Public Down on the Fourth Estate: Negative opinions about news organizations now equal or surpass the all-time highs the Pew Research Center has been tracking since 1985, says an updated July 2011 study. Highlights include:
• 66% say news stories often are inaccurate; 77% think that news orgs tend to favor one side; and 80% say news is often influenced by powerful people and organizations (got that, PR pros?).
• Just 25% say that news orgs get the facts straight while 66% say stories are often inaccurate. Four years ago, 39% said news organizations mostly get the facts straight and 53% said stories are often inaccurate. PRN
Source: Pew Research Center