The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution explicitly states that the government cannot impose restrictions upon the press. The document that lays out the laws of our land actually says that speaking openly without government censorship or interference - no matter how unpopular your point of view may be - is a universal and nontransferable right. You are literally entitled to quality journalism! So why is it so hard to find it?
On Wednesday, Feb. 15 Gallup and the Knight Foundation issued their 2022 report on Americans’ views on trust, media and democracy. The study suggests that more Americans than ever before believe news organizations intentionally mislead them and are indifferent to the social and political impact of their reporting.
What is causing folks to distrust the news? Many people report that it is harder to be well-informed because there is too much information to sift through and they believe most news organizations prioritize financial interest over public interest.
The study also showed that most Americans believe local news organizations are more trustworthy than national news outlets and are more likely to care about the impact of their reporting.
What do you think? Is quality journalism getting harder to find? Click here to read the full report and share your thoughts with us at news@nowcastsa.org.
Disclosure: NOWCastSA received funding from the Knight Foundation in 2008 and 2010.