Only 14% of republicans trust the media. How do you fix that? (1 Viewer)

[RedmondLonghorn]

If it was 14% on election day, with these protests at airports, I bet its under 10% right now.

Are those protests actually happening, or are they media fabrications?

Are the protests newsworthy?

Unless somebody answered that they were media fabrications, I don't see how reporting on them would lead a rational person to trust the media less.

 

[jon_mx]

For those so skeptical of the "mass media", what criteria are you using to decide whether what you are told is the truth or not?

The accuracy ('the truth') is not the issue.  It is the spin/agenda in how news is reported that is the issue.  It is not the stuff they show, it is how they show it and what they don't show.  As long as 95% of journalist are liberal and don't understand a more conservative perspective, the reporting will not be trusted.  The media does a terrible job at including that perspective.  

 

[jon_mx]

Are those protests actually happening, or are they media fabrications?

Are the protests newsworthy?

Unless somebody answered that they were media fabrications, I don't see how reporting on them would lead a rational person to trust the media less.

It is a story, but it is not the only story.  The coverage is like the OJ driving the bronco story, it is everywhere.  Reporting of people being hysterical over Trump is on 24/7.  it is too much for normal people. 

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

It is a story, but it is not the only story.  The coverage is like the OJ driving the bronco story, it is everywhere.  Reporting of people being hysterical over Trump is on 24/7.  it is too much for normal people. 

No, it isn't the only story. There are about six other really big, substantive stories related to stuff the Trump administration is doing.

Trump likes attention. He's getting it.

 

[jon_mx]

No, it isn't the only story. There are about six other really big stories, substantive, related to stuff the Trump administration is doing.

Trump likes attention. He's getting it.

There are tons of things going on besides Trump.  I don't want negative Trump stories 24/7.  I turn it to the news and all I see is a bunch of whiners comparing Trump to Hitler.  It is not only over-coverage it is too much hyperbole. 

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

There are tons of things going on besides Trump.  I don't want negative Trump stories 24/7.  I turn it to the news and all I see is a bunch of whiners comparing Trump to Hitler.  It is not only over-coverage it is too much hyperbole. 

Hitler comparisons are FS.

But as Trump supporters like to point out, he did a lot of stuff in his first week in office. Several of the things he did were quite dramatic in their impacts and/or potential impacts and a few of them have had unintended consequences already. That's news.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato agreed that the weekend protests over the executive orders would not hurt Trump politically.

“His base is as firm as ever,” he said. “What he’s lost in the very early polls is the Republicans who were never Trumpers and ended up voting for Trump.”

Or, in other words, the voters at the margins who allowed him to win.

 

[jon_mx]

Hitler comparisons are FS.

But as Trump supporters like to point out, he did a lot of stuff in his first week in office. Several of the things he did were quite dramatic in their impacts and/or potential impacts and a few of them have had unintended consequences already. That's news.

You can be biased and accurate. I am not sure the distrust of the media come from being inaccurate so much but the focus and angle of the story.  The story is reported with the protestors constantly in the background so it kind of overwhelms any rationale discussion of what is going on.  I don't like Trump, but I still don't see the media giving a balanced perspective in the reporting and analysis.  

 

[cockroach]

I remember when we invaded Iraq and they toppled a statue of Sadam.  All the news stations showed a huge crowd of people celebrating around the statue.  It was then shown that there really weren't too many people there in the square, they were all just huddled in this one area and that's all the news was showing.  I found that to be incredibly deceptive.

 

[matuski]

I remember when we invaded Iraq and they toppled a statue of Sadam.  All the news stations showed a huge crowd of people celebrating around the statue.  It was then shown that there really weren't too many people there in the square, they were all just huddled in this one area and that's all the news was showing.  I found that to be incredibly deceptive.

Kinda like during the Rafa vs Federer Finals ESPN kept switching away from Rafa right before the butt & nut picking portion of his pre-serve/return ritual.

