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Majority of Americans, Especially Republicans, Don't Trust the News Media to Be Fair

1 year ago

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Contributing Editor

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say they do not have very much or any trust in the news media when it comes to reporting the news accurately and fairly, according to a Gallup poll conducted Sept. 13-16. Forty-three percent say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media.

This is the fourth straight year that a majority of Americans have expressed that view. The last time a significant majority said they had confidence in the media was in the years prior to 2004, which, perhaps by no coincidence, mostly pre-dated the kind of impact that the Internet and cable news talk shows have had since then.

Forty-eight percent consider the media too liberal, 15 percent regard it as too conservative and 33 percent say it has things about right.
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Republicans and independents are far more distrustful of the media than Democrats. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans and 61 percent of independents have not very much or no trust in the media to be fair, while Democrats have confidence in it by a 59 percent to 40 percent margin.

Ideologically, two-thirds of conservatives distrust the media. Moderates distrust it by a 52 percent to 47 percent margin, while liberals do have confidence in it, by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin.

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Filed Under: Media, Polls, Poll Watch

Tagged: 2010 Election Polls, Liberal bias, media bias

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janekatyt

I read the Houston Chronicle every morning and laugh. They are just now realizing that people are unhappy with the way Washington is going!!! What a surprise!!!!

September 29 2010 at 9:59 PM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down Reply

libsareright

How can anybody who has owns a national TV networks like the republicans owned Fox news complain about biased media coverage?

September 29 2010 at 6:55 PM Report abuse Permalink -4 rate up rate down Reply

drbuckles

Well it looks like that the Republicans will get back in power, according to MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN, ABC, so why vote? So if they do they will squeeze the life out of the economy just as they did before FDR was elected during the depression. And unemployment will continue to climb, more people will be in poverty, then the change will come from the people.

September 29 2010 at 3:17 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to drbuckles's comment

Kenneth

Your post is 180 degrees in the wrong direction as to what will happen when the democrats lose in November.

September 29 2010 at 3:52 PM Report abuse Permalink +5 rate up rate down Reply

drbuckles

The Republican Party is a subsidiary of Fox News. The 5 Republican candidates running for President all work for them. They donated 100 million dollars to the Republican Governors races. MSNBC donated an equal amount to each party. The RNC and right wing corporations are dumping in millions into campaigns for Tea Smokers and Republican, while local Democrats running for office are getting their funds mostly locally. Democracy is bought by the highest bidder now.

September 29 2010 at 3:08 PM Report abuse Permalink -5 rate up rate down Reply

jonlocks

News people are only in it for themselves. What ever happened to reporting the news, not making the news ? How unfair the national news media is ? I stay away from everything but FOX.

September 29 2010 at 3:04 PM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down Reply

flagag

you have to watch different tv stations and read various papers to get a sense of where the middle is. then make up your mind. but altho fox is right leaning, some of their progamming is well balanced. i have not seen that on msnbc which is only left leaning. the big problem is that these outlets, for one reason or another, already have their minds made up, so they make the news instead of report the news. flagag

September 29 2010 at 2:33 PM Report abuse Permalink +7 rate up rate down Reply