Page 22 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

Chapter 1

Table 1.2

How Accurate are News Stories?

Percent respondents who feel
Monthly ear news reporting is
"often inaccurate"

Many Americans lambaste media for not being "pro-American" enough.
Only 42 percent of Americans surveyed in 2005 believed that the media gener-
ally "stand up for America," whereas as many as 40 percent of respondents
thought that the news media had been "too critical of America" in recent years.24
Such perceptions may very well be part of the reason for the decline in the belief
in the neutrality of the corporate press, and are likely an important part of the
case made by those who point to a liberal bias or slant within the media today.
However one chooses to interpret the polling data though, it is clear that
many do not view the press as completely fair, even-handed, or "objective," as
over seven-in-ten Americans questioned said they believed the major media
"tend to favor one side, rather than treat all sides fairly" when reporting on criti-
cal policy matters.'' This perceived bias is also reinforced by others who criti-
cize the mainstream media for being too close to the government, and too as-
similated into corporate America to fairly report the news without providing a
consistent, pro-business slant. Such critiques seek to explain in part why, by
more than a three-to-one ratio, Americans feel that the news media is "often
influenced by powerful people and organizations," rather than serving as an in-
dependent medium for evaluating government
Of course, public opinion of media is not static or monolithic; opinions in
terms of increased confidence or skepticism in media do change over time,
which may account for some of the variance in public trust and suspicion of
media from poll to poll. Also, Americans do not stand united behind, or against
corporate media outlets. There will likely always be a sizable number of Ameri-