They should let the world see how disgusting that guy is.

 

[Peyton Marino]

it's a good point, but it's the narrative and the story line that conservatives don't trust. In other words, what stories receive emphasis, what omissions are made, etc., lead Republicans to think there is an unfair narrative in the media writ large. 

They're not reporting false facts, but their emphasis and narrative behind those facts is selective.  

nailed it.

the majority of journalists lean left.  bias is deeply ingrained in human nature.  a few journalists are able to put aside their bias, but most can't.  as RA mentions here, it doesn't manifest itself in outright lies, but rather in narrative and more subtle things like omissions, emphasis, etc.

 

[Jedi Knight]

To the original question...

1- Public execution of Brian Williams- you know, the anchor that made up his news.  And any other reporter/anchor caught doing so.
2- Complete ban on 24/7 coverage of major news events like Sandy Hook and the like.  30 minute, facts only coverage- tops.
3- Complete ban on adjectives and adverbs to "add" to the news.
4- Eliminate "sound-bite" news.
5- Eliminate advertising during the news/on "news" websites.
6- Immediate firing of any anchor or reporter that gives an opinion about the story they are covering.
7- Complete ban of mentioning or showing any Hollywood actor/actress and their opinions.

This would go a ways toward getting me to trust the news again.

Ok, last night I didn't have time to explain my rationale, but I do now.  Here goes...

1- Reporters/Editors/Producers that "make up" facts to sensationalize news should not be allowed to work in the industry again if they are caught.  It's a basic trust issue.  I mentioned Brian Williams because he was the first one that came to mind.  I will never trust a story he tells again, regardless of the content.  The public execution part was simply sarcasm.

2- I mentioned Sandy Hook when referring to 24/7 coverage of a story.  The day that happened, I first got wind of it on twitter.  I went up to my wife's office and told her what happened and she immediately turned on the news and started getting engrossed.  I told her then that this would follow a playbook:
a- Reporters/Anchors would speak in lower tones and use adjectives like "unbelievable" and "horrific".
b- Commercial time would be limited and an official musical score would be played.
c- Rumors would be broadcast (remember reports of the second shooter)
d- The gun control nuts would be interviewed as quickly as possible.  I told her that it would happen within 45 minutes.  I was wrong.  It took 20 minutes.
To me, while this event truly was "horrific and unbelievable", the over-reporting of it and every possible detail and angle is unneeded.  *Opionion Alert* I also believe that it leads other mentally unstable people to attempt to "top it" so they can get whatever attention they crave.

3- The complete banning of adjectives/adverbs thought actually started during this election cycle when I realized how the media was subtly pushing Hillary.  In every report on her, the adjectives/adverbs used were positive (eg- she looked radiant, she commandingly did..., she glowingly did...) whereas the adjectives/adverbs used for Trump were largely negative (eg- he shockingly said..., he unbelievably did..., he glared at...).  I find that newscasts do this to push their agendas.

4- Eliminating "sound-bite" news is simply detailed reporting.  I find that many reports are now so "Reader's Digest Condensed" that relevant facts are left out until later.  And sometimes, those facts can certainly change an opinion.  I can't stand listening to a report knowing that there is more to the story, but either in the rush to meet a deadline, or because it doesn't fit a particular narrative, facts are left out.

5- Because of ratings, everything is now sensationalized on the news.  Follow the money.  Producers want people on their butts in front of the TV because of ratings.  The higher the ratings, the more advertising dollars they get, the higher budget they have.  Therefore, the news has to be entertaining...and let's face it, facts are pretty dull to most folks.  And it makes me wonder how many important (but boring) stories are left out of the news in favor of more entertaining stories.

6- I really can't stand when, after a report runs, and the anchor says something like, "Pretty unbelievable someone would stoop so low", or "Wow, this is great."  Again, it's a subtle injection of opinion that isn't needed.  It's a way to gently push the audience into thinking a certain way about whatever was reported.  It's also not their job.  Their job is to report facts- not give opinion.

