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Trust in news media plummets further

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From Knight/Gallup:

Gallup and Knight have been tracking the decline of trust in the news media since 2017. Gallup’s long-term trend on this measure hit a record low in 2020, when the share of Americans with no confidence in the news media surpassed that of people with at least some confidence for the first time in 40 years.1 Furthermore, findings from the American Views 2020 report showed that Americans were “very concerned” about increasing political bias in news coverage and the perception that news organizations “push an agenda.” – February 15, 2023

Specifically,

– Only 26% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the news media, the lowest level Gallup and Knight have recorded in the past five years, while 53% hold an unfavorable view.

– Across all political affiliations, more Americans say they hold an unfavorable opinion of the news media compared to a survey conducted in late 2019-early 2020. This rise is especially pronounced among independents but is also apparent among Democrats — who typically hold more favorable views of the media.

– Perceptions of political bias in news coverage have also increased, with independents driving the trend, followed by Republicans, then Democrats.

– Young people continue to hold more negative perceptions of the news media than older generations, confirming previous findings. – February 15, 2023

Thought from an old hack: When mainstream media really mattered — say in the 1970s — they told us things it would have been difficult for us to find out otherwise. Those times are gone. Anyone with an internet connection can find out all kinds of things from a variety of sources. So values like objectivity matter much less to the MSM and they readily ally with any political group that will – by various means – help keep them in business.

The burden of actual news coverage is gradually falling on private citizens. Example: During a violent incident some months ago in my own community, I relied heavily on private coverage and reportage of what was happening, not on official media. Anyone on the scene with a cell phone or an internet connection…

Watch for American media to ask for government subsidy, as the Canadian media have successfully done, to stay in business. And — this is the scary part — expect denunciations of freedom of the press (US First Amendment) because it benefits The Wrong People (citizen competitors).

You may also wish to read: As the Twitter files drop, ponder the future of mainstream media. Mainstream media are largely ignoring the story for reasons that go to the heart of their own growing weakness and unstoppable decline. Journalism will never matter anywhere near as much to the MSM again as doing what their betters want. And they view those who follow the story as a threat.

and

Big Tech censorship goes well beyond Twitter. Big Tech media is not, in itself, an answer to current legacy mainstream media if we would like to know information that our betters would prefer that we didn’t. Governments that gain control of media generally want an absolute rewrite of history so that it re-emerges as a PR machine for their governance.

