I found this survey shocking. It is a recent survey from the Monmouth University Poll -- done between March 2nd and 5th of a random national sample of 803 adults, with a margin of error of 3.5 points.
It shows that 77% of the public says our major media outlets (TV and newspapers) report fake news -- with 31% saying they do it regularly and 46% saying they do it occasionally. Only 21% said they do not report fake news.
This was not just Trump's followers saying this. It included 61% of Democrats, 82% of Independents, and 89% of Republicans. In other words, a majority of all three political persuasions believe this.
That's very troubling, because a democracy depends on a free press giving them the information to make decisions. Can a democracy even survive if the people don't trust the press?
The only partially saving grace in this mess is shown in the chart below. It turns out that most people have a very loose definition of what constitutes fake news. Only a tiny minority of 25% say fake news is when the media reports facts that are not correct (including 33% of Democrats, 26% of Independents, and 15% of Republicans).
But a much larger group of 65% say fake news is not just reporting incorrect facts, but also includes the editorial decisions made on what news to report (even if the facts are correct in that reporting). And that includes 58% of Democrats, 64% of Independents, and 75% of Republicans. That means that these people consider news that they disagree with to be fake news -- even if the reporting is accurate.
It shows just how partisan the divide is in this country right now. People only want to hear the news that they agree with -- and that seems to include those on both the left and the right.
I have to disagree with these people. Fake news is reporting things that are not true. Stories that are factually correct that you happen to disagree with are NOT fake news. Like it or not, media has the right to choose what stories they will report and what stories they will not report, as long as those stories are all factually correct.
I personally don't like Fox News, because they choose to report only stories that make the right look good. They have the right to do that, and while I may think it's basically propaganda, it is not fake news as long as what is reported is true. And the same can be said of the media that leans to the left.
If you don't like the editorial policy of a newspaper or TV channel, then don't read or watch that media outlet. Find some you are more comfortable with. They don't have an obligation to report only the news you like. Their obligation is only to report the truth.
