April 27, 2005
By E&P Staff

NEW YORK -- A national survey conducted by the Missouri School of Journalism's Center for Advanced Social Research has found that 85% detect bias in news reporting. Of those, 48% believe it is liberal bias, 30% conservative -- and 12% both.

Almost two out of three said journalists too often invade people's privacy. About three in four feel the news is too negative. The same number said reporters tend to favor one side over the other when covering political and social issues.

At the same time, however, nearly two in three call journalism credible. More than half rate newspapers and television news as trustworthy. And a robust 83% say it is vital for journalists to keep pushing for access to information when officials resist.

By 62% percent to 18%, respondents said they agree with the statement, "Journalism in the U.S. is mainly a force for good." By the same 3-1 margin, respondents agreed, "I personally benefit from what journalists provide." And by 75% to 12%, they agreed, "Journalism helps me understand what is going on in America."

The study surveyed 495 adults last summer, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%.

"The consumers of American journalism respect, value and need it, but they're also skeptical about whether journalists really live up to the standards of accuracy, fairness and respect for others that we profess," George Kennedy, co-author of the study and a professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, said in a statement.

Other poll findings:

• 58% claim journalists have too much influence over what happens in the world.
• 77% believe stories are sometimes killed or buried if they may damage or embarrass financial interests.
• About half says the media tend to exaggerate problems or are too sensational.

Kennedy said that what distinguishes this study from the dozens of recent surveys is that it includes questions other surveys haven't. "We wanted to find out whether journalism actually serves any useful purposes in people's lives, and what those purposes might be," he said in a statement. "We also, of course, wanted to assess whether people believe what they read or hear."

The survey and the follow-up interviews show that, by significant margins, Americans do think journalism is important and that they do trust what journalists tell them, though with some reservations.

In the survey, respondents agreed, by 93% to 4%, that "the freedom of the press is important to our system of government." Asked whether journalists have too much or too little of that freedom, 14% said "too little" 23% said "too much" and 60% said "about the right amount."