July 10, 2012

"Americans' Confidence in Television News Drops to New Low."

And now the level of trust is lower for liberals and moderates than for conservatives.

Conservatives' confidence remained about the same (going from 23% to 22%), but liberals and moderates dropped by half  a third (from 30% to 20%/19%). What has happened in the last year to cause that change? It could be that the TV news continues with a long practice of skewing liberal, but real life has been bad and the mismatch between the news and reality has become more obvious.

58 comments:

campy said...

Ahem. Two words:



FAUX NOISE!!!!

Seeing Red said...

Progressivism = the lowest common denominator.

Matt said...

Define 'TV News'. When you say it skew's liberal are you talking about the half hour local news reports in every city in America? Are you talking about the half hour news report [that few watch] on ABC, CBS and NBC? Or are you talking about CNN and FOX the latter of which is not liberal.

I would say the NY Times skews liberal. And so does CNN. After that most news is hardly 'liberal'. On the other hand it's not crazy right wing either. But I recall a [right leaning] report that showed CBS was the most balanced of all news organizations. I don't know if that means they can be trusted.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's not news anymore. It's all agenda, spin and omission on behalf of one political party.

Jason (the commenter) said...

They put their faith in Obama and he failed them. Now they don't believe in anything.

coketown said...

Any word on Americans' confidence in pollsters? This could be a bunch of he-said-she-said.

"Tonight at 9:00: America's confidence in pollsters drops to a new low."

Brian Brown said...

Again,
liberalism destroys everything it touches.

ndspinelli said...

FOX

ndspinelli said...

I should clarify, FOX is the reason for conservatives staying the course.

Ann Althouse said...

dropped by a third.

sorry about the math.

edutcher said...

If people are going to start getting their news off the electric Internet from now on, Ed Schultz may actually be right - we may never see another Democrat President in our lifetime.

Rick Lockridge said...

When, as a young TV news anchor in Michigan, I allowed myself the latitude to voice my opinion about a story on-air, my boss pulled me aside after the broadcast and growled the very best advice I ever received:

"Shut up and read the 'prompter!"

I swear if I ever write about TV news (with nostalgia and fondness, for the business no longer really exists), that will be the title of my book.

The problem with today's performers--all of them; it's epidemic-- is that they can't resist the urge to tell us what THEY think...and their bosses not only fail to restrain this behavior, they encourage it.

I don't need someone to pre-digest the news for me and deliver it with the peculiar kind of panache that they think makes them A Really Interesting On-Air Talent.

In fact, it's insulting.

I suspect many of you feel the same way. I would like to tell all of them: shut the fuck up and read the prompter. And then I'd hope to God that a couple experienced news writers were the ones populating that prompter with copy.

I'd like to see the numbers on how many well-educated, affluent adults still rely on TV news for anything other than the chance to see Diane Sawyer still looking cougar-hot. (Guilty!)

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Regarding my non-liked healthcare stuff the other day. No link. Supposedly came from an Investors Business Daily article, but no one can find it. Info seemed right to me, but I don't know.

traditionalguy said...

Even liberals have no anchor with the new media dedicated to puffing out smoke and mirrors designed for a 10 year old level of knowledge.

They see and hear Engish and Canadian news comments that ignore the smoke and mirrors du jour, and that is profoundly humiliating to see themselves as having been treated as weak minded idiots by the Amerucan media journolisters.

Fox News just throws out a few clear insights into the smoke and mirrors stories that we supposedly believe according to Fox.

The blogs are where the real news gets out today. God help us if they nare turned off like the Chinese efficiently do it.

The reason must be a big reason to work that hard to decieve us Americans. I suspect that the internationalists want us blind and deaf to the tricks being played on the, formerly regulated wothin reason, but now under Government control Banks which are to be the source for currency planned to be used to replace our dollars.

Meanwhile UN world treaties are being put into place during Obama's 4 year reign of total lies that eliminate any important sovreignty claims by the US Parrish of the North American Province of the New Roman World Imperium.

