Poll Delivers Bad News to the Media

A large number of Americans think the news media are biased and sensationalistic--less capable of fair, accurate reporting and less worthy of their trust and confidence than in earlier years, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll.

Although overall ratings for the media remain substantially favorable in the poll, these favorable ratings are generally much lower--and unfavorable ratings generally higher--than in previous surveys.

The poll findings offer discouraging signs to news executives already beset by diminished readership and advertising, by criticisms of bias, irrelevance and sensationalism in the last election and by renewed attacks on media credibility in the aftermath of the disclosure that NBC News had rigged the test of a General Motors pickup truck in a staged crash. Indeed, more than half the poll respondents said they thought that incidents like NBC’s rigged crash were either “very common” or “somewhat common” in the news media.

Despite this, favorable ratings for network television news generally declined somewhat less precipitously in The Times Poll than they did for newspapers and for local TV news, and 88% of the poll respondents said they thought that, overall, the news media--television, newspapers, magazines and radio--continue to do a “very good” or “fairly good” job.

Most of these (71%) said the media do a “fairly good” job--not exactly a ringing endorsement; only 17% said the news media do a “very good” job--a big drop from the 30% who gave the media a “very good” rating in a 1985 Times Poll.

Only 11% said the news media do a “very bad” or “fairly bad” job--up from the 4%, “bad” rating the media received in 1985. Thus, the overall ratio of people who think the news media do a “good job” to those who think they do a “bad job” has dropped from almost 23-to-1 to 8-to-1.

This trend continued throughout the poll, with the most favorable rating (“very good”) declining considerably in almost every category of media performance, while the overall favorable rating (“very good” plus “fairly good”) declined slightly and the unfavorable rating (“very bad” plus “fairly bad”), though relatively small in most categories, increasing noticeably in most categories.

The overall findings of the poll--especially when compared with earlier surveys--amount to something of a wake-up call for the news media, clear notification that although most Americans still respect them, that respect is diminishing and could erode further if the practices they find most objectionable are not corrected.

As Van Gordon Sauter, former president of CBS News and now president of Fox News, said in a separate interview before the poll was conducted: “We’re no longer as trustworthy as we used to be; we’re no longer as credible as we used to be; we’re no longer as committed to the viewer or reader as we used to be. There is a repository of trust and goodwill, but it’s very much on loan, and I think some people are really beginning to doubt the value of that loan.”

When people who said they had less confidence in the news media today were asked an open ended question about why their confidence had dropped, they most often cited sensationalism (28%), “selective reporting--they don’t tell the whole story” (24%) and bias (21%).

When asked, in another open-ended question, to identify their “biggest complaint . . . the one thing that disturbs you the most about the news media,” the responses were similar: 28% said sensationalism, 22% said bias and 15% said “They’re inaccurate; they don’t tell the truth.”

John Brennan, director of The Times Poll, said complaints about “selective reporting” and not “telling the truth” could be regarded as “variations of complaints about bias,” thus making bias the single biggest complaint most respondents had about the media.

Although most respondents still rate newspapers as “good” on fairness and impartiality, the number who rated them as “bad” more than doubled, from 13% to 29%, since 1985, and the ratio of “good” to “bad” dropped from more than 6-to-1 favorable to less than 3-to-1 favorable.

Moreover, approximately two in five people think newspapers do not properly separate fact from opinion. A similar number complained of the same practice in television news.

There was one encouraging, if seemingly inconsistent, sign for the media in the results of The Times Poll. When asked how much confidence they have in newspapers, 42% said either “a great deal” or “quite a lot.” That’s less than half the people, but it’s still the highest confidence rating since the 51% a Gallup Poll found in 1979. Between 1979 and 1991, Gallup asked the same confidence question 11 times, and rating for newspapers averaged about 36%.

This was, however, the only question in The Times Poll in which the public rated the media more highly than in previous surveys, and it seemed directly contradicted by most other findings in The Times Poll.

