Trusting the Press

[Merika]

Harris Poll Finds That By 3-to-1 Americans Don't Trust "The Press"

A Harris Poll released last week found that "Americans showed much less trust than Europeans in the media." The survey, conducted in December, determined that "a 62 to 22 percent (almost 3-to-1) majority of Americans did not trust 'the press'" and "a substantial 58 to 22 percent majority of Americans did not trust television."

An excerpt from the January 13 release from Harris:
Fewer Americans Than Europeans Have Trust in the Media - Press, Radio and TV But More Americans than Europeans Trust Religious Institutions

American attitudes toward the press, radio and television were much more negative than European attitudes. Specifically:

- A 62 to 22 percent (almost 3-to-1) majority of Americans did not trust "the press"; Europeans were split 47 to 46 percent.

- A modest 43 to 33 percent plurality of Americans were inclined to trust the radio; a larger than 2-to-1 majority (62% to 29%) of Europeans did so.

- A substantial 58 to 22 percent majority of Americans did not trust television; a 54 to 39 percent majority of Europeans did trust TV.

In the five largest EU countries:

- Trust in radio was above 55 percent everywhere and highest in Spain and France (67%).

- Trust in the press was highest in Spain (61%) and France (60%) and lowest in the U.K. (20%) -- with its own special mass market tabloid journalism.

- Trust in television was highest in Germany (59%) and the U.K. (54%) and lowest in Italy (37%) where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns several powerful networks. ....

-- Brent Baker

I don't trust the press at all. How about you?