Gallup study: Media Ranks Dead Last in Public Trust
/In a recently released Gallup public opinion survey, eight of the nine institutions studied received majority positive ratings, however, the media ranked dead last in the study of Americans' trust in institutions. Additionally, only the media received more negative than positive reviews. The finding is part of a decades-long decline in popular trust in the media, Gallup's editor-in-chief Mohamed Younis said.
Other surveys have revealed that once trusted news sources have changed to try to guide and sway public opinion. CNN, once known for being an innovator and leading cable news source, has seen ratings fall below that of the Food Network and has been frequently criticized for presenting stories in a format which seems to push agenda rather than accurately report news.
MSNBC has fallen into a similar dilemma, watching their once most popular program, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” continue its extended nosedive in the May cable news ratings. Some critics say it’s because the show's eponymous host has spent the past several years misleading viewers and when large bits of news rise against her agenda, Maddow finds other topics more compelling.
As a liquor store burned behind him, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, insisted that the “protest” was “not generally speaking unruly.”
In an article submitted by Erik Wemple, he stated, “She was there for the bunkings, absent for the debunkings — a pattern of misleading and dishonest asymmetry.”
MSNBC recently gained notoriety for a claim of reporting on peaceful protests in Minneapolis. During a live broadcast, as a liquor store burned behind him, the 3rd Police Precinct overrun and torched nearby, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, insisted that the “protest” was “not generally speaking unruly.”
The Gallup study seemed to indicate that people are turning to local news sources for accurate reporting, but even that is becoming difficult. With many of the local news outlets being owned by major conglomerates, the pushing of agendas rather than reporting of news seems to be a growing concern, even at the local level.
“Overall, what we found is that people again, similarly to government, want to trust and want access to local news sources and see them dwindling away across the United States," Gallup’s Younis said.
KPGZ News - Jim Dickerson contributed to this report