Brennan, The Times Poll director, said he could not explain this seeming inconsistency, but he warned that even when two different polling organizations ask the same questions--as Gallup and The Times did--results often differ because of differences in polling methodology and differences in the order in which questions are asked.

Moreover, other polls have also shown declining public confidence in the news media. In 1976, the National Opinion Research Center found that 28% of the American public had “a great deal” of confidence in the news media; by 1991--the last time the NORC asked that question--the number was cut almost in half, to 16%.

Answers to a number of questions in The Times Poll showed a similar pattern. When respondents were asked to “rate the job” the network news, local TV news and their local newspapers are doing, in each case the percentage of people saying they were doing a “very good” job dropped substantially from the 1985 Times Poll. The percentage saying they were doing a “bad job” increased.

Newspapers suffered the biggest drop in approval ratings. Asked to rate “the local newspaper you read most frequently,” only 21% said it did a “very good job”--down dramatically from the 65% who said their newspaper did a “very good job” in 1985; 18% said it did a “bad” job--up substantially from the 4% “bad” rating in 1985.

Demographic differences were evident throughout the poll, with blacks, liberals, women and people with less education and lower incomes generally giving the news media (especially television news) higher ratings than most other groups.

In their overall rating of the news media and in their individual ratings for newspapers, network TV news and local TV news, more blacks offered a “very good” rating than did any other ethnic group or any religious, geographic, age, income, education or gender group.

Almost 40% of blacks surveyed said newspapers do a “very good” job.

Conservatives and people with more education and higher incomes tend to be the most critical of the media (although these findings vary somewhat with the specific questions being asked).

This view--and these general findings--are basically consonant with other recent polls--especially in the hostility that conservatives increasingly feel toward the news media. Brennan, The Times Poll director, says many conservatives refuse even to talk to his people when they are conducting exit polls on election day, and “I’m worried that this may be distorting our poll results.”

College-educated individuals were generally the most likely to give the media a “bad” rating. Twenty-three percent said the newspaper they most frequently read does a bad job; 17% said the same thing about both local and network TV news; 21% said the same thing about the media overall. In contrast, only 12% of three other groups--city dwellers, Midwesterners and non-working men--rated the media as “bad” overall.

THE TIMES POLL / Sizing Up The Media

A new Times poll shows declining public respect for the news media, with bias and sensationalism the biggest complaints. While overall ratings remain largely favorable, they are less favorable than they used to be.

Bias and sensationalism are the two biggest complaints the public has about the news media. As a result, confidence in the media is declining.

Q. What is your biggest complaint about the news media, that is, could you tell me the one thing that disturbs you the most about the news media?

The five most frequently mentioned complaints:

Too sensational, hype news: 28%

Biased, not balanced in coverage: 22%

Inaccurate, don’t tell truth: 15%

Rude, intrusive, violate people’s privacy: 11%

Too negative: 10%

Q. Do you have more or less or about the same amount of confidence in the news media today as you did when you first began paying attention to news and current events?

More confidence: 25%

Less confidence: 40%

Same amount: 34%

Don’t know: 1%

Q. Overall, how would you rate the kind of job that television and the newspapers and magazines and radio are doing?

March 1993:

Very good: 17%

Fairly good: 71%

Fairly bad: 9%

Very bad: 2%

Don’t know: 1%

February 1985:

Very good: 30%

Fairly good: 64%

Fairly bad: 4%

Very bad: 1%

Don’t know: 1%

Q. Do you have a great deal, quite a lot, some or very little confidence: (In Newspapers)

Times Poll Gallup Mar. ’93 May ’85 Great deal 11% 10% Quite a lot 32 25 Some 42 42 Very little 11 20 None 2 1

(In Network TV News)

Times Poll Gallup Mar. ’93 May ’85 Great deal 12% Not asked Quite a lot 33 Not asked Some 43 Not asked Very little 10 Not asked None 1 Not asked

The Higest negative rating for newspapers in The Times Poll came in response to questions on fairness and impartiality. Respondents gave newspapers and local and network television news programs lower ratings for fairness and impartiality than they did in 1985. Local TV news declined the most. Newspapers had the largest unfavorable rating.

