State of the media

0 Comments | Insight on the News, June 3, 2002 | by Jennifer Harper

Americans aren't the only ones who get piqued at their press. British newspapers--a motley assortment of staid broadsheets and slavering tabloids--have received a black eye from their readerships. They are the least trusted in Europe, according to the Eurobarometer; an annual survey of 15,000 people across the European Union.

The British press realm encompasses about 600 local and regional newspapers, including the world's oldest broadsheet, The Times of London. Britons are also voracious readers, with almost half reading a newspaper every day.

But Eurobarometer found that British papers were only trusted by a "dismal" 20 percent of the population--less than half the European average of 46 percent. Elsewhere in Europe, the Italian press was runner-up for the "least-trusted" title, with 39 percent.

Belgian newspapers were deemed the most dependable, trusted by 60 percent. Newspapers in Finland and Luxembourg were next at 58 percent each, followed by those in the Netherlands, at 57 percent. Newspapers in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France and Portugal had ratings ranging from 43 to 55 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, a separate survey taken in January by ROMIR --the Russian arm of the Gallup poll--found that 41 percent of Russians trusted their news organizations.

While the overall image of the American news media has improved since Sept. 11, old annoyances persist, according to three polls released in mid-April. A Fox News poll found that only 15 percent of Americans trust the news media "a great deal." While 49 percent said they trust it "some," 30 percent felt the press is biased to liberals, 16 percent said conservatives have the upper hand and 30 percent felt reporting is "balanced."

A Harris poll revealed that almost three-quarters thought journalists were too big for their proverbial britches. Seventy-two percent said the press had "too much power and influence in Washington," while only 16 percent said they had "a great deal" of confidence in the press.

Meanwhile, an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found that 13 percent of those polled had a "great deal" of confidence in the national news media; 39 percent said they had "some" confidence in it.