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Americans Have Broad Trust in Media in General

Certain media outlets more likely to provide fair and unbiased news than others

Harris Poll Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Harris Interactive) (PRNewsFoto/)

News provided by

Harris Interactive

Feb 14, 2012, 12:20 ET

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NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking back to the 1950s, the way Americans got their news was pretty simple – it was either their local newspaper or one of the three nightly newscasts. Today, there are a myriad of ways to get news – online news sites, on one's phone, cable television, blogs, and, still local newspapers and nightly newscasts. But with all these different choices, do people trust that each will get them the news fairly and accurately? Overall, the answer is yes.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO )

When we look at trust in general, majorities of Americans (between 60% and 73%) say they trust seven different media outlets to get them news fairly and accurately. But the difference is in how much trust they have; while three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) trust their local TV news, less than one-quarter (22%) have a lot of trust in it and half (51%) have some trust.  Seven in ten Americans (69%) trust their local newspapers, but only 18% have a lot of trust.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,016 adults surveyed online between January 16 and 23, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Looking at some other media seven in ten Americans trust radio and Internet news and information sites (69% each) to get them news fairly and accurately, but for both, only 14% have a lot of trust while over half (55%) have some trust. Just over three in five trust cable TV news (64%) and network TV news (61%) but, for both, only 15% say they have a lot of trust in them and three in five (60%) trust national newspapers, with 16% having a lot of trust.

Fair and unbiased news

While the different types of media are all looked at in a mostly positive light, there are some mixed results when we look at specific media outlets. Three in ten Americans say that ABC (63%), NBC (63%), CNN (61%), the Associated Press (59%), and PBS (59%) all give news that is fair and unbiased all the time or occasionally. But, like with the media in general, the public leans towards occasionally, rather than all the time as three in five (28%) say PBS is fair and unbiased all the time, while just one in five says the same for the other four media outlets. Over half of U.S. adults say FOX News, (54%), Yahoo News (53%), MSNBC (52%) and CNBC (52%) provide fair and unbiased news all the time or occasionally, and half say the same about The Wall Street Journal (50%) and Time (50%). Just under half say The New York Times (48%) and Reuters (48%) provide news that is fair and unbiased; about two in five say the same about The Washington Post (42%), NPR (41%), Newsweek/The Daily Beast (39%) and one-third about the Huffington Post (33%).

But, it's not that these on the lower end of the list are not trusted, it is, rather, that they are not as well known so many more Americans do not have an opinion of them one way or another. If we look at those who are seen as rarely or never giving news that is fair and unbiased, over one-third (36%) say that applies to FOX News, while three in ten say MSNBC (31%), Huffington Post (31%), CNBC (29%), The New York Times (29%), The Washington Post (29%), and Newsweek/The Daily Beast (29%).

In this election year, Americans will be getting their campaign information from these various media outlets. In that vein, it is interesting to note that out of the 17 different media outlets, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think that 15 news providers are giving them news that is fair and unbiased. Republicans are only more likely than Democrats to think that about two news providers – FOX News (75% vs. 39%) and The Wall Street Journal (51% vs. 50%).

So What?

Like everything else, the media is a business that needs to make money and show investors profits. And, as the number of news outlets continues to grow, providers of information are increasingly out to one-up each other as the first with that information. The large number of news providers also means that the providers have to find new, and sometimes sensational, ways to get eyes and ears to their outlet.

TABLE 1

TRUST IN TYPES OF MEDIA

"How much trust do you have that each of the following will get you the news fairly and accurately?"

Base: All adults

 

TRUST
(NET)

A lot of
trust

Some
trust

DO NOT
TRUST (NET)

Not very
much trust

No trust
at all

Not
sure

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Local TV News

73

22

51

23

17

6

4

Radio

69

14

55

25

19

7

6

Internet News and information sites

69

14

55

26

19

7

5

Local Newspapers

69

18

51

27

19

8

4

Cable TV News

64

15

49

30

21

9

6

Network TV News

61

15

46

35

20

15

4

National Newspapers

60

16

45

34

22

12

6

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding;

TABLE 2

TRUST IN TYPES OF MEDIA – BY PARTY AND GENERATION

"How much trust do you have that each of the following will get you the news fairly and accurately?"

