For American voters, MSNBC is the least trustworthy source of news in U.S., while Fox News is the most trusted, according to a new Quinnipiac survey.
The poll, which was conducted from February 26-March 2, found that 29 percent of 1,286 registered voters ranked Fox News first when asked to compare the trustworthiness of coverage offered by organizations including NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, MSNBC and CNN.
“The days of the three major network newscasts being the voice of leverage and trust are over,” Quinnipiac’s Tim Malloy told the Washington Examiner’s media desk.
In comparison, CNN scored 22 percent of the vote, while NBC News and CBS News each came in at 10 percent and ABC News registered at eight percent.
MSNBC came in dead last, with only seven percent of the vote.
Further, Fox News came in first place with survey respondents who were asked to name the network whose coverage they trust a “great deal.”
Eighteen percent of respondents said they trust CNN a “great deal,” while 14 percent said the same for ABC News, NBC News and CBS News.
Only 11 percent of respondents said they trust the coverage offered by MSNBC a “great deal.”
And when it comes to local news versus network coverage, respondents definitely prefer the former to the latter, with 19 percent saying they trust it a “great deal.”
“Local news, which has often been maligned, has now eclipsed the major networks and cable news operations as far as trust is concerned,” Malloy told the Examiner. “Americans trust — not in great numbers — but they trust their local newscasts, local news anchors and reporters, more than they trust Fox, CNN, MSNBC, right down the line.”
“It has to be a victory for local news on some level because it has often been maligned,” he said.
The survey also found that the 18 to 34-year-old demographic, which is considered by many to be the most important viewer group, prefers CNN’s coverage to Fox News by 33 to 21 percent. Meanwhile, the 35 to 54-years-old demographic prefers Fox News over CNN by 29 to 21 percent.
Viewers aged 55 years and older said they trust Fox News more than CNN by 34 to 17 percent.
Perhaps most distressing for network executives is the fact that the survey found that 48 percent of registered voters say television news coverage is “less trustworthy than in the days of Walter Cronkite.” Only seven percent of respondents believe coverage today is more trustworthy.
“The days of Uncle Walter are surely missed,” Malloy said.
Respondents also say 42-35 percent that NBC News’ Brian Williams should be allowed to return to his primetime spot following the network’s decision to suspend him amid allegations he fabricated dozens of stories during his many years at the Peacock Network.
Meanwhile, there’s more of a split over the question of how Fox News should handle reports Bill O’Reilly may have also embellished stories of personal courage and his past in journalism: 12 percent of respondents say he should be fired, 11 percent say he should be suspended, 23 percent say the newsman should be allowed to keep his evening spot and 51 percent admitted they didn’t know enough about the story to answer the question.
“The major networks no doubt have a diminishing audience,” Malloy concluded, referring to the survey’s implications. “There are simply fewer people watching now than before.”
