The latest...Only a majority of Democrats feel news media reports facts accurately:
Bottom Line: I suppose it's not surprising. If most news media reports what you want to hear, even if it's not exactly what's happening, you'll take it. That's the case for Democrats. As for independents and Republicans. That's not surprisingly not the case. What is notable is just how incredibly partisan the divide is with our view of what's credible news. Gallup's latest is in and here are the highlights:
Gallup specifically asked the question of if traditional news media generally get the facts right. In 1998 here were the results:
- 53% of Democrats said yes
- 52% of Republicans said yes
- 51% of Independents said yes
While, not exactly a resounding endorsement of the credibility of traditional media (which by the way showed the incredible opportunity for alternative news media that's been so incredibly successful over the past twenty years), it was consistent regardless of one's political identification. Fast forward to today and the divergence has never been larger. On the same question today:
- 62% of Democrats said yes
- 37% of Independents said yes
- 14% of Republicans said yes
Democrats represent 28% of the population and Independents are the largest grouping of Americans (over 40%). This demonstrates that despite the efforts of some to attempt to convince you that you're outside the norm...If you don't trust most of the traditional news media outlets - you're not only not alone. You're actually part of the vast majority of Americans. It's just that those on the left tend to make the most noise.