And remember the CO2 is going to fall from the sky and kill us all if we hesitate to turn over our wealth to the UN Crisis Anencies. The Obama EPA and the SCOTUS have also agreed that the carbon dioxide is pollution lie is a legal bomb in our basement.

And at the current rate of defunding and insane deployments, the US military will be effectively destroyed within a few years.

Come to think of it, we need more smoke and mirrors to avoid the painful reality.

mishu said...

I watch WGN morning news. They have absolutely no agenda other than to be goofy. They freely admit they're idiots and admitting you have a problem is halfway down the road to recovery.

Penny said...

Anyone polled television news people about their trust in viewers?

Ha ha

Merely a rhetorical question!

Imagining the results may be hazardous to your self image.

rhhardin said...

The line comparing men and women is telling.

TV news is aimed at 40% of women, the soap opera women.

The line is that 26% of women trust it, 16% of men.

wildswan said...

When I was in Poland in the Nineties I met Solidarity people and asked them - how did you get the message out when the government controlled the media. They said "we carpeted Poland with pamphlets and fliers." Maybe in today's America, blogs and social media etc. are an electronic way to "carpet America with pamphlets and fliers." For instance when the Romney campaign answers Obama campaign lies, the word reaches the blogs but never makes the lame stream. That makes liberals look stupid in conversations - like Andrea Mitchel arguing with John Sununu in that new video - and maybe they are getting tired of it.

Hagar said...

It isn't just the slant. It is also that the network news are dominated by entertainment types, so that the whole thing becomes just a mix of twaddle, commercials, and ho-ho camaraderie.

Penny said...

"The line is that 26% of women trust it, 16% of men."

Water's gettin' pretty shallow in these parts, rh. ;)

Penny said...

Maybe if you get one of those big burly men to turn on a hose?

KCFleming said...

I dunno if this affects their viewing habits, but liberals can no longer be confident that the Democratic Party talking points will set the narrative for the nation. It's no longer 1965 or 1975.

More simply, their propaganda doesn't work as well, and is either ignored or ridiculed. Never believed, except by a dwindling few dimwitted souls.

"Confidence" carries different meanings here, I suspect.

Larry J said...

I make my living off the Evening News
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam
In her eye
It's interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry
Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You don't really need to find out what's going on
You don't really want to know just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough love
Eat your dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're stiff
Kick 'em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do "The Innuendo"
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done we haven't told you a thing
We all know that Crap is King
Give us dirty laundry!

edutcher said...

Pogo said...

I dunno if this affects their viewing habits, but liberals can no longer be confident that the Democratic Party talking points will set the narrative for the nation. It's no longer 1965 or 1975.

And that is the heart of the matter.

Since the major dailies are becoming punchlines, there's no credibility in the old sources.

Penny said...

No credibility in the NEW "news sources" either, edutcher.

Paul said...

"but real life has been bad and the mismatch between the news and reality has become more obvious."

Yea something like that.

Like GLOBAL WARMING and the fancy computer simulations that predicted by NOW we should be drowning with ocean levels up to our kissers...

Even liberals have a learning curve and they see the 'news' just does not compute!

Well as the poem goes.. "We are headed for a crossroad and there better be a junction"

Penny said...

Unless I agree.

In which case....

DEAD ON!

Paul said...

Every liberal I know believes AGW is real (the recent heat wave is PROOF) and Obama has done as well as humanly possible given the horrible mess Bush left in his wake.

Most of them think the media is "corporate" and thus by nature right wing since corporations are evil, right wing entities.

They live in a bubble where everyone thinks alike and supports each others dogmatic faith in the liberal narrative.

And they are scared and angry.

Penny said...

"And they are scared and angry."

Who isn't?

Penny said...

"Scared and angry" has now become a NATIONAL disease.

Penny said...

Real?

For sure.

An emotional component?

For sure.

Penny said...

And now what?

We take to our beds?

