah_Yea, and all the other ‘true thinkers’.
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!
In the very article, following nonsense validating it: “Another obstacle for mainstream media: After years of conservatives and Republicans leading the press attack pack in terms of accuracy and bias, now the other side of the political aisle is joining that chorus. …”
Looking from outside, American press since 1960′s have been dominated by “selective truth” accuracy and left political bias. The only right wing press barely arose in last decade or so. This article is perfect example of why there is no trust in the press anymore: ignore the data and put political blinders before “analyzing” it.
It’s just evolution, baby… Adapt or die!
I’m back! the Beale could not stay off from this one.
I think DU is getting the facts wrong on this story.
“18 percent think news organizations are truly objective” This has to be high with only 14 percent of U.S. adults are functionally illiterate. What’s up with that 4%. This smells of a Fox story.
Fairness Doctrine any one? Look at the drop after 87.
What are you talking about? The United States of America have the best politicians and media corporations you can buy. The truth is was you pay for, apparently.
Fortunately they started telling the truth around 2001 briefly. Ha!
“our credibility stinks, blame the internets”
- MSM
“Pew results show 59 percent of Democrats now think that press reports are often inaccurate, and 67 percent say the media chooses sides on issues more often than not.”
Must have finally wised up to Keith Olbermann.
Olbermann is not the press. As an opinion journalist/commentator I would not want to live in the same trailer park as anyone who took time to figure out that Olbermann took a position.
Hah, hah. If you label a site as “This is Satire” the Repugs think it is the truth. If you don’t label a site, they think is is supposed to be straight news like Limbaugh gives.
Ah Yea==you run with a pretty stupid crowd. How do you avoid tripping?
“I would not want to live in the same trailer park as anyone who took time to figure out that Olbermann took a position.”
LOL!!
How do I avoid tripping? I watch my step, very very carefully.
Sometimes even a stinking pile of crap has a diamond in it.
Blame the media…at leftist protests, the signs of the kooks, which are in the majority, are ignored…only the more rational are given air time…
At tea parties, the signs of the kooks are definitely a tiny minority, the overwhelming rational, against big spending etc…but its the kooks that are given air time.
The majority of the public knows the “Establishment Media” does this…and they are voting with their feet…leaving them behind.
I won’t buy New York Times, although I once subscribed…I can get DNC spin on the news for free…
On Bill O’Reilly, Bernard Goldberg (A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media) asked:
“When was the last time you said or heard said to you, ‘did you see what CBS News (or ABC, NBC, etc) revealed yesterday?’
A long time…decades…they don’t do investigative reporting anymore…they are better known as the “Establishment Media” and it just so happens, the majority of the public is turning against the Establishment.
ps I shouldn’t have used Quotes on Goldberg’s comments…its an approximation of what he said, not an exact quote.
It’s more that the “sound byte” is not news reporting. You have to expend eight hundred words or more to even set up a discussion about a subject of any true complexity, and then you have to have a rational, fact laden exposition of a half an hour or more to lay out the main points relating to the subject at hand. The average American isn’t going to sit still for that. He usually doesn’t have at least a general grasp of enough subjects to fully get the gist of any detailed discussion about something outside of beer, titties and football.
#14 I disagree…complex issues can be boiled down to the salient points…
Instead the “Establishment Media” characterizes news…if its against the establishment, then they focus on negatives surrounding the news…
Like the woman who feared Muslim takeover on NBC’s “report” on the Washington demonstration…
Or taking a photo of a few seats where Republicans sat and describing the opposition as the protest of aging white males.
What they establishment media is missing costs them…the people don’t care what they think…when they chanted tell the truth to CNN…they revealed their utter disdain for Establishment Media.
So far as I can tell except for fox all the national broadcast stations are run by ultra liberals/socialists that filter the news. They don’t report half of it until long after everyone that cares already knows. Then they edit and editorialize what’s left.
You can just about count on them to get the sports and weather broadcasts straight. The local people might be okay but the guys at the top clearly aren’t into reporting all the news that’s fit to print and some that isn’t.
Please note that Fox didn’t find out about ACORN on their own either. The story was handed to them. It took a couple of young people, under 30, with an itch to do some actual investigative journalism.
However with Fox you can pretty much work out what most of the main facts about the major stories they cover are no matter what your political beliefs are.
Well, generally you can always assume: “If it’s in the news, it’s probably not true”. Well, maybe not as dogmatic as that, but in truth, traditional journalism is dead. When someone like Christophet Hitchens, a great journalist, has to write in Vanity Fair.. something’s wrong.
All communication has bias, it’s impossible for it not to. Even a detailed description of an ongoing event is described from the perception of someone. Oh sure when I was 10 years old watching Walter Cronkite on the News, I was certain that it was gospel. Luckily children grow up and they learn to doubt.
New York Times didn’t mention the Van Jones story until after he resigned. Media mentions of the Census dropping ACORN don’t bother mentioning the story that this blog put up twice.
If we are lucky this trend will push the traditional media off the map. Then everything will be biased as it is now but openly biased.