Page 20 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

10 Chapter 1

media outlets are often very effective in convincing or even manipulating the
public of the desirability of mainstream political, economic, and social values at
the expense of alternative paradigms that challenge the status quo.

Understanding Public Trust and Skepticism in Media

CNN did not earn the name "the most trusted name in news" for no reason. A
strong degree of trust has long characterized the tie that binds corporate media
outlets and the American people. A 1998 Gallup poll found that Americans
"have generally high levels of trust in many of the major sources of news and
information to which they are exposed." This highest level of trust was seen in
sources like ChN, as approximately 70 percent of those polled said they were
confident in CNN's reporting accuracy-an intriguing revelation considering
that CNN scored higher in trust levels amongst those questioned than even re-
spondents' kends and family, of which 64 percent of those polled said they
trusted.14 More recent polling has revealed a similar pattern, despite a modest
decline in public trust in some media outlets, and in media overall. The results of
a Gallup poll released in 2005 indicated that, of those Americans questioned, 74
percent reported either "some" or "strong confidence" in national newspapers,
although these trust levels have fallen since 2000."
One could conclude from these polls that much of the public views the
mainstream media as a competent player in political life-as an institution that
is necessary in educating the American people. The polls discussed above sug-
gest that a large segment of the public often are not as skeptical as they could be
of potentially harmful ulterior motives that may drive media corporations out-
side of "educating the public."
Americans have provided a number of reasons to justify their favorable
views of corporate media. These justifications include: happiness with access to
"the news and information they seek in a timely fashion; the breadth of [news]
coverage; and the ability to stay informed about a wide range of news develop-
ments, both locally and globally."'6 From these responses, one can discern that
many believe the mainstream media provides quite a wide range of views in
terms of its reporting of major news stories of the day. In regards to the "War on
Terrorism," specifically the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, one can also
conclude that a sizable percentage of the news-viewing public feels that media
outlets have done a decent job in providing them with the information needed to
make educated assessments of the government's performance in the foreign pol-
icy arena.
Public trust in media has been reinforced in other studies. One CBS/New
York Times poll released in January 2006 found that 63 percent of respondents
held either a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of trust and confidence in TV news,
newspapers, and radio. When asked about the honesty of mainstream news, 60
percent of those surveyed felt that news media "tell the truth" either "all of the
time" or "most of the time" when it comes to their reporting of current events.
The same poll indicated that 69 percent of those surveyed felt that news media