TRUST IN THE MEDIA
Trust in the Media is very low!
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The decline of trust in media parallels the rise of major pressures on the news industry.
Notice the precipitous rise in digital advertising, and the steep decline of advertising in news-papers. During previous eras of technological innovation, those co-existed without great threat to print news. |
"Today’s journalists are more comfortable taking strong positions on partisan issues than they used to be. This is often a good thing. But the increased partisanship of large news outlets might feed a public perception that neutral objectivity doesn’t exist…" Why Do Americans Distrust the Media? The Atlantic, Derek Thompson, September 16, 2016 |
Financial reasons
- Advertising money has shifted dramatically to digital media, including social media which does not even produce news. See graph.
- This causes traditional media to have less money for quality reporting
- It also causes many media entities to be biased in order to retain a loyal, but highly partisan audience (infotainment)
- Cultural leanings among the ownership and/or newsroom staff of media entities to favor one side or another on political and social issues
- Trend toward increased polarization in the country. The media, government, and society feed on one another in exacerbating this trend.
Decline in resources, increase in competition, scramble for survival.
Just How Bad is the Impact on the News?
“Almost 60% of newspaper jobs in the United States vanished over the span of 26 years.“
~Roy Greenslade, The Guardian, June 6, 2016. TheGuardian.com
"A quarter of all U.S. newspapers have died in 15 years, a new UNC news deserts study found…At least 1,800 communities that had a local news outlet in 2004 were without one at the beginning of 2020."
~Tom Stites, Poynter, June 24, 2020.
The cataclysmic decline in the print news industry has only accelerated nationwide during the global pandemic.
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“The diminishing presence of local news coverage is especially ironic given that local news tends to be the most trusted. It is also often the most urgently needed. Residents need local news in particular to deal with a public health crisis, to find out about local political candidates…Accountability of local government suffers without the watchdog of local media asking questions and looking more than occasionally at what is going on.“ ~Martha Minow, Saving the News |
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While the media is seen as a cause of increasing partisanship, it is also perceived as having the potential to heal the divides.
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Distrust in the media cuts along partisan lines: Views on the media vary widely by party, though overall, Americans view the media more negatively than positively. The breakdown: Nearly 7 in 10 Republicans (67%) have a very or somewhat unfavorable opinion of the news media, versus 1 in 5 Democrats (20%) and about half of independents (48%). |
Americans blame the media for political divisions, but they also see the potential for the media to heal these divides. Forty-seven percent of Americans say the media bears “a great deal” of blame for political division in this country, and 36% say they bear “a moderate amount.” At the same time, 8 in 10 Americans believe the media can bring people together and heal the nation’s political divides. |
From Americans Are Losing Faith In An Objective Media. A New Gallup/Knight Study Explores Why. — Knight Foundation, PUBLISHEDAUGUST 4, 2020 BY JOHN SAND
Is there anything that we media consumers can do?
Of course!
We can vote with our feet.
We can choose to:
We can vote with our feet.
We can choose to:
- Not patronize biased or inaccurate media
- Replace them with media that are trying hard to provide their customers with the news and information needed to be good citizens and to take command of their personal lives.
- Evaluate whether social media is a place to get accurate news.
- Commit to reducing polarization in America
How can I know the responsible media from those who aren’t trying?
A good starting place is the Ad Fontes Media chart below.
It has rated a large number of media both as to their left/right leaning and their news value and reliability. The Ad Fontes Media methodology is on its website. Interactive charts are available there too.
It has rated a large number of media both as to their left/right leaning and their news value and reliability. The Ad Fontes Media methodology is on its website. Interactive charts are available there too.
There are a number of media organizations worth careful consideration including:
- Axios - online print-based news
- The New Paper - Their team of editors: curate the day's most impactful news; summarize each story in factual terms (and links to more context); sends you a concise daily briefing via text. Option to get notified of breaking news by text.
- The Flip Side
- AllSides
- The Dispatch
- Newsy