The Missouri School of Journalism's Center for Advanced Social Research surveyed 495 adults about their attitudes toward the press during June and July of 2004. Their results, released in April 2005, showed that most Americans (85%) thought that news reporting was biased, although a smaller majority (62%) still said they considered journalism credible. Of those who thought the media were biased, most said the bias favored liberals.
KEY FINDINGS:
Nearly six out of seven adults (85%) said there was a bias in news reporting. 'Of those, 48 percent identified it as liberal, 30 percent as conservative, 12 percent as both, and 3 percent as other bias,' an April 27, 2005 Associated Press report summarized.
According to the AP summary, '74 percent said reporters tend to favor one side over the other when covering political and social issues.'
'58 percent said journalists have too much influence over what happens in the world.'
'77 percent said they think a news story is sometimes killed or buried if it is embarrassing or damaging to the financial interests of a news organization.'
Previous: Exhibit 2-7: Bias in the 2004 Presidential Campaign
Next: Exhibit 2-9: American Journalism Review, 2005