The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has been tracking views of press performance since 1985, and the overall ratings remain quite negative. Fully 66% say news stories often are inaccurate, 77% think that news organizations tend to favor one side, and 80% say news organizations are often influenced by powerful people and organizations.
The widely-shared belief that news stories are inaccurate cuts to the press's core mission: Just 25% say that in general news organizations get the facts straight while 66% say stories are often inaccurate. As recently as four years ago, 39% said news organizations mostly get the facts straight and 53% said stories are often inaccurate.
Evaluations of Overall Press Performance (% of Respondents) | ||
| 1985 | 2011 |
Stories often inaccurate | 34% | 66% |
Tend to favor one side | 53 | 77 |
Often influenced by powerful people and organizations | 53 | 80 |
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011 |
But Americans have a very different view of the news sources they rely on than they do of the news media generally. When asked to rate the accuracy of stories from the sources where they get most of their news, the percentage saying these outlets get the facts straight more than doubles. Fully 62% say their main news sources get the facts straight, while just 30% say stories are often inaccurate.
Preferred News Sources Get Best Evaluation (% of Respondents) | ||
| Get Facts Straight | Stories Often Inaccurate |
News Organizations in general | 25% | 66% |
News Organizations used most | 62 | 30 |
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011 |
And the public's impressions of the national media may be influenced more by their opinions of cable news outlets than their views of other news sources, such as network or local TV news, newspapers or internet news outlets. When asked what first comes to mind when they think of "news organizations," most name a cable news outlet, with CNN and Fox News receiving the most mentions by far.
Most Named News Organization Sources (% of Respondents) | |
Source "comes to mind" | % of Respondents |
CNN | 43% |
Fox News | 39 |
NBC News | 18 |
ABC News | 16 |
CBS News | 12 |
MSNBC | 12 |
New York Times | 4 |
NPR | 3 |
AP | 3 |
CNBC | 1 |
WSJ | 1 |
USA Today | 1 |
PBS | 1 |
Categories |
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Cable News | 63 |
Network TV News | 36 |
Local TV News | 10 |
National newspaper | 5 |
Local newspaper | 4 |
Website | 3 |
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011(Multiple response OK) |
Nearly seven-in-ten say they have a lot or some trust in information they get from local news organizations, while 59% say they trust information from national news organizations.
By comparison, about half say they have a lot or some trust in information provided by their state government, and the Obama administration. Smaller percentages trust information from federal agencies, business corporations, Congress, or candidates running for office.
Press Sources Relied On (% of Respondents) | ||
| Degree of Trust | |
Source of Information | Not Much/None | A Lot/Some |
Local news organizations | 28% | 69% |
National news organizations | 39 | 59 |
Your state government | 47 | 51 |
The Obama administration | 48 | 50 |
Federal government agencies | 54 | 44 |
Business corporations | 56 | 41 |
Congress | 59 | 37 |
Candidates running for office | 68 | 29 |
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011 |
The public's top two sources of news remain television and the internet. Two-thirds of Americans say television is where they get most of their news about national and international events, while 43% say they turn to the internet. About three-in-ten Americans say they get most of their national and international news from newspapers. Radio was a distant fourth choice, with 19% saying they turned to it for news. (People were allowed to name up to two sources).
Over the long term the gap between TV and the internet has narrowed: Four years ago, roughly three times as many people cited TV than the internet as their main source of national and international news.
Source of National and International News (% of Respondents Saying "Main Source") | ||||
| Main Source | |||
Year | TV | Newspaper | Internet | Radio |
2011 | 66% | 31% | 43% | 19% |
2010 | 66 | 31 | 41 | 16 |
2009 | 70 | 32 | 32 | 17 |
2008 | 70 | 35 | 40 | 18 |
2007 | 74 | 34 | 24 | 13 |
Skip | ||||
2004 | 74 | 46 | 24 | 21 |
2001 | 74 | 45 | 13 | 18 |
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011(Multiple response OK) |
There continue to be large age differences in the main sources for national news. Among those younger than 30, the internet far surpasses television as the main source for national and international news. Television is the most frequently named source for older age groups, though the gap is fairly modest among those 30 to 49.
Those 65 and older are only age group in which more cite newspapers than the internet as a main national news source. The internet is cited about as often as newspapers by those 50 to 64, and far more often by younger people.
Age differences are less pronounced in the leading sources of local news; majorities across all age groups cite television as their main source. Those under 50 are far more likely than older Americans to say they get local news from the internet, though only about quarter do so.
Main News Source (% of Respondents by Age Group) | |||||
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| Age Group | |||
News Type | Total | 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ |
National/International news |
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Television | 66% | 51% | 61% | 75% | 81% |
Internet | 43 | 65 | 50 | 36 | 15 |
Newspapers | 31 | 24 | 25 | 33 | 49 |
Radio | 19 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 15 |
Local news |
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Television | 59 | 57 | 58 | 62 | 60 |
Internet | 17 | 23 | 23 | 12 | 4 |
Newspapers | 39 | 37 | 31 | 42 | 55 |
Radio | 14 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 19 |
Source: Pew Research Center, July 2011 (Multiple response OK) |
Across all groups, newspapers are mentioned more often as a source for local than national news. The difference is particularly notable among those younger than 30, who cite newspapers as a main source for national and international news.
For additional details about the study please visit Pew here
I think the question about news media that people choose is conflating trust with good choice. Of course people trust the sources they choose. Otherwise, they'd be admitting they make bad choices.
Because of today's demand for immediacy, the time needed for fact checking has diminished or disappeared. A little patience would go a long way of more news being reported being more correct. Did so and so say something of fact, partial fact, opinion, fiction, combination there ofs and from where did it derive and more ?