Or maybe to our hills or our mountains, our deserts and then our seas...

Penny said...

Collective "fear and anger" is a recipe that ANARCHISTS cooked up.

Penny said...

Anyone here hungry for anarchy?

Penny said...

Oh my!

Penny said...

I mean....Really?

Paul said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Penny said...

You gotta be kidding?

Paul said...

Point taken Penny.

But conservatives are scared that they will lose the privilege of living in the most free and most prosperous nation in history as it is dismantled from the inside out, and angered by the criminal travesty of it, while liberals are scared and angry that they may lose power.

Penny said...

Good luck with those sheep!

And surly goats, too!

ha ha

Paul said...

Point taken re your 10:20 comment that is.

Beyond that you sound like you are drunk.

Penny said...

Paul, the PEOPLE, have the power in America.

Paul said...

Yo. Penny. Go sleep it off.

You're gonna be rough in the morning. Jeez.

dvlfish13 said...

"No credibility in the NEW "news sources" either, edutcher."

I wonder if this is true? You hear a lot about cocooning but I'm on the right and I hit at least a couple of lefty sites every day. During the run-up to ACA I was hitting Firedoglake (of all places) pretty frequently because they had the best reporting (both substantive stuff and process stuff, whip counts, etc.). And I knew precisely where they stood. Or take the Jared Loughner thing. Someone was linking his youtube videos in the comments somewhere or other (maybe here) hours or tens of minutes before the msm had it.
So, although my trust in any given blog may be low, my trust in the "internet" is pretty high. To be more precise, my trust that someone, somewhere knows the truth (about whatever) and that my list of aggregator sites will get it to me, is pretty high.

Penny said...

"Beyond that you sound like you are drunk."

And I don't CARE what I "sound" like.

Penny said...

It isn't ABOUT me.

Penny said...

Now I could repeat that...

Quite like you hear the repetitions of one side or another...

Day in

Day out

Day in

Day out

Penny said...

Waves...lapping...

Penny said...

Louder... and louder!

Penny said...

That's what happens when "Scared and Angry" becomes our NATIONAL disease.

Penny said...

All about US!

gk1 said...

When the MSM is basically printing things for what, 37% of the democrats in the country with shrinking margins, there is no where to go but down. I have to go to the british press if I want to know whats going on with Fast and Furious or "kill lists". Cripes look at the commercials for Brian Williams Nightly news its either metamucel or the "Jitter bug" cell phone for Seniors

Penny said...

"All about US!"

Not like you and me though, Paul.

We're just "Bustin' some mutton into chops."

Penny said...

Or is that bustards into mops?

Moneyrunner said...

Check out the numbers. The people most gullible about newspapers and TV news are young Democrats who (or may not) have graduated from High School.

test said...

"The people most gullible about newspapers and TV news are young Democrats who (or may not) have graduated from High School."

The purpose of leftist media propaganda is not to convert. It's to give a cover story to those who are voting Tammany for greed.

gerry said...

...but real life has been bad and the mismatch between the news and reality has become more obvious.

Can't the alphabet networks and CNN talking heads recognize the contradictions betweeen what they report and what is actually happening?

Perhaps they want to increase contradictions to add foment to some dialectical imperative?

Carnifex said...

@Gerry

Ofcourse they can see "it". No one with 2 braincells can fail to see "it". What amazes me is that you think this is a problem for them. It's not. Not at all.

See these guys are going to retire/quit/whatever. There nut is covered, they've got their parachutes. From Soros on down they have been raping the US Treasury. And that's a lot of parachute. And look, the gas gauge is empty on this ol' plane. To bad you flyers didn't think to buy parachutes like we did.

It's all gonna crash, and the guy who works the cameras for the Sox games is gonna wake up and not have a job, or the makeup-babe, or the donut fetcher. All these jobs, though in terms of day to day living worthless, are still jobs that won't exist anymore.

Anyway been here all mornin' and startin' to hurt. I'm gonna lie down for a while. Cioa