Odds are you don’t trust journalists
Do you not trust your local news reporters? Believe that network anchormen are politically motivated? If you do, you are not alone. According to a new Gallup poll, a majority of Americans do not have confidence that their media source is reporting the news accurately and objectively.
Political bias was also examined by Gallup’s surveyors. They found that 60 percent of Americans see a noticeable bias in their news coverage. Dividing which way the news is perceived to be prejudiced, 47 percent says the media is too liberal and 13 percent saying they are too conservative.
The most intriguing aspect of Gallup’s study is that the results are remarkably similar to last year’s findings. Distrust of the media is embedded in the American mind-set and there are no indications that perception will change anytime soon.
This negative perception of journalism may be a factor into the decline of newspapers and the rise of nonprofit news organizations.
Nonprofit journalism organizations have recently come to the forefront of the journalism debate as an answer to the decline in the traditional media.
The recent emergence of nonprofit journalism may lead some to believe that this is a new trend in a struggling industry. However, journalism nonprofits have been operating since the beginning of the newspaper age.
Nonprofit news outlets are becoming the trusted source for millions of Americans. These groups are producing award-winning investigative reports — breaking news, exposing corruption and reporting stories traditional media newsrooms are missing. Americans are shutting off their televisions and turning on their computers for quality, objective and accurate news.
Traditional media outlets will continue to play a role in American living rooms. But as more people begin to distrust their old media source, they will seek new outlets to quench their need to know.
Editor’s Note: Jason Stverak is the president of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, a nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to providing investigative reporters and nonprofit organizations at the state and local level with training, expertise and technical support.CapitolBeatOK is affiliated with the Franklin Center.This essay was first posted by The
Washington Examiner here.