So, what do you think this means Jamie? do you agree with this poll? interesting how fewer people trust MSNBC than Fox. also interesting how Fox news seems to dominate in the ratings everyday way over MSNBC, if they are not trusted, then why are so many people tuning in Jamie?

Interesting. Anyone who has read my comments over time know my distrust of broadcast news media. I watch BBC occassionally for perspective on foreign affairs and views about the US. Euro zone is definitely envious of our economic recovery compared to theirs.
I do recall a similiar poll once upon a time about news anchors. Walter Cronkite was number one as to whom the public trusted. If Cronkite said it, it had to be true; no debate. Which makes me wonder, how much control does a reporter or anchor have when they relate news to the public? Do they get told to omit or slant the facts?

Catpaw – The news business has changed a lot and how much actual work the anchors do varies from station to station. IMO, Cronkite was respected and trusted because he knew what he was talking about and always gave the facts with the proper amount of emotion. He knew how to hold himself, when to smile, and when to speak slowly. But those were very different times, as you know. Options for news were very limited. Now we have so many choices.

I wrote a paper in college on how viewers form para-social relationships with news personalities, and am embarking on a graduate program this summer (maybe fall) on media and psychology, so it’s definitely something I’m very interested in. Each reporter and station is different on how much personality is shown. It’s all about getting viewers to tune in. Think about how much money NBC has spent promoting Al Roker, and how much viewers love him. He reads the weather and does goofy stunts with Matt Lauer. But you can bet NBC does everything they can to keep him happy because people love him.

I’d venture a guess that most of the anchors on cable news shows don’t hold journalism degrees. I haven’t checked that, so I could be wrong. But when I watch and hear the opinions and mocking tones, I can’t imagine they sat through the same classes I did.

Thanks for posting this and giving your view Jamie, I wish we had more Journalists like you

Republicans don’t trust anything other than Fox,” PPP found.

It’s called epistemic closure. It has a parallel in religion. One source establishes the rules. If you hear a story that didn’t come from that source, it’s to be dismissed. Closure to knowledge.

Jaime, to what extent does TBC use the AP service that allows a local paper to choose which version of a story the want for local publication. We know TBC has a “view” just like any newspaper does. I’m wondering if the wind shifts once in a while or if the Mother Ship (corporate) dictates which version of AP stories the local paper publishes.

MM – I agree with your assessment about one source establishing the rules. TBC does use AP, but there aren’t many versions. AP is pretty straight-forward with news stories … just the nuts and bolts. When selecting news stories, the “view” is based on what we hear from readers … what they read. That comes from letters to the editor, online traffic, and community feedback in general. Why do we play NASCAR so big? People in KC love NASCAR. Remember, TBC isn’t corporate owned. All decisions are made here in the building.

LLM – I think it mainly comes from people not wanting news, but more entertainment. It’s disappointing.

Nine – I don’t think FOX as a whole entity is closed-minded, but I think many of their hosts are. But that’s what they are paid to do. They have a personality that sells, so that’s what they do. Forgive me if I’m forgetting something here, but has any sitting president granted real sit-down interview with FOX in recent memory? I’m thinking only CNN (as far as cable news goes) has had one in the past 15-20 years.

And the reality of politics is that he (or any top-level politician) doesn’t need to sit down and do an interview. Top-level staff and the secret service plays a HUGE role in determining that. (Did you watch the West Wing? I had the opportunity to meet a senior White House staffer years ago and she said that show was surprisingly accurate in how the White house was run behind the scenes.) Anyway, I’d rather see politicians sitting down with each other and coming to some sort of compromise on policy initiatives. Whether you voted for them or not, these are our representatives in government, and they should be governing, not going on media tours. Not right now anyway.

Interesting that you brought up Greta Van Susteren. If you watched her on CNN a decade ago, you’d see how her reporting style was VERY different then compared to on FOX now.

Overall, I think no matter where we get our news from we have to evaluate it … think critically. Not all stations are the same. Pick out the facts and form your own opinions. Take a break from your normal news source and spend one week reading something different.