The preliminary results of the study are available at this link.
The order form for ordering a final copy of the study is available at this link.
December 15, 1998
RESTON, Va. The American public thinks the news media should rein in their eagerness for the sexy story and try harder to be fair, reports a preliminary survey sponsored by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. A final report including journalists' reactions is expected in April 1999.
The ground-breaking survey, released Dec. 15, was undertaken to help newspaper editors better understand the underlying causes of the credibility challenge and to review their practices and policies with the goal of building public trust in journalism, according to ASNE president Edward L. Seaton, editor-in-chief of The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury. (His remarks are available at this link.)
ASNE has embarked on a $1 million project to improve the credibility of newspapers and journalism. The current study has identified several areas where newspapers will develop strategic initiatives intended to make measurable progress in improving credibility, according to Seaton.
The study was based on telephone interviews with 3,000 Americans last April and May, followed up with 16 focus groups. The research was designed, conducted and analyzed by Urban & Associates, Inc. of Sharon, Mass., under the direction of its president, Christine Urban.
Throughout the survey, the public expresses constant and consistent appeals for fairness and even-handedness in news coverage, Urban said. They see the editorial page as the only home for opinion or suggestion. The public believes that the reporters job is to report the facts completely, insightfully and without spin, and clean of any intent to sway or convince.
Among the findings that may surprise journalists are:
Inaccuracy: More than a third of adults said they see spelling or grammar mistakes in their newspaper more than once a week, and 21 percent said they see them almost daily. It seems like the papers gotten sloppier in the last 10 years, said one focus group participant.
Sensationalism: More than 80 percent of Americans believe that sensational stories get lots of news coverage simply because theyre exciting, not because theyre important. The motivation is to sell newspapers and attract news audiences, a similar number of Americans believe.
Bias: While 78 percent of U.S. adults believe theres bias in the news media, but there no consensus definition of what bias means. Almost one-third (30 percent) see bias as not being open-minded and neutral about the facts; almost another third (29 percent) believe bias is having an agenda and shaping the news to report it; another third (29 percent) define bias as favoritism to a particular social or political group. Eight percent said that bias is all of these. The public is also split on liberal vs. conservative, with 47 percent saying their local paper tends to be more politically liberal than themselves, and 34 percent saying it tends to be more politically conservative than they are.
Manipulation of the press: 78 percent of the public believes that powerful people or organizations can influence a newspaper to spike or spin a story. The most frequently cited groups the public thinks influence news decisions are politicians or government officials, big business and wealthy individuals. Half (50 percent) believe that advertisers interests influence decisions. A big criticism (felt by 59 percent of the public) is that newspapers are concerned mainly with making profits, rather than serving the public interest.
Corrections: When they see errors, 19 percent of readers say they always see a correction, and 40 percent say they sometimes see one. Some 63 percent say they feel better about the quality of the news coverage they get when they see corrections. If theres a mistake, admit it, said a focus group participant. People are more likely to believe you. Dont hide it in small print. Let them know you want them to know your mistakes.
Television and newspapers: The study asked a number of questions about television and newspapers, in order to draw some comparisons. For example, when asked which is the worst offender in terms of bias, 42 percent said television, while 23 percent said newspapers. Television is overwhelmingly seen as the dominant source of national and world news, while a majority (54 percent) say newspapers are their primary source of local news. When there are conflicting factual accounts in one medium or another, the public tends to believe the news medium that had more time to collect and study the facts.
Unnamed sources: More than three-quarters of U.S. adults expressed concern about the credibility of news stories that use anonymous sources, and 45 percent say the story shouldnt run at all if no one will go on the record. At the very least, newspapers should explain why they use unnamed sources when they feel they have to, focus group participants said.
Urban lists the following as the six major conclusions of the study:
As part of the Journalism Credibility Project, eight daily newspapers have agreed to serve as test sites. Starting in the spring of 1999, each will introduce strategies and content innovations in four major areas the research identifies as areas where newspapers might build reader trust: accuracy, sensationalism, bias and connecting with readers.
The eight newspapers are: The Philadelphia Inquirer; The Oregonian, Portland; Austin (Texas) American-Statesman; San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News; Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune; The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Daily Press, Newport News, Va.; and Florida Today, Melbourne.
Copies of the report are available from the Society for $10.
The ASNE Journalism Credibility Project is funded by the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation and the eight test-site newspapers.
The American Society of Newspaper Editors, with 875 members, is an organization of the main editors of daily newspapers in the Americas. Founded in 1922, ASNE's focuses on the professional development of its members and journalism-related issues, including the First Amendment, newsroom staff diversity, editorial innovation, and the newspaper's role in providing information necessary to the informed practice of citizenship.
For more information, contact, Diana Mitsu Klos, ASNE Project Director, at 703/453-1125 or dmk@asne.org