Journalism’s warped mirror
: The Annenberg Foundation, at whose event I’m sitting right now, released a survey of journalists and members of the public, often about the same questions but with very different views. Some highlights:
: “To what extent do journalists who report the news try to do so objectively and fairly, without regard to their own political views?…”
56 percent of journalists said they do to a great extent and 38 percent to a moderate extent, adding up to 94 percent
But only 18 percent of the public say to a great extent and 47 percent to a moderate extent, adding up to 65 percent.
One could argue that 65 percent is still a good majority, but it’s a rather wide gulf.
: Journalists were asked the reason why journalists “unintentionally let bias into their reporting.”
38 percent say they accept information without checking, 29 say they have strong personal views on a subject, 18 percent blame tight deadlines, 7 percent blame writing for editors’ approval.
: On Dan Rather, the two groups were not far apart on three questions: A sizable majority of both groups said that a major or minor reason for running the Bush story included that CBS and Rather “believed the story was accurate” and they were “in too much of a rush” and that they “were lied to by their sources.” A split came on this theory: “CBS News and Dan Rather are liberals who dislike President Bush.” 41 percent of journalists said this was a reason, major or minor, but 69 percent of the public believed this reason.
: Here’s a fun one: Both groups were asked whether people on a list were journalists or not. I’ll list the number from journalists the public’s number for each name with my comments: Peter Jennings 91/88; Mike Wallace 92/80; Brian Williams 80/69; Bob Woodward (question asked before Deep Throat’s PR) 96/64; George Will 64/50; Katie Couric (note the shift) 49/62; Chris Matthews 49/55; Larry King 26/43; Bill O’Reilly 12/55 (now there is a disconnect); Rush Limbaugh 3/32.
: The two groups certainly disagree about whether journalists get the facts straight.
86 percent of journalists think they get the facts straight while only 45 percent of the public agree; 11 percent of journalists say they are “often innacurate” while 48 percent of the public say that is the case.
: They also disagree about whether mistakes are corrected.
74 percent of journalists say they quickly report they have made a mistake vs. 30 percent of the public.
: The public thinks most journlists are liberal but most American aren’t.
Asked to describe the majority of journalists, the public said 42 percent are liberal, 29 moderate, 16 conservative. As to the majority of Americans: 17 percent liberal, 39 moderate, 33 conservative.
: Journalists are asked the same question on many job descriptions. I’ll quote just the liberal number: 54 percent say the majority of newspaper journalists are liberal, 34 percent for TV and radio journalists, 34 for editors and producers, 5 for media owners, and 6 for radio talk show hosts. And the public? Only 1 percent of journalists say the majority of Americans is liberal.
: 30 percent of journalists say news media have been more critical of the Bush administration, 64 percent of journalists say they were more critical of Clinton.
: On the idea of news organizations having “a decidedly political point of view in their coverage of the news,” the two groups split… but I think the question is not properly put. The issue in the minds of many is not whether journalists have a bias but whether they reveal it. In any case, 16 percent of journalists say it’s very or somewhat good to have a decedily political point of view in coverage while 80 percent say it’s very or somewhat bad vs. a split public: 43 percent say it’s very or somewhat good and 53 says it’s very or somewhat bad.
: Asked about watching “shows such as the O’Reilly Factor or Hardball,” I find it interesting that the public argues against the echo-chamber theory: 80 percent say they watch because they “like to listen to people who have a different point of view than me.”
: Asked whom they believe in all or most matters, here’s the public’s ranking: Local TV news ranks first at 72 percent followed by CNN, 65; Jennings and ABC, 64; Williams and NBC, 60; the local daily paper, 59; Fox, Time, and CBS tied at 56; People at 23; Limbaugh at 20. Some are amazed by that local TV news number but I think it makes sense because (a) it’s local and local is what matters in our lives, (b) it’s easy and doesn’t try to, in the words of one participant here, treat news as porridge, (c) it’s human and has a personality, vs. impersonal and institutional newspapers.
: 85 percent of journalists think it’s not easy for the public to distinguish journalists from nonjournalists. (Whatever the hell a journalist is….)
: On blogs, 45 percent of journalists say they have a very or somewhat positive effect on the quality of news; 38 percent sasy very or somewhat negative.
: As for eading blogs, 20 percent of journalists do it every day, 17 percent a few times a week, 15 percent a few times a month, 5 percent once a month, 18 percent less than monthly, 24 percent never.
