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U.S. Press’ credibility at 20-year low

A 2009 Pew Research study "Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two Decade Low" found that less than one-third of Americans believe their press “generally gets the facts straight.” Americans also believe their media is less objective, according to the study’s data. Sixty percent of Americans say they believe the press is politically biased, and only 20 percent of Americans say they believe the media is independent from the pressures of powerful people and organizations.

Part of the reason Americans are not trusting the accuracy of the press is because American news companies’ staffs shrank with their declining budgets. According to Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, the decline of media budgets “means facts don’t get checked as carefully as they should.”

The Newspaper Association of America reported that newspaper ad sales fell 29 percent during the first half of this year. TV ad revenue dropped 12 percent during the same period, according to the Television Bureau of Advertising. Radio advertising sank 23 percent, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau.

Television news continues to be the most popular news source, as 71 percent of the respondents say they use it for national and international news. Cable news network ratings have skyrocketed, especially Fox News. However, many Americans believe the these networks practice partisan journalism. According to the survey, 72 percent of Republicans view Fox News positively compared with just 43 percent of Democrats. The survey also found that 60 percent of Democrats positively view MSNBC while only 34 percent of Republicans share the same opinion.

Though the poll shows American discontent with the press, the survey has come under some criticism as it did not define the term “news media.” The ambiguous expression may or may not encompass bloggers and freelance journalists.