A new poll released by Gallup indicates that confidence in TV news reporting continues to decline in the U.S.
Only 22% of respondents say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in TV news. That is down from 34% in 1999 and 46% in 1993.
One possible culprit, not mentioned by Gallup: the rise of cable news. In 1993 the only real player was CNN, which had become a household name with its coverage of the Gulf War. Since then, Fox News and MSNBC have risen to the top of the TV news crop, with the traditional broadcast outlets losing viewers.
Gallup notes that it is unclear how respondents factored in the online and cable outlets of “TV news” organizations, so make of that what you will.
The study also shows that Democrats and liberals have more confidence in TV news than Republicans or conservatives… though not by much. 16% of Republicans and 18% of conservatives had confidence in TV news, compared to 31% of Democrats and 24% of liberals.