Nick Kristof Worries About Media Credibility
JustOneMinute blog
Nick Kristof worries about media credibility; I worry about Nick Kristof. Let's have some comic excerpts:
<<<
A recent report from the Pew Research Center, "Trends 2005," is painful to read. The report says that 45 percent of Americans believe little or nothing in their daily newspapers, up from 16 percent two decades ago.
...Those of us in the press tend to get defensive about our dwindling credibility. We protest that we've been made scapegoats by partisan demagogues, particularly on the right, and I think that's true. But distrust for the news media, even if it's unfair, is the new reality - and we will have to work much, much harder to win back our credibility with the public.
In any case, it's not just right-wingers who distrust the media these days. The Pew Research Center found that while only 14 percent of Republicans believe all or most of what they read in The New York Times, even among Democrats the figure is only 31 percent. Other major news organizations face the same challenge. The Fox News Channel is considered credible by fewer than one-third of the Republicans - and an even smaller number of Democrats. Indeed, it's a rare news organization that is trusted by more than one-third of the people in either party: the one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on is that the news media are not trustworthy.
>>>
So Fox faces "the same challenge" as the NY Times, yes? Let's look at the darn study - 14% of Reps and 31% of Dems trust the NY Times; that is a more than 2-1 ratio, a 17% spread, and (we boldly presume) statistically significant.
The numbers for Fox are that is is trusted by 29% of Reps and 24% of Dems, which may well be statistically meaningless. Or, per Kristof, it may be "the same" as the Times - you make the call.
To compound the comedy, most of data from this media survey, including the figures cited by Kristof, were from the summer of 2004, i.e., pre-RatherGate, pre EasonGate, and (for my lib friends) pre-Guckert. In fact, since the surveys were from May and June of 2004, they preceded the formal collapse of Joe Wilson, whose media star had been launched in large part by Nick Kristof himself (Mr. Kristof's "defense" is here).
Eventually, Kristof does arrive at the obvious solution, and imagine my embarrassment, since I was shouting at my newspaper while laboring through several silly paragraphs. What was I shouting? Roughly, "C'mon, clown, the reason I don't trust the Times or Fox is they are both in the tank for someone."
Mr. Kristof is more stylish:
<<<
We also need more diverse newsrooms. When America was struck by race riots in the late 1960's, major news organizations realized too late that their failure to hire black reporters had impaired their ability to cover America. In the same way, our failure to hire more red state evangelicals limits our understanding of and ability to cover America today.
I think we're nuts not to regulate handguns more strictly, but I also think that gun owners have a point when they complain that gun issues often seem to be covered by people who don't know a 12-gauge from an AR-15.
>>>
OK, we appreciate his sentiment, but let's dutifully note that there are conservatives that are neither evangelicals or gun nuts gun rights's enthusiasts. He's biased even in discussing his biases! There is work to be done.
MORE: On media bias, the Pew Study is fascinating:
<<<
When it comes to describing the press, twice as many say news organizations are “liberal” (51%) as say they are “conservative” (26%), while 14% say neither phrase applies. This was also the case in surveys conducted in the mid-to-late 1980s and, not surprisingly, there is a significant partisan cast to these perceptions.
Republicans see the press as more liberal than conservative by nearly three to one (65% to 22%). Among independents, the margin is two to one (50% to 25%). And while a third of Democrats say there is a conservative tilt to the American press, a slight plurality (41%) says the press is more liberal than anything else.
>>>
Hmm, lots of honest but off-message Dems wandering loose.
MORE: Kristof worries that reporters are perceived as "arrogant" - his LOL e-mail defending a silly column shows why that might be. (We are tossing all of our hats in Michelle Malkin's direction).
justoneminute.typepad.com
nytimes.com
pewresearch.org
justoneminute.typepad.com
justoneminute.typepad.com
justoneminute.typepad.com
justoneminute.typepad.com
michellemalkin.com
justoneminute.typepad.com
michellemalkin.com
michellemalkin.com |
