Public getting more skeptical in its views of the press

NEWS AND OPINION:

The American public does not have a particularly comfortable relationship with the press and news coverage itself these days. Yes, we have some numbers of note about that.

“Most U.S. adults (79%) believe the media are at least somewhat free to report the news in the country. However, only a third say they’re completely free to do so. About one-in-five Americans (21%) say the media are not very or not at all free to report the news in the U.S,” wrote Kirsten Eddy, a senior researcher at Pew Research Center, in a report released Tuesday.

“At the same time, large majorities of Americans believe that U.S. news organizations are at least somewhat influenced by corporations and financial interests (84%) or by the government and political interests (83%). This includes about half of Americans who say news organizations are influenced a great deal by financial interests (51%) or by political interests (49%),” Ms. Eddy said.

“Fewer than one-in-ten U.S. adults say news organizations are not influenced very much or at all by financial (6%) or political (8%) interests,” she said.

The findings also reveal partisan differences.

“Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say the media in the U.S. are completely free to report the news (38% vs. 29%), while Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the media are not very or not at all free (29% vs. 12%). And 47% of Republicans say they are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedoms, compared with 38% of Democrats,” Ms. Eddy said.

“Republicans are also about twice as likely as Democrats to believe political interests have a great deal of influence on U.S. news organizations. Two-thirds of Republicans say this about political interests, compared with 34% of Democrats. Six-in-ten Republicans and 45% of Democrats say financial interests have a great deal of influence on U.S. news organizations,” she added.

These trends are based on a survey of 3,600 U.S. adults conducted April 1-7 and released Tuesday.

THE KENNEDY PRESS

Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is certainly getting buzz in the press. News organizations are following Mr. Kennedy and his vigorous campaign, and many suggest he’s making an impact. Here are a few pertinent headlines from the last 24 hours:

“Republicans are starting to worry about RFK Jr.” (Politico); “Abortion-rights group launches ad in Michigan, Wisconsin warning about RFK Jr.” (The Hill); “The DNC’s Anti-RFK Jr. Crusade Heads to Arizona” (National Review); “RFK Jr.’s Family, Friends, and Former Colleagues Want Him to Drop Presidential Bid” (Rolling Stone); “Polls show substantial support for candidates like RFK Jr. How much of it is real?” (CNN); “RFK Jr.’s quintessential campaign position: The blockchain budget” (The Washington Post); and “’A harbinger of what’s to come’: New poll shows RFK Jr.’s campaign could sink Trump” (Salon).

FOXIFIED

In the week of April 15-21, Fox News continued to be the most watched network in the cable TV realm for the 15th consecutive week, drawing a daily average of 2 million viewers in prime time and 1.3 million in the daytime, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox News also aired 72 of the top 100 cable news programs during the time period.

The standout shows include “The Five” with an average of 3.2 million daily viewers, followed by “Jesse Watters Primetime” with 2.6 million, “Special Report With Bret Baier” and “Gutfeld” — each with 2.2 million — and “The Ingraham Angle” with 2.1 million.

Fox News also bested the network competition during daytime hours. A sampling of audience numbers reveals that “Outnumbered” drew an average of 1.7 million daily viewers while “America’s Newsroom,” “The Faulkner Focus” and “The Story” each enjoyed audiences of 1.5 million viewers. In comparison, NBC’s “Today With Hoda and Jenna” had an average audience of 1.4 million, ABC’s “GMA3” 1.3 million and “The Talk” on CBS 1.2 million.

NEWS FROM THE DINERS

Here’s one more note about Fox News, which has launched a “Breakfast With Friends” news series featuring host Lawrence Jones on a journey to visit cozy eateries in the “blue wall states” of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Identifying those critical issues which shape voter’s decisions at election time are paramount items on this particular menu.

Mr. Jones’ journey — hopefully punctuated with diner delights, revealing chats and good coffee — takes him to the Nest Egg Cafe in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan; Brunch It Up in Brookfield, Wisconsin; and the Eagle Diner in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

POLL DU JOUR

• 78% of registered U.S. voters say they are “definitely” voting in the 2024 presidential election; 83% of Republicans, 83% of Democrats and 67% of independents agree.

• 11% overall say they are “likely’ voting in the election; 9% of Republicans, 11% of Democrats and 15% of independents agree.

• 7% overall say “chances are 50-50” they are likely to vote in the election; 5% of Republicans, 4% of Democrats and 13% of independents agree.

• 1% overall say they are “likely not voting” in the election; 1% of Republicans, 1% of Democrats and 2% of independents agree.

• 2% overall say they are “definitely not voting” in the election; 2% of Republicans, 2% of Democrats and 2% of independents agree.

SOURCE: A Marist Poll of 1,047 registered U.S. voters conducted April 16-18.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse; contact her at jharper@washingtontimes.com.