7- Actors and actresses (and other outspoken entertainers) have ZERO understanding of what day-to-day living is like for most americans.  They measure their income in millions, they live in mansions, they have agents, accountants, personal chefs, nannies and many other posse members that help them get through life.  Therefore, their opinion on politics or anything else that affects me is 100 percent irrelevant.  Whether I agree with them or not.  They do not belong as part of a legitimate newscast unless it's a report about their death.

Now, all that said, these are strictly my opinions on how I feel about the "news".  I get my news from many sources and do not rely solely on one source.  But I tend to mentally check out when I realize that opinions are leaking into the story, or an agenda is being pushed.  I don't think that the trust issue will ever be fixed.  Kinda like politicians and lawyers.  I believe that if you do trust any of the three, then you truly are a useful idiot.

I also believe that the fault lies with us.  We ask for it by continuing to watch the crap that is fed to us.

 

[IC FBGCav]

Here is a chart that tells us everything we need to know about the state of politics in the US today.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/195542/americans-trust-mass-media-sinks-new-low.aspx

In the Bill Clinton era, about half of republicans trusted the media.  You can see a HUGE dip when the media turned against the Iraq war last decade.  Around 2003, republican trust in the media fell to around 30% where it restabilized.  But in the past couple of years, republican trust in the media has effectively fallen off a cliff with only 14% trusting the media now.  A lot of that could probably be blamed on coverage of racial tensions, BLM, and criticism of cops in the media.  

Trust in the media has collapsed to the point where a republican openly attacking the press is a WINNING issue.  We've never been here before but we're here now.  It probably doesn't matter who leads the republican party, going forward they will show zero respect for the press lest their constituents vote them out.  Its likely the candidate who gives the press the least respect will always win the GOP primaries.  

How can this be fixed?  Or can it be fixed?

If nothing is done, the future of American press will be FOX news and Breitbart.  People won't care that the news is less accurate.  They would rather have less accurate news than news from a press that, in their opinion, is actively working against them.

Have them finish high school.

 

[Sabertooth]

Its very likely that we are already at the point where either trump is a successful president, or republican trust in the media collapses to 0% and we get a revolt.  I think trump represents the last shot at civility before the real breakdown.  If he fails, the republican voters will blame the press.

 

 

[IC FBGCav]

You beat me by 4 minutes.

I lost by about 18 hours.

 

[mr roboto]

Is biased news inherently untrustworthy?  I suspect the 14% figure is due to bias more than other reasons.  Personally I feel I can trust biased news.  It's not that hard to separate opinion from fact.  And I think the news organizations try to be factually correct even if they fail at times.   I also think that presenting completely unbiased news is an impossible task.  

This is a fantastic point. I can tell when a little leftist spin is placed on news. Go watch Fox or MSNBC it's patently obvious. 

 

[IC FBGCav]

My MIL has watched Fox News 24/7 for at least the 20 years (the whole time I have known her).   If she gets 2 out of every 10 stories right(how they reported it) it is a miracle.  

 

[cheese]

I've noticed a change or evolution on this topic. 

When conservatives used to complain about the media, they complained about the bias- they didn't like the way stories were being reported, the slant that was given, etc. Now, in "the age of Trump" many seem to believe that the media is outright lying to them. That's much worse IMO. 

There is no doubt the media is driven by clickbait and covering whatever things in whatever manner will get ratings. They are almost all for profit organizations focused on the bottom line. Media members figured out a long time ago the easiest way to advance their careers is to say things they don't even believe to get the biggest response possible for max attention. 

The worst part for me is this. The only thing less honest in the whole country than the media is politicians. 

So if the battle becomes "who do you believe" between a politician and the media (which it somewhat already has)...I'm throwing my arms up. No idea. Neither. 

