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    Waco and King Coverage Faulted

    Report Summary In expressing significant doubts about press performance on the two most closely followed news events of the past month, at least two out of five Americans felt the press was too critical of the Clinton Administration and the FBI for their handling of the Waco, Texas cult tragedy. And one in three complained […]

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    TV Violence: More Objectionable In Entertainment Than in Newscasts

    REPORT SUMMARY Many more Americans express concern about the amount of violence on entertainment television programs than about the increasingly violent content of broadcast news.  TV news, while seen as containing more graphic violence than in the past, is also seen as reflecting the reality of a violent society. Further, a large sector of the […]

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    NBC’s Believability Burned

    Report Summary The believability of NBC News has been diminished in the eyes of the public after it admitted that it staged the explosion of a General Motors truck during a segment of the newsmagazine program “Dateline NBC.”

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    It’s Still the Economy… Mr. Clinton

    Report Summary Despite an upsurge in consumer confidence, the attention of the American public continues to be focused on the economy. Nearly two out of three Americans (62%) believes that the economy is still either in a recession, or in a depression, while only 34% of the public thinks that an economic recovery has begun.

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    Press Sees Coverage as Having Hurt Bush Election Chances

    Report Summary A substantial majority (55%) of the American journalists who followed the 1992 presidential campaign believe that George Bush’s candidacy was damaged by the way the press covered him. Only 11% feel that Gov. Bill Clinton’s campaign was harmed by the way the press covered his drive to the presidency. Moreover, one out of […]

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    Voters Say ’Thumbs Up’ To Campaign, Process & Coverage

    Report Summary The American electorate feels better about itself and better about the campaign process than it did four years ago. A panel back post-mortem survey of voters conducted the weekend following the election found 77% of Americans thinking they learned enough during the campaign to make an informed choice between President George Bush, Governor […]

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    The Campaign and the Press at Halftime

    Report Summary While George Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot have all criticized 1992 campaign press coverage, the three candidates might be surprised to learn that many members of the press community share their negative views.

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    Public Interest and Awarness of the News

    Report Summary While news about the Rodney King verdict and the Los Angeles riots clearly dominated the public’s interest, reports about the condition of the economy were still very closely followed by four in ten Americans (39%). But attention to the economy dropped significantly since Times Mirror’s March and February polls (47% and 47% respectively). […]

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    Washington Follows the Primaries

    Report Summary The President’s approval ratings have slipped below 40% for the first time ever, a significant gender gap is re-emerging, and two traditionally strong constituencies — the affluent and younger voters — are starting to edge away from the President. While the now famous unnamed Democrat beats the President, the public still believes Bush […]

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    Public Interest and Awareness of the News

    Report Summary In a period when Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of the USSR, when the Soviet Union fragmented and dissolved, and when the Commonwealth of Independent States took its place, stories about the U.S. economy are being followed much more closely by the American people.