ALEXANDRIA, VA – Sacred Heart University’s
year-long 2007 study of the American people’s views on the
establishment media reads as a prolonged indictment of nearly all
the major institutions of American journalism. The numbers are even
more horrific than those found in their 2003 survey.
Just 19.6% of those asked could say they believe all or most news
media reporting, down from 27.4% in 2003. 23.9% said they believe
little or none of it.
By a three-to-one margin Americans see news media journalists and
broadcasters as mostly or somewhat liberal over mostly or somewhat
conservative. For National Public Radio and the New York Times,
the recognition of a liberal tilt is closer to four-to-one.
An even greater percentage of those surveyed found the media to be
pushing an agenda rather than simply reporting the facts.
86.0% agreed (strongly or somewhat) that the news media attempts to
influence public policies -- up from an already egregious 76.7% in
2003.
The biggest news networks were among the least trusted. NBC News
(10.90%), ABC News (7.0%), CBS News (6.8%), MSNBC (4.0%) and PBS
News (3.0%) were in or near single digits in the percentage of
people who believe what they report.
L. Brent Bozell, III, President of the Media Research Center, winces
at the numbers but chalks it up as simply more fuel for the fire
that is the American people’s growing distrust of the media.
“This is just another example of the media
operating without any guidelines save for their political
agenda. They long ago ceased to exist to report news – they are
now a gaggle of spin doctors and political hacks.
“These numbers are simply abysmal, but they are also the silver
lining. They mean that the press is so out of touch with reality
that they have lost touch with their audience.
“The American people are not fools, and not fooled so easily as
the establishment media would believe. This study shows that the
era of old time media dominance is very quickly nearing its
end.”
To schedule an interview with MRC President Brent Bozell or another
MRC spokesperson,
please contact Tim Scheiderer (x. 126) or Colleen O’Boyle (x. 122)
at (703) 683-5004.
