In May 2005, Gannett’s First Amendment Center in Nashville polled Americans about their attitudes towards the media. Some exclusive results were published in the August/September 2005 edition of the
American Journalism Review. The
article by senior writer Rachel Smolkin revealed that nearly two-thirds (64%) reject the notion that “the news media try to report the news without bias,” and nearly the same number (65%) agreed that “the falsifying or making up of stories in the American news media is a widespread problem.”
KEY FINDINGS:
- When read the statement, “Overall, the news media tries to report the news without bias,” 64 percent disagreed (42% saying they disagreed strongly, 22 percent saying they mildly disagreed.) Only 13 percent strongly agreed that the media attempt to keep bias out of the news.
- When told “The falsifying or making up of stories in the American news media is a widespread problem,” 40 percent strongly agreed and an additional 25 percent mildly agreed. Just 11 percent strongly disagreed.
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