Comments
Jonathan Turley has become one of the major advocates for free speech by exposing all that’s bad with the press. https://jonathanturley.org/2023/02/21/the-war-on-musk-washington-post-slammed-over-twitter-hit-piece/ I have some friends from Beltway area who read the Post first thing in the morning.jerry
February 21, 2023
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Origenes at 9, I watch no one. The TV news is a joke. It is no longer credible in its entirety. Around the year 2000, I watched Walter Cronkite being interviewed by Larry King, another true professional. He decried what he called "the tabloidization of the media." A very accurate comment. The TV news turned into a repetition match with other TV news channels in the area. The formula became: Death, killing, death, killing, a comment about a celebrity or two or some current Leftist cause, followed by sports and weather. I recall an early commercial for CNN and 24 hour news. The Defense Department needs it but the average person, not at all. So I scan highly specialized sites now. Those that cover Wall Street are good because Leftist causes are avoided for real news about prices, the economy and new developments in certain fields.relatd
February 20, 2023
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Relatd @5
In the 1970s, I used to watch the Evening News with Walter Cronkite. He was called “the most trusted man in America.” Why? He had integrity.
Who do you watch in 2023?Origenes
February 20, 2023
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Querius at 7, So, live in a time where TV, radio, newspapers, books and magazines did not exist. Meanwhile, some people will believe some of what the Media tells them. If true, about half of the people in the U.S. don't. A good sign. But ignoring politics entirely is not possible, especially when it comes time to vote on issues that matter. That's when I collect information and vote. The majority of the population in the U.S. does not want to kill anyone.relatd
February 20, 2023
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What choice do we, the common people, have when journalists simply pump out propaganda, deliberately suppressing some news, puffing others, and twisting everything in between beyond recognition? a.) Drink their Kool-Aid. Believe all the propaganda. Anything that the news media tells you is, by definition, “the Truth,” and everything else, including free speech, is "disinformation." Then, when the country collapses from overwhelming corruption, the news media will provide a government-approved scapegoat, typically, the Jews. And if they run out of Jews, they'll have you blame Christians or some other group, real or imagined. b.) Believe your own experiences and those of your friends and neighbors. Assume that when journalists and politicians are moving their lips, it's a sign that they're lying. Recognize that the primary goals of the political and economic powers is to get common people polarized enough to violently hate each other. The government will also actively encourage sufficient crime and chaos so that common people will BEG the government to become a merciless dictatorship, which they will happily do. Everything will be peaceful then . . . but plan on standing in lines for hours for anything you need, including food and water. c. Try to find alternative sources for everything. Ignore the news media, recognizing that truth is extremely rare. Be happy with what you have, reject hate, ignore politics, always be learning new things, eat natural and healthy food (try growing some of your own), make time for activities that provide exercise, stay healthy, cultivate strong relationships in person, avoid isolation, speak the truth in love, don't live by lies, always do quality work, follow through on your commitments, be directly generous to those truly in need, forgive people, learn to play a non-electric musical instrument or some art, trust God to exact ultimate justice from the greedy and corrupt, and have gratitude for the small blessings in your life. -QQuerius
February 20, 2023
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A discussion of this by Gummi Bear based on comments by Matt Taibbi and Joe Rogan.
Just listened to @mtaibbi on @joerogan…great episode They predict independent journalists overtake MSM with platforms like substack Problem I see: they’re still beholden to their audience (clicks, subs, etc)…reasonable/nuanced content…meh Majority want stuff they agree with The issue is incentive structure Now that the media is not trusted, people gravitate towards those that give them what they want in terms of content Not necessarily those that give a full and honest picture of the news Not sure it’s a better system…
https://twitter.com/gummibear737/status/1627052431694594049 For example, what’s your opinion on young athletes dying of heart attacks?jerry
February 20, 2023
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"I’m in favor of the democratization of news coverage, trusting common people to decide for themselves what’s reasonably true or correct." A very bad idea, bordering on irrational. "democratization" is a fake idea - a very bad idea. Examples: Can you pick up a guitar and play well? No. Can you report "the news" well? No. The internet has convinced some people that the training required to be good at anything is gone. That the skill required to do anything good is gone. And some believe "the government will always lie to you." So, how do you find out what's really going on? Huh? Anyone? In the 1970s, I used to watch the Evening News with Walter Cronkite. He was called "the most trusted man in America." Why? He had integrity. He reported on international events, followed by events in the U.S. I felt like he covered everything well. That kind of skill is never pulled out of thin air. So no private citizen is ever actually a journalist. No private citizen can "pull" any skill out of thin air.relatd
February 19, 2023
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Seversky @2,
. . . without any commitment to journalistic standards whatsoever?
Hahahaha! What standards? I'm in favor of the democratization of news coverage, trusting common people to decide for themselves what's reasonably true or correct. After all, we trust common people to staff juries, own firearms, drive automobiles, and to vote. GASP! This even extends to those increasingly common people--thanks to state-owned education--who are functionally illiterate, can't find the U.S. on a world map, or list anything from the U.S. Constitution or The Bill of Rights. "Journalistic standards" is an oxymoron at the level of "military intelligence" and "congressional integrity." There are even recent threats against doctors who spread what the government decides is "misinformation." Are you joking or are you really that naive? -QQuerius
February 19, 2023
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Seversky: I bet you're in favor of 'peer-review' as well. Right? Anyone who knows anything in depth about a particular field knows that when the mainstream press reports on it, they have no idea what they're talking about. And anyone with a little bit of common sense can smell out fake news from real news--in fact, that's why the mainstream press is held in such low esteem: they're as biased as the day is long.PaV
February 19, 2023
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Why should we think "private" coverage and reportage is any more reliable than MSM when anyone with a beef or an agenda can put content out there without any commitment to journalistic standards whatsoever?Seversky
February 19, 2023
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That's disturbing : https://babylonbee.com/news/disturbing-poll-reveals-26-of-americans-still-trust-the-mediaNonlin.org
February 19, 2023
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