 

[rascal]

I think it is foolish to blame one part of the spectrum on this unfortunate state of events.  The media has done a poor job of accurately reporting events and have instilled their own bias in reports.  Combined this with an already suspect population and it feeds the conspiracy theories and suspicion.  That population is also at fault for allowing their own bias to influence what they expect to see/hear from their news.  News agencies need to stick to the facts and everyone, not just republicans, need to engage their critical thinking skills and keep an open mind.

 

[Riversco]

BREITBART TRAFFIC:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/breitbart.com

Web traffic to breitbart was on a general climb through last summer then it spiked and plateaued after the election.

CNN TRAFFIC:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/cnn.com

They've slumped badly since the election.

And now for something REALLY disturbing.

STORMFRONT TRAFFIC:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/stormfront.org

Visits to the Nazis have exploded.

I'm just speechless.  I mean, if things are so bad to people that they are running to Stormfront, I just don't know what to do.  

 

[Riversco]

I've been doing my own investigation among people who I know and I've got 3 right wing acquaintances who've read Mein Kampf in the past year.  Great.

I think enough damage has been done to disenfranchise and scare middle america that the nazis will convert a large number of right wingers even without removing Trump from office.  I get a sense the major reasons are the War on Cops, Obama's use of executive orders, illegal immigration and refugees, and attacks on free speech from the left with things like safe spaces are driving this.  This may be too late to stop.  Too much damage has been done.  Removing Trump just accelerates it now.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I've been doing my own investigation among people who I know and I've got 3 right wing acquaintances who've read Mein Kampf in the past year.  Great.

I think enough damage has been done to disenfranchise and scare middle america that the nazis will convert a large number of right wingers even without removing Trump from office.  I get a sense the major reasons are the War on Cops, Obama's use of executive orders, illegal immigration and refugees, and attacks on free speech from the left with things like safe spaces are driving this.  This may be too late to stop.  Too much damage has been done.  Removing Trump just accelerates it now.

 

[timschochet]

I've been doing my own investigation among people who I know and I've got 3 right wing acquaintances who've read Mein Kampf in the past year.  Great.

I think enough damage has been done to disenfranchise and scare middle america that the nazis will convert a large number of right wingers even without removing Trump from office.  I get a sense the major reasons are the War on Cops, Obama's use of executive orders, illegal immigration and refugees, and attacks on free speech from the left with things like safe spaces are driving this.  This may be too late to stop.  Too much damage has been done.  Removing Trump just accelerates it now.

Don't change. On mornings like this I need your analysis to cheer me up. 

 

[Rogi]

Most MSM outlets completely jumped the shark this last election cycle and showed their political bias.  Also, they are losing to social media.

 

[Dr Oadi]

Round them up and put them in education campuses. 

 

[James Daulton]

You can't fix stupid.  

 

[avoiding injuries]

I've done my own research and it turns out 1/2 a dozen liberals I associate with are hidden communists and/or socialists and have visited wsws.org and people's cube since a republican won the election. Fantastic. 

There isn't any hope for a lot of people on the left and their feelings won't allow them stop. Too much damage has been done to save this group. 

 

[BobbyLayne]

Don't change. On mornings like this I need your analysis to cheer me up. 

I just want to thank you for advising me to unblock him. #comedygold #nottobemissed

 

[Sabertooth]

BREITBART TRAFFIC:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/breitbart.com

Web traffic to breitbart was on a general climb through last summer then it spiked and plateaued after the election.

CNN TRAFFIC:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/cnn.com

They've slumped badly since the election.

And now for something REALLY disturbing.

STORMFRONT TRAFFIC:

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/stormfront.org

Visits to the Nazis have exploded.

I'm just speechless.  I mean, if things are so bad to people that they are running to Stormfront, I just don't know what to do.  

It's not that things are bad.  It's that people have been spoon fed the narrative that things are on the brink of collapse for 10 years.  Predictably they are freaking out.  This is what happens when you just constantly drive a point home into somebody's head for 10 years on talk radio.  We could be living in Nirvana, and people would be like "It sucks....can you believe they let Jose and Ahmad in here?  It's never been worse!" 

