So Quinnipiac's latest poll (3/9/2015) is picked up by the Washington Post that titles it's piece: Fox News is the most trusted national news channel. And it’s not that close..
Salon got a bit closer by asking a question that matters: What is wrong with us?, but not before jumping on the same bandwagon and equating TV ratings with "trusted".
Here is a link to the Quinnipiac Poll to look at the questions asked.
Here is the methodology used in that poll
Just a couple of things about the polling methodology that are important and weren't given enough attention - imo:
• This RDD telephone survey was conducted from February 26 – March 2, 2015 throughout the nation.
• Responses are reported for 1,286 self-identified registered voters with a margin of sampling error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.
• Party identification: Republican 32%; Democrat 29; Independent 28; Other/DK/NA 11
• Phone distribution: Cell only 34%; Land Line only 7; Both, cmp from cell sample 15; Both, cmp from land sample 43
• Race: White 73%; Black 13; Hispanic 7; Other/DK/NA 7
• Of those 1,286 registered voters: ages 18-34 = 126 | ages 35-54 = 310 | ages 55+ = 809
According to Huff-Po's (03/01/2015 5:59 am EST) analysis of network ratings comparison, Fox "News" domination does near monopoly status in some markets and yes, that Fox "News" disinformation campaign has been shown (by real studies not the fake one) to produce a less informed audience, and is, as Salon put it; Fox News more trusted than any other network, according to terrifying poll
# # #
So a 4 day poll of 1,286 self identifying voters (an identity, it has been found, a growing number of republicans are unwilling to admit to - meaning the number of republicans polled is likely even higher) a huge majority of whom are white and over the age of 55 years watching a program that dominates the ratings in predominately white markets is reported on with the news headlines portraying the least accurate, most sensationalist reading of it.
Either:
1) the Poll sampling means Fox "News" should be trusted (?) or
2) that Fox "News" simply is trusted (?) or
3) watch out! lots of older white folks watch Fox "News" and believe the "stories" they're being sold !
I don't have much confidence that number 3) as a warning added by me is the intent of the headlines or the polling though.
Either way I'm not sure which is worse; the reporting, the poll sampling, the implications and/or conclusions insinuated, or the MSM's adoption of the "We report, you Decide" tactic that Fox "News" employs to cover up their first amendment right to lie to editorialize the "News"
At least the Washington Post got it half right in their title - "..Not even close" - to acceptable "News" reporting that is - imo
Would a few words on the breakdown of the polling methodology in the news coverage have been too much to ask? Apparently so.
It seems to me that the fear of the "conservative" republican "reverse racism" accusations in mentioning "whites" specifically or too often has more sway than accuracy in reporting these days - especially with ratings hanging in the balance
- and this is the so-called "liberal" media