Public Lacks Trust in the Press
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Americans don't believe every thing they see, hear or read. According to a Pew Study, citizens have a hard time trusting the press.
The poll reported "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."
Although these figures may seem abysmal, the public trusts the press more than government and business, and "62% say their main news sources get the facts straight."
Because the press is supposed to be the trusted source of information. It's watchdog reputation means that Americans should be able to rely on the news to tell the truth in regards to government, business, and any facet of life.
All journalists should take note of these statistics. Personally, this reinforces my belief in double- and triple-checking facts and interviews because our readers and viewers shouldn't have to question our credibility or motivations.
Our job is to report.
It should be that simple. Ask questions. Write down the answers. Report the facts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzf7fT8-g-s
1 comments:
I think that I wrote about this for the same reason that you did. It's disappointing to see how little the public respects the media, but I can say that I have also had similar feelings toward the press at one time or another. It's really important that we are sticklers for facts and unbiased information so that the public can trust the press. I also that it was very interesting that people saw their own source of media as being significantly better-more factual and unbiased- than any other station. It shows that most of us believe that we are right most of the time!
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