It feeds into the general human instinct of blaming others for their ill fortune.  Most people feel they'd succeed if only.  The right has made that "If only" into "if only all the brown people would go back to where they came from."    So people start to buy into that.  It isn't my lack of education or skills.  It isn't that I choose to live in bum #### West Virginia.  It's simply the fact that brown people have invaded MY country like a virus.  Yeah, yeah that's the ticket.  We need to get rid of brown people.  Then at least, I am on a level playing field (where's the National White College fund????) and given a fair shot I will be a success. 

It's very enticing for losers.  

 

[BassNBrew]

When a main media source is leading off / teasing the morning news with clips of comedians making jokes about the president they are going to lose credibility.

 

[Sabertooth]

When a main media source is leading off / teasing the morning news with clips of comedians making jokes about the president they are going to lose credibility.

Sure.  No doubt.  But I think a lot of the Nazi type stuff has to do with losers blaming others for their shortcomings.   

 

[Chaka]

When a main media source is leading off / teasing the morning news with clips of comedians making jokes about the president they are going to lose credibility.

What does it mean for credibility when the President leads off news conferences by calling any news outlet that disagrees with him "Fake news"?

 

[timschochet]

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the Hillary Clinton email story, which, unfortunately, though I tried to deny it (in my head as well), probably sank her campaign. 

But who broke that story? Not Breitbart. Not Fox News. Not Drudge. It was the New York Times. If the Times had the bias that so many conservatives claim they do, if they can't be trusted, why didn't they just cover it up? 

 

[Sabertooth]

What does it mean for credibility when the President leads off news conferences by calling any news outlet that disagrees with him "Fake news"?

The President also loses a lot of credibility.  I simply don't believe a single thing he says.  That's the truth.  If he does say something true, I question what his angle is.  Just one guy, who is centrist but leans left's opinion.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

I've done my own research and it turns out 1/2 a dozen liberals I associate with are hidden communists and/or socialists and have visited wsws.org and people's cube since a republican won the election. Fantastic. 

There isn't any hope for a lot of people on the left and their feelings won't allow them stop. Too much damage has been done to save this group. 

So after the election the right is reading Mein Kampf and the left is going full commie?  Fantastic. 

 

[avoiding injuries]

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the Hillary Clinton email story, which, unfortunately, though I tried to deny it (in my head as well), probably sank her campaign. 

But who broke that story? Not Breitbart. Not Fox News. Not Drudge. It was the New York Times. If the Times had the bias that so many conservatives claim they do, if they can't be trusted, why didn't they just cover it up? 

Do you think it would have come out had they not been the first?

 

[jon_mx]

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the Hillary Clinton email story, which, unfortunately, though I tried to deny it (in my head as well), probably sank her campaign. 

But who broke that story? Not Breitbart. Not Fox News. Not Drudge. It was the New York Times. If the Times had the bias that so many conservatives claim they do, if they can't be trusted, why didn't they just cover it up? 

You can be trustworthy and biased.  Bias exists in all media.  I am not sure what is so hard about this.  

 

[timschochet]

Do you think it would have come out had they not been the first?

Who knows? But whenever a source outside of the mainstream media has a "breaking" news story, it is almost always claimed that if they hadn't broken it, the mainstream media would have refused to do so.

 

[timschochet]

You can be trustworthy and biased.  Bias exists in all media.  I am not sure what is so hard about this.  

"Trustworthy and biased" is not a description that I hear conservatives make about the mainstream media. "Untrustworthy" is used often, and since Trump, it has gotten to the point where the Times, CNN, and Washington Post have been called outright liars and purveyors of fake news.

 

[timschochet]

You can be trustworthy and biased.  Bias exists in all media.  I am not sure what is so hard about this.  

Besides, jon, you apparently didn't read the title of this thread. Or apparently you are part of the 14%?

