A recent survey of more than 3,000 American adults by Pew Research Center indicates that we do not trust network news. NBC, ABC and CBS ranged from 23-22% when respondents were asked if they believe all or most of what they see. Cable news numbers were slightly better. Fox News had a 25% favorable rating and CNN turned in a 28%. All of these numbers are considerably lower than they were eight years ago. A look at political affiliation of viewers suggests that some news networks are trusted more by the right or left. CNN is trusted most highly by Democrats, while Fox News received higher ratings from Republicans.
While this may not be surprising, it is cause for concern. If Americans are so distrustful of their main source of news (and TV is still by far the most important news source for most Americans), who and what do they trust for information about the world around them? Tell us what you think. What do you trust when you’re trying to understand national and international issues?
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11 comments:
I personally trust network news more than I trust cable news. In my opinion, I think that cable news broadcasters tend to speak their mind more and use their opinions more, while on the network channels I feel that the anchors are giving you the real and important information. The reason I think more people would trust cable news only because they actually have to pay to see in, while anyone can watch network news. People may also think that since network news is free, only people that can't afford cable news watch network TV. Which would possibly make the network news, in a way cheat their viewers out of knowing the truth and facts about what is going on. In conclusion, I personally trust network news more than I trust cable news.
Angelina Perez
Trust is something that is becoming more and more difficult to give these days. Especially when there is money involved. News broadcasts, no matter if it is cable or network, will put almost any story on the air if they think it will seduce more viewers and up the ratings. Now, it is there job to get better ratings then a competing news broadcast. But isn't it also there job to provide the nation, or at least their viewers, with truthful news? So really in conclusion I find it hard to believe any news, cable or network tv. The only time I really find myself giving my trust into news is when all the different news channels are telling me the same thing, but it still leaves me without trust in just cable news or network tv news.
Steven Ledbetter
When it comes to anything regarding anything important the news (Channels 5/30) is where I turn to. Trust is very hard to come by this days, and that is sad. They do say not to believe evrything you hear on t.v., but for me it should also be based on your judgement. We are grown-ups and we need to act like it. Also, I give the news the benefit of the doubt, and unitll I am proven different I will just keep on watching my Channels 5/30.
Sarah Mata-Peek Media Society 9:30-10:50
I am surprised that Fox has the highest rating of trustworhtyness. Fox has been known to be skewed in their reporting - being mainly Conservative. I switch back and forth, many stations cover the same events, so I can see how the coverage differs from CBS to Fox to NBC. I believe that all news is bias - it's unavoidable. Someone has to choose where to put the camera, which means not putting it somewhere else. It will always be bias. The only way it would not be is if we could see everything all the time, and that is not happening anytime soon!
What happened to trusting in ourselves? The free marketplace of ideas isn't about finding a source of information and relying on it exclusively. We are supposed to be able to take a wide range of viewpoints and positions and then formulate our own thoughts and opinions about how to interpret the facts and what their implications are. The advent of the 24 hour news cycle and the recent political polarization of the media only make it more imperative that people who bother themselves to be informed become truly informed. This means seeking out and sometimes accepting opposing opinions and ideas as well as the occasional unpleasant truth. Trust yourself.
Truett Scofield
I can understand the result of the survey because there is a few biased or slanted information or comment on the television. In my opinion, television has a tendency to make incidents bigger or more serious. Right now, student suicide by hazing, especially such as junior high and high school students, is a serious social problem in Japan. Day after day, the kinds of news has been posted on the Internet. In addition, from the students who are hazed and think to commit suicide, some letters has been sent to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology to let it stop their hazing and to let it know to need help. The information or news seems like to make them think wrongly; there is a choice to commit a suicide and it is common sense in the kind student.
“What do you trust when you’re trying to understand national and international issues?”
I always search critical opinion or comment of other people and background information of news after I watch or read news, and then I make my opinion.
I can understand the result of the survey because there is a few biased or slanted information or comment on the television. In my opinion, television has a tendency to make incidents bigger or more serious. Right now, student suicide by hazing, especially such as junior high and high school students, is a serious social problem in Japan. Day after day, the kinds of news has been posted on the Internet. In addition, from the students who are hazed and think to commit suicide, some letters has been sent to the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology to let it stop their hazing and to let it know to need help. The information or news seems like to make them think wrongly; there is a choice to commit a suicide and it is common sense in the kind student.
“What do you trust when you’re trying to understand national and international issues?”
I always search critical opinion or comment of other people and background information of news after I watch or read news, and then I make my opinion.
Kiyoshi Tada
I fully trust NBC, ABC, and CBS. I believe these stations cause I guess it is all I have known. I have watched the news on NBC every morning since I was 15. It is very hard for me to watch any other station for the news. I have became very reliable on these stations.
Even though trust is a huge issue in America right now, Anericans must trust someone to bring them the news; and I trust NBC, ABC, and CBS.
I don't trust the news stations 100%. I do trust fox 21 news about 85%. This news station is probably the best I have seen so far. They usually have reporters who know what they are doing. Most cable news is hard to trust. Cable has a lot of shows that I consider junk because I don't think they are worth watching. I trust regular news channels more than cable news.
This question is actually very interesting to me. I want to say that I have never questioned whether or not the news is to be trusted because I always figured why would they possibly have a reason to lie? I mean, why if it is their job to report what is actually going on in the world would they either not tell us the truth or keep it a secret. When I was a little younger I wasn't really interested at all in what was going on unless it was going to affect me in any way. However, now that I'm a little more mature I watch the news periodically but up to recently I started to question how trustworthy the news and media really is. One specific time I questioned it was after a movie that I saw called, "Perfect Stranger" with Halle Barry. I saw that in the beginning it was showing that there was a senator that her newspaper was trying to expose for being a homosexual that was married with children and having affairs with male interns. He then was able to pay off the newspapers so that the story would never run and his reputation wouldn't be ruined. After I saw that I started wondering how corrupt our world is really becoming when there are certain things we'll never know about due to a wealthy individual paying everyone off not to tell us. Are we really becoming so corrupt that the world only recognizes money instead of morals? Then again, I would have answered yes to that question years ago after seeing Michael Jackson pay his way out of any consequences for being a sex offender.
In my opinion it is not necessarily a bad thing that networks are trusted more by right or left because certain networks cater to certain values (right or left) just because they people are unable to trust all networks does not mean they are unable to find any reliable source. Personally I am going to look at the news network that most caters to my values and ideas. But when it comes to over all trust I prefer newspapers for my news maybe it is only a mental Idea in my head but I seem to lean more towards believing what I read in newspapers because I am able to find a combination of both left and right values.
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