June 19, 2013

Washington Secrets

Poll: Internet edges networks as public's source for news

BY: PAUL BEDARD FEBRUARY 28, 2013 | 11:47 AM | MODIFIED: FEBRUARY 28, 2013 AT 11:50 AM
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Bye bye Walter Cronkite, Brian Williams and Scott Pelley. Hello Google, Yahoo and Drudge.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll finds that traditional network news continues to fall as the nation's source for news. The internet now is a bigger source of news for Americans than network TV, by a point, 25 percent to 24 percent.

Cable TV is still king, with 32 percent of the 1,000 likely voters Rasmussen polled getting their news from that source. Newspapers barely register a 10 percent, and radio is the source of news for 7 percent of the country.

The poll gauged how well the public trusted the media and if they see a bias. On both fronts, it is bad news.

Just 6 percent of the nation considers the national media "very trustworthy," and nearly half believe reporters are more liberal than they are, said Rasmussen.

Just how much the public trusts the media has been on a slide for years. Rasmussen found that 6 percent found the media "very trustworthy," 50 percent "somewhat trustworthy," 30 percent "not very trustworthy," and 12 percent "not at all trustworthy."

Republicans were even more skeptical of the media. Just 4 percent feel the media is very trustworthy, compared to 10 percent of Democrats, still a troubling number.

Rasmussen also found that the public sees a sharp political bias among reporters, with 41 percent saying that journalists are "more liberal" than they are, 26 percent the same and just 18 percent more conservative.

The poll was split 50-50 men to women, with Democrats dominating at 38 percent, Republicans 32 percent and "other" 29 percent.

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