 

[jon_mx]

Besides, jon, you apparently didn't read the title of this thread. Or apparently you are part of the 14%?

Strictly speaking I trust the media to do a good job at providing accurate information.  But I don't trust any single source to give me the complete picture of a story.  

 

[Chaka]

All I know is when Brietbart is considered a reliable news source and the New York Times is not there is something fundamentally wrong.

The fact that the President pushes that idea on the public is horribly irresponsible and should make everyone very nervous about his true intentions.

 

[James Daulton]

When a main media source is leading off / teasing the morning news with clips of comedians making jokes about the president they are going to lose credibility.

When if the president does/says something really ridiculous?

 

[Sabertooth]

You can be trustworthy and biased.  Bias exists in all media.  I am not sure what is so hard about this.  

Can you be trustworthy and Fake? 

 

[Da Guru]

"Trustworthy and biased" is not a description that I hear conservatives make about the mainstream media. "Untrustworthy" is used often, and since Trump, it has gotten to the point where the Times, CNN, and Washington Post have been called outright liars and purveyors of fake news.

We need "journalists" to be professional and get back to reporting the news and stories without their biased thoughts, slants and views. Not talking about commentary but the so called real journalists and anchors.   It has to go back to the people in charge..when they start demanding this and firing people maybe things will change. I don`t want to see news anchors crying over election results because their chosen candidate did not win.  The cable news networks will never change but ABC and CBS should change their news business model.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the Hillary Clinton email story, which, unfortunately, though I tried to deny it (in my head as well), probably sank her campaign. 

But who broke that story? Not Breitbart. Not Fox News. Not Drudge. It was the New York Times. If the Times had the bias that so many conservatives claim they do, if they can't be trusted, why didn't they just cover it up? 

Michael Schmidt of the NYT broke the Hillary email story.

And Michael Schmidt of the NYT broke the Sessions story out today.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

We need "journalists" to be professional and get back to reporting the news and stories without their biased thoughts, slants and views. Not talking about commentary but the so called real journalists and anchors.   It has to go back to the people in charge..when they start demanding this and firing people maybe things will change. I don`t want to see news anchors crying over election results because their chosen candidate did not win.  The cable news networks will never change but ABC and CBS should change their news business model.

I'm going to explain (again) why this is wrong.

I'm not commenting on the nature of journalism today, no.

I'm pointing out why the GOP's faith in journalism is so low as is indicated in the OP.

Look at the Republican graph.

- Beginning of 2015 the GOP number was 32. That was near the Indy number of 33 and not far from the national average of 40.

By 9/14/16 it had declines by more than 50% down to 14.

The reason? Trump.

That's it. Trump fans did not like what was reported about Trump.That's it. Such people are following the MAN instead of their own hearts and minds.

 

[Da Guru]

I'm going to explain (again) why this is wrong.

I'm not commenting on the nature of journalism today, no.

I'm pointing out why the GOP's faith in journalism is so low as is indicated in the OP.

Look at the Republican graph.

- Beginning of 2015 the GOP number was 32. That was near the Indy number of 33 and not far from the national average of 40.

By 9/14/16 it had declines by more than 50% down to 14.

The reason? Trump.

That's it. Trump fans did not like what was reported about Trump.That's it. Such people are following the MAN instead of their own hearts and minds.

Felt this way long before Trump...and I don`t even like Trump.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Felt this way long before Trump...and I don`t even like Trump.

Great.

This is the OP:

Only 14% of republicans trust the media. How do you fix that?

- Seems to me if the number was more than 2X before Trump a simple way to double the number and more would be to remove Trump from politics.

 

[timschochet]

Michael Schmidt of the NYT broke the Hillary email story.

And Michael Schmidt of the NYT broke the Sessions story out today.

See, that's what happens when you're one of the all time great 3rd basemen and your home fans boo you. But what can one expect of Philadelphia fans? They booed Santa Claus too.