Public sweeter on media these days

Public sweeter on
media these days

Jump in esteem following the Sept. 11 tragedies

By Marty Beard

    A cynical American public, weary of all-Monica/all-Elián/all-OJ-all-the-time news coverage, might seem incapable of forgiving the press.
    But it has.
    In the aftermath of Sept. 11, the press dug into one of the biggest news events in decades, and the American public thinks it has done a good job reporting on the story.
    Indeed, the public has done a 180-degree turn in its regard for the media, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Sixty-nine percent of those polled agree with the statement that the press "stands up for America," and 60 percent agree with the statement that the press "helps protect democracy."
    Before the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, fewer than half of Americans felt that way.
    Twice as many people now perceive the press as being fairer and more empathetic.
    In early September, 23 percent of respondents agreed that the press "cares about the people they report on."
    That figure has since increased to 47 percent.
    Before the attacks just 40 percent of respondents thought the press was moral. Now 53 percent believe it is so.
    And fewer people see the news media as getting in the way.
    In July 1994, 71 percent of respondents accused the press of generally being a nuisance.
   That's now down to 51 percent.
   Seventy-seven percent of Americans say that coverage of the post-terror events, from the retaliation in Afghanistan to the dissemination of anthrax, has been good or excellent, on a par with levels last seen during the Gulf War.
    Still, approval has fallen since September, when the wounds were fresh and 56 percent of those polled reported thinking that the press was doing an "excellent" job of covering terrorism. In September, 33 percent of respondents thought that the press was doing a "good" job.
   This month, just 30 percent of people think the press is doing an "excellent" job, while 47 percent think it’s doing a "good" job. Just 5 percent think it’s doing a "poor" job now.
    But the more engaged with current events people are, the more favorably inclined they are toward the press. Forty-two percent of people who say they are "highly interested" in terrorism news say the coverage has been excellent, compared with 31 percent of people whose interest level is middling and 21 percent of people with low interest.
    Almost 65 percent of Americans think that the war coverage has been accurate thus far, with just 17 percent saying they think the press is making too many mistakes.
    Anthrax coverage, however, has not been quite as favorably received. Sixty-six percent of Republicans think that anthrax coverage has been accurate, compared with 52 percent of Democrats.
    While most Americans think that military news is being censored, as it is in any war, the censorship isn’t perceived as being as heavy as it was during the Gulf War. Fifty-nine percent of people think the news given to the press by the armed services is being censored now, compared with 76 percent during the Gulf War.
    Finally, the positive images may not endure, given that criticism of the press has remained fairly constant. Fifty-two percent of people still think that the press tries to cover up its mistakes, and 47 percent perceive political bias in the news media.
    For the report, which has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, Pew surveyed a sample of 1,500 adults from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19, 2001, and compared the results with earlier surveys.

Ratings of the Press’s Terrorism Coverage
	Mid Sept. 2001	Early Oct. 2001	Mid Oct. 2001	Nov. 2001
Excellent	56	48	32	30
Good	33	37	42	47
Only fair	6	10	17	16
Poor	3	3	6	5
Don’t know	2	2	3	2
Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

Newsroom Patriots In percentages of people who agree with the statement
	Early Sept. 2001	Nov. 2001	Difference
The press stands up for America
Total	43	69	+26
Republicans	43	54	+21
Independents	41	66	+25
Democrats	47	78	+31
Men	39	63	+24
Women	46	74	+28
College graduate	42	63	+21
Some college	37	63	+26
High school or less	46	74	+28
The press helps protect democracy
Total	46	60	+14
Republicans	45	59	+14
Independents	45	59	+14
Democrats	48	64	+16
Men	50	64	+14
Women	42	56	+14
College graduate	58	69	+11
Some college	42	56	+14
High school or less	42	57	+15
Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

Enduring Criticism of the Press In percentages of people who agree with the statement
	July 1985	Feb. 1999	Early Sept. 2001	Nov. 2001
News organizations
Are politically biased	45	56	59	47
Are careful not to be biased	35	31	26	35
Neither/don’t know	19	13	15	18
Try to cover up mistakes	55	66	67	52
Are willing to admit mistakes	34	26	24	35
Neither/don’t know	11	8	9	13
	July 1994	Feb. 1997	Early Sept. 2001	Nov. 2001
News media
Helps society solve its problems	25	36	31	35
Gets in the way	71	54	58	51
Don’t know	4	10	11	14
Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

-Marty Beard is a staff writer for Media Life.

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