Revealing Pew poll shows journalists sensing turmoil

NEWS AND OPINION:

Now this is a feat: The Pew Research Center managed to survey 11,889 U.S.-based journalists in a hefty online poll to find the press awash with mixed feelings and revelations as well.

The pollster titled its analysis, which was released Tuesday, as “Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry Amid Continued Passion for Their Work.”

“Seven-in-ten journalists say they are very or somewhat satisfied with their job, and 77% say they would pursue a career in journalism again. At the same time, when asked to describe their industry in a single word, nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) use a word with negative connotations; the most common are words that relate to ‘struggling’ and ‘chaos’,” the pollster noted in its thorough analysis of their survey.”

“Just 14% of journalists surveyed say they think the U.S. public has a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the information it gets from news organizations these days; most believe that Americans as a whole have some trust (44%) or little to no trust (42%),” the analysis said.

Another 71% of the respondents said that “made-up news and information” presented “a very big problem” for the nation — and an equal number said they were confident in their ability to recognize the fake stuff.

“Roughly eight-in-ten journalists (82%) say journalists should keep their views out of what they report on, although there is less agreement among journalists over whether journalists meet this standard. Just over half (55%) think journalists largely are able to keep their views out of their reporting, while 43% say they are often unable to,” the pollster said.

See more telling numbers in the “Poll du Jour” at the column’s end.

DRUDGE MOVIES IN THE MAKING

There are not one but two films going into production about Matt Drudge, founder of the Drudge Report and an influential force in both media and politics.

Prospect Park, the production company founded by entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz, has revealed to CNN that it has secured the rights to “The Drudge Revolution,” a biography by Matthew Lysiak, author of several other books and a former reporter for the New York Daily News. He has also written the script for the project.

Drudge film No. 2 will be produced by Cross Creek Pictures, which announced June 8 that it had acquired “Drudge,” a script penned by Cody Brotter, according to the industry source Deadline. Mr. Brotter is an actor and writer living in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” an FX series, also revisited the era in late 2021, chronicling the late-1990s and the circumstances when Mr. Drudge and his much-read and quoted Drudge Report was launched.

TAPPING INTO ARCHIVES

Hollywood veteran Ron Howard and Imagine Entertainment — the production company he co-founded — have signed a “first look” deal with The Washington Post to create scripted and unscripted film and TV content drawn from the newspaper’s archives. The project was arranged through the Creative Artists Agency.

“The deal, brokered by CAA, which represents both Imagine and the Post, will develop and produce projects inspired by current reporting and ongoing investigative journalism. Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Ryan will oversee the deal with Imagine Entertainment executive chairman Brian Grazer and chief strategy officer Justin Wilkes,” the Hollywood Reporter said.

“At The Post, we’re storytellers at heart. Whether it’s holding the powerful to account or shedding light on an exceptionally compelling narrative, we see tremendous untapped potential for extending the reach of our journalism,” Mr. Ryan said in a statement Tuesday.

BYE-BYE CALIFORNIA

Was it inevitable? The Golden State is losing its luster for many residents. In a reverse of normal migration patterns, the dissatisfied Californians are heading south to Mexico. Yes, Mexico.

“More than 360,000 people left California in 2021, in what some are calling ‘The California Exodus’ — many leaving for states like Texas, Arizona and Washington. And a rising number of former Californians are migrating out of the country altogether and are instead heading south of the border. Many are seeking a more relaxed and affordable lifestyle in Mexico,” reports CNBC.

“California continuously ranks high as one of the country’s most expensive states to live in. The median asking price for a home in California is about $797,470 — only 25% of the state’s households could afford that in the fourth quarter of 2021,” the network said.

One more lifestyle phenomenon is also contributing to the exodus.

“California’s population growth has been declining for more than 30 years now. But thanks to the rise in remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those trends have accelerated,” CNBC said.

The conservative-leaning Daily Wire made note of the findings.

“Now that Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and his cronies have ruined their state and inflation is crushing households, thousands of Californians are reversing the typical pattern and moving to Mexico,” it said.

FOXIFIED

During the week of June 6-12, Fox News Channel once again dominated its cable news rivals for the 43rd consecutive week, earning an average primetime audience of 2.3 million viewers. MSNBC had an audience of 1.4 million and CNN drew 851,000 viewers during that period.

Fox News also bested its non-news cable competition for the second week in a row; the closest competitor was ESPN, which averaged 1.7 million viewers.

As usual, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was the standout with an audience of 3.2 million, followed by “The Five” with 3.1 million and “Jesse Watters Primetime” with 2.6 million.

POLL DU JOUR

• 82% of U.S. journalists say journalists should keep their views out of what they report on.

• 67% say social media has a negative impact on the state of journalism.

• 55% say that in reporting the news, every side “does not always deserve equal coverage.”

• 43% say news organizations in general do a good job correcting misinformation.

• 42% have been harassed by someone outside their news organization in the past year.

• 14% say the U.S. public has a great deal or fair amount of trust in news organizations.

SOURCE: A Pew Research Center poll of 11,889 U.S. journalists conducted online Feb. 16-March 17, and released Tuesday.

• Helpful information to jharper@washigntontimes.com