For most Americans, Fox News is both the most — and least — trusted television news source.
According to the third annual Public Policy Polling (PPP) TV News Trust Poll, 34 percent of respondents trust Fox more than ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Comedy Central, MSNBC, NBC News and PBS. Likewise, 34 percent trust Fox least among those same news sources.
In a way, the numbers make sense. Fox enjoys huge ratings, and when choosing one network out of a handful, a viewer is basically saying I watch this network more than the others. Fox News’ out-in-the-open partisanship explains its “least trusted” nod, as well. But, it’s popular.
PBS scored highest on the individual questions. Fifty-two percent of respondents said they trust the public broadcaster. Dull? Perhaps, but definitely trustworthy.
Shockingly, 68 percent of Republicans picked Fox as their most trusted source. Interestingly, Democrats don’t look at MSNBC in the same way: “Despite having a reputation for appealing to the left MSNBC actually polls in only 6th place among Democrats at 8%, finishing slightly behind even Fox News’ 9%,” the poll’s summary states.
See the poll’s full results here.
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