2005 Annual Report - Newspaper Public Attitudes

By the Project for Excellence in Journalism and Rick Edmonds of The Poynter Institute

When it comes to attitudes about the press, 2003 painted a pretty grim picture of low and declining trust in the media over all and especially in newspapers. Over the last year, those trends have only been reinforced. And one positive sign, that people tended to wander back to print as major breaking news subsides, no longer holds true.

In 2004 just half of those surveyed, according to Pew Research Center data, ranked the newspaper they are most familiar with as being believable (1 or 2 on a scale of 1 to 4). This is down nine percentage points from 2002, and 13 points from 1998. A scant 17% gave their newspaper the highest believability rating, a 1 on the scale, down from 27% in 1998.¹

Newspaper Believability Over Time

1985 - 2004

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Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, ’’Pew Research Center Biennial News Consumption Survey,’’ June 8, 2004

Survey qu.: Please rate how much you think you can believe the daily newspaper you are most familiar with.

National newspapers, despite their size and resources, rated no better than local. Believability ratings for The New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal were all below 50%. Believability for most network and cable outlets is on the decline as well, but still falls somewhere between 54% and 65%.²

Media Outlets Ranked by Believability, 2004

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Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, ’’Pew Research Center Biennial News Consumption Survey,’’ June 8, 2004

Survey qu.: Please rate how much you think you can believe ... Includes ratings of 3 and 4 on a scale of 1 (not believable) to 4 (believable).

The most significant shift over the last year is that newspapers are losing more readers during major news events and are not pulling them back when events subside. What we have seen in the past is a predilection for television during big news stories but then a return to newspapers once the big news event dies down. The 2004 data suggest not only an increased gravitation to television for the big story but a suggestion that the draw may remain even for everyday news.

In March 2003, newspapers were the primary source of news about the war in Iraq³ for 24% of respondents. In March of 2004, the big story was the presidential election. Just 17% named newspapers as their primary source for news. Television, on the other hand, was named by close to half of respondents (47%). Two in ten (21%) respondents did volunteer that they got most of their news from a "combination" of outlets, which could include some newspaper reading.⁴

Primary Source of Campaign Information, 2004

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Source: Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll, ''Voters Still Evenly Divided,’’ March 25, 2004

Survey qu.: Of the following, where do you get most of your information about the presidential candidates?

And the implications forthe fondness for television in election coverage may be even more significant, since elections are not as naturally tied to video as are stories like the Iraq war.

In addition, Americans displayed a desire for pictures over words. Most (55%) said they prefer pictures over words while just 40% prefer reading or hearing about events.⁵

Additional data from Arbitron/Edison Media Research adds fuel to the sense that newspapers are second fiddle to television for news. When asked which medium a is "MOST essential" to their lives, only 11% of survey respondents said newspapers, compared to 39% for TV, 26% for radio and 20% for the Internet.⁶

What's more, the picture doesn't look much better among the more highly educated. Among those with a college degree, 13% report newspapers as the most essential medium, not much higher than the 11% overall.⁷

The only positive sign for newspapers may be that people want more than headlines. Four in ten want thoughtful analysis, something that the condensed time frame of network television and the format of cable often do not accommodate. Another 37% want headlines plus some facts. Just 18% say they want only headlines.⁸

As on-demand news, images and audio become more a part of everyday news consumption, newspaper companies may have a difficult time convincing people to choose their publications over other media - especially during breaking news. In the end, quality, consistency and depth of coverage may be newspapers' best selling points.

While many newspapers pride themselves on the depth of their information, recent scandals at leading newspapers have challenged the industry's credibility.