Most say journalists should be watchdogs, but views of how well they fill this role vary by party, media diet
Nearly three out of four U.S. adults say that, in general, it’s important for journalists to function as watchdogs over elected officials.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Nearly three out of four U.S. adults say that, in general, it’s important for journalists to function as watchdogs over elected officials.
France stands out from other Western European countries for its broad discontent toward the news media. About a third of adults say they trust the news media, including just 4% who say they have a lot of trust
Many Democrats and Republicans hold divergent views of President Donald Trump’s withholding of military aid to Ukraine. But in today’s fragmented news media environment, party identification may not be the only fault line.
Politicians viewed as major creators of it, but journalists seen as the ones who should fix it
There are partisan divisions over certain aspects of local news reporting, including whether local journalists should express views on local issues.
The politically aware, digitally savvy and those more trusting of the news media fare better in differentiating factual statements from opinions.
Across eight Western European countries, people with populist leanings have more negative attitudes about the news media than do those with non-populist views.
Overall, 36% of Americans get science news at least a few times a week and three-in-ten actively seek it. Most get science news from general news outlets, but more see specialty sources as being accurate.
Just 5% of more than 3,000 news stories from the first 100 days of the Trump presidency cited a member of the public.
A global median of 75% want their news media to be unbiased when covering political issues, yet many say the news media do a poor job of reporting on political issues fairly.
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