Q. In order to maintain high standards, what’s the most important quality or characteristic the news media needs to have?

The three most frequently mentioned responses:

Truth, honesty: 61%

Accuracy, check stories, sources: 26%

Fairness, balance: 19%

Q. Do you think incidents such as the one in which NBC News doctored the truck explosion without informing its audience are:

Common: 56%

Uncommon: 36%

Don’t know: 8%

Q. In terms of how fair and impartial it is to all sides, how would you rate the job being done by: Newspaper You Read Most

Mar. ’93 FEB. ‘85** Very good 16% 30% Fairly good 52 54 Fairly bad 21 10 Very bad 8 3

Network TV News Programs

Mar. ’93 FEB. ‘85* Very good 21% 28% Fairly good 56 56 Fairly bad 15 7 Very bad 4 2

Local TV News Show You Watch Most

Mar. ’93 FEB. ‘85** Very good 21% 45% Fairly good 62 48 Fairly bad 14 4 Very bad 2 1

Q. Which of these statements comes closer to how you personally feel about:

Network TV News Most Newspapers Careful to separate fact from opinion 51 53 Don’t do good job of letting people know what is fact 43 41

Q. Do you agree or disagree with this statement: “the news media give more coverage to stories that support their own point of view than to those that don’t”?

Agree: 67%

Disagree: 23%

Neutral: 3%

Don’t know: 7%

Q. On matters having to do with politics, how would you describe the views: Of network TV news:

Liberal: 40%

Middle-of-the-road: 34

Conservative: 18

Of the newspaper you read most often:

Liberal: 34%

Middle-of-the-road: 31

Conservative: 28

Q. Since his inauguration, how do you think the news media have generally been treating Bill Clinton?

Fairly: 58%

Too tough: 16%

Too lenient: 22%

Q. How do you think the news media generally treated George Bush?

Fairly: 41%

Too tough: 38%

Too lenient: 18%

Don’t know: 3%

Television generally rates higher than newspapers with most people. More get their news from television, more think television does a good job and more find a story more reliable on television.

Q. Could you tell me, from where are you getting your best information about current events these days?

The nine most frequently mentioned responses:

Network television news (CBS, NBC, ABC): 53%

Daily newspapers: 51%

CNN: 18%

Local television news: 11%

Radio news, National Public Radio: 10%

News magazines (Time, Newsweek, U.S. News, etc.): 7%

Weekly newspapers/other newspapers: 7%

Public television, Educational TV: 3%

Television talk shows (“Oprah,” “Donahue,” “The Larry King Show”): 3%

Q. Overall, how would you rate the job being done by: Network TV News Programs

MAR. ’93 FEB. 85* Very good 30% 43% Fairly good 59 48 Fairly bad 6 3 Very bad 2 1

Local TV News You Watch Most

MAR. ’93 FEB. 85** Very good 29% 51% Fairly good 60 44 Fairly bad 8 4 Very bad 3 1

Local Newspaper You Read Most

MAR. ’93 FEB. 85** Very good 22% 65% Fairly good 59 31 Fairly bad 14 3 Very bad 4 1

Q. Does the news seem more reliable to you when you see it on TV or when you read it in a newspaper?

MAR. ’93 OCT. ’81 TV 50% 61% Newspapers 33 26 Neither more than the other 15 12

More than half the public thinks the news media abuse their constitutional freedoms, a reversal of opinion from the 1985 Times Poll. But few favor government regulation to curb abuses by the news media.

