Pew: Americans skeptical toward news media

 

Many Americans remain skeptical toward the news media, questioning not only the quality of journalists’ work but their intentions behind it, says a Pew Research Center analysis, which culminates a yearlong study on Americans’ views of the news media

For instance, no more than half of U.S. adults have confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public, or think that other Americans have confidence in the institution. And the public is more likely than not to say that news organizations do not care about the people they report on.

While most Americans (61%) expect the news they get to be accurate, nearly seven-in-ten (69%) think news organizations generally try to cover up mistakes when they do happen, says the analysis.

The reasons for why Americans think these mistakes happen underscore the distrust that substantial portions of the public feel: Many say that careless reporting (55%) or even a desire to mislead the public (44%) are major factors behind significant mistakes in news stories, although other, less negligent or nefarious reasons such as the rapid pace of breaking news (53%) also are seen as responsible for mistakes, the analysis says.

Six-in-ten U.S. adults also say news organizations are not forthcoming about conflicts of interest.

A vast majority of Americans (80%) think that the news they get is at least “somewhat” influenced by financial and corporate interests, says the analysis.

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