Percent saying "A lot of trust/Some trust"

Base: All adults

 

TRUST
(NET)

Generation

Political Party

Echo
Boomers
(18-35)

Gen X
(36-47)

Baby
Boomers
(48-66)

Matures
(67+)

Rep.

Dem.

Ind.

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Local TV News

73

68

77

77

72

70

83

72

Radio

69

65

71

73

67

72

74

66

Internet News and information sites

69

66

68

73

66

66

78

6

Local Newspapers

69

67

70

72

63

62

82

67

Cable TV News

64

56

68

67

71

64

72

62

Network TV News

61

62

57

63

59

47

79

61

National Newspapers

60

64

58

61

52

46

77

60

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding;

TABLE 3

FAIR AND UNBIASED NEWS

"Thinking now of some specific media outlets, how often do you believe the following news providers give you news that is fair and unbiased?"

Base: All adults

 

All of the time/
Occasionally
(NET)

All the
time

Occasionally

Rarely/
Never (NET)

Rarely

Never

Not sure/
Not
applicable

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

NBC

63

18

45

28

15

13

10

ABC

63

19

44

27

16

11

11

CNN

61

20

41

26

14

12

12

Associated Press

59

20

40

22

12

10

19

PBS

59

28

31

23

11

12

18

FOX News

54

20

34

36

17

19

9

Yahoo News

53

11

42

20

11

9

28

MSNBC

52

16

37

31

15

16

17

CNBC

52

15

37

29

14

15

19

The Wall Street Journal

50

15

35

25

13

12

25

Time

50

14

36

27

14

12

23

The New York Times

48

14

34

29

14

16

23

Reuters

48

16

32

21

11

10

31

The Washington Post

42

10

32

29

15

14

29

NPR

41

18

23

28

12

16

31

Newsweek/The Daily Beast

39

9

31

29

14

14

32

Huffington Post

33

7

26

31

14

17

36

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding;

TABLE 4

FAIR AND UNBIASED NEWS – BY PARTY AND EDUCATION

"Thinking now of some specific media outlets, how often do you believe the following news providers give you news that is fair and unbiased?"

Percentage saying "All of the time/Occasionally"

Base: All adults

 

All of the time/
Occasionally
(NET)

Education

Political Party

H.S.
or less

Some
College

College
Graduate

Post
Graduate

Rep.

Dem.

Ind.

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

NBC

63

60

64

65

68

48

81

63

ABC

63

59

66

64

65

49

78

64

CNN

61

58

61

66

70

48

77

63

Associated Press

59

52

60

68

73

55

69

60

PBS

59

53

59

67

71

44

72

64

FOX News

54

63

53

46

35

75

39

55

Yahoo News

53

50

55

55

56

49

58

56

MSNBC

52

49

55

53

57

39

71

50

CNBC

52

49

51

55

60

41

66

51

The Wall Street Journal

50

41

49

64

66

51

50

55

Time

50

42

50

59

68

36

65

53

The New York Times

48

41

49

56

59

33

64

50

Reuters

48

38

47

62

67

45

50

53

The Washington Post

42

34

44

53

56

36

54

42

NPR

41

32

43

51

58

26

51

48

Newsweek/The Daily Beast

39

33

41

46

51

29

52

39

Huffington Post

33

30

35

35

35

20

45

35

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding;

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between January 16 and 23, 2012 among 2,016 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

J41215
Q755, 760

The Harris Poll® #15, February 14, 2012
By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Youth, and Public Relations Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

Press Contact:
Corporate Communications
Harris Interactive
212-539-9600
[email protected]  

SOURCE Harris Interactive

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