Q. The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of the press so that the news media can be a watchdog over the government and other powerful institutions. And the courts have ruled that means the news media should be protected even in some cases when they have been unfair or inaccurate. Do you think the news media abuse this privilege of freedom of the press, or do you think the news media are careful to use this power responsibly?

MAR. ’93 FEB. 85* Abuse privilege 52% 40% Use power responsibly 43 49 Don’t know 5 11

Q. Please choose the statement that comes closer to how you personally feel:

“It’s important to have a free press even when the press acts irresponsibly.”: 53%

“Sometimes there is too much freedom of the press.”: 45%

Don’t know: 2%

Q. What, if anything, should be done about abuses of freedom of the press? Do you think the news media should regulate themselves, or do you think the courts should make it easier for the news media to be sued for libel, or do you think the news media should be regulated by the government?

MAR. ’93 FEB. 85 Media regulate themselves 51% 47% Easier to be sued for libel 27 21 Regulated by government 12 17 Nothing should be done 3 3 Don’t know 7 12

Q. Generally speaking, how do you feel about the news media’s influence over what happens today? Does it have:

Too much: 59%

Too little: 5%

Right amount: 32%

Don’t know: 4%

Despite their increasingly critical evaluation of the news media, most people think the media is usually fair and accurate when reporting a story they personally know about.

Q. When the news media report on something that you personally know about, do you find that the story is usually:

Accurate: 59%

Inaccurate: 29%

Don’t know: 12%

Fair: 69%

Unfair: 21%

Don’t know: 10%

HOW THE POLL WAS CONDUCTED

The Times Poll interviewed 1,703 adults nationwide, by telephone, March 6 to 9. Telephone numbers were chosen from a list of all exchanges in the country. Random-digit dialing techniques were used to ensure that both listed and non-listed numbers had an opportunity to be contacted. Results were weighted slightly to conform with census figures for sex, race, age, education and household size. The margin of sampling error for the total sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For certain subgroups the error margin is somewhat higher. Poll results can also be affected by other factors such as question wording and the order in which questions are presented.

On some questions, responses may add up to more than 100% because respondents were invited to give more than one answer. On some other questions, “don’t know” and “other” responses were eliminated from this tally, and those numbers will total less than 100%.

*Note: Question wording was slightly different in the 1985 study.

**Wording of these questions was also slightly different in previous surveys. In addition, on the 1985 survey, these questions were asked only of a pre-screened group who said they watched local television news or read newspapers. The question in the current survey was asked of everyone--viewers and non-viewers, readers and non-readers--and the answers of those who volunteered that they don’t watch local television news or read newspapers were eliminated.

VOICES

“It’s not biased liberal vs. conservative; it’s . . . individuals. They want to sponsor a certain candidate or issue and they constantly make all the reporting favorable to that particular point of view.”

Delores McPeek, 67, retired accountant, Riverview, Mich.

*

“I don’t trust any of (the big institutions in society) as much as I used to . . . as much as I’d like to. I think people are all looking out for No. 1 more than they did 30 years ago. I don’t know that the media are any worse; they’re just more visible to the public. They have a lot of influence.”

Bill Mommsen, 45, farmer, Goose Lake, Iowa.

*

“If the facts get in the way of their opinion, then they’ll move the facts . . . The media feel they’re above the law . . . . They try to make a up a story . . . set stuff up . . . to try to win a prize. They just want glory. If you get awards, you make more money.”

Dick, 45, hospital worker, Kissimmee, Fla.

*

“Regardless of what your opinion is of the news media, we better have it there to keep an eye on the political process. I’d rate the media head and shoulders above the political world . . . . I’m not a 100% believer in the media . . . . They have just a little bit more integrity about them than the other institutions.”

John, a 67-year-old retired veterinarian in Wilton, Iowa

*

“Newspapers are mostly biased, but television is the worst in sensationalism; they open with all the robberies, all the murders. I know they want to get your attention, but that turns me away from it.”

Andrea Sue Leonard, 45, homemaker and mother of three, Clarion, Pa.