Exhibit 2-9: American Journalism Review, 2005

In May 2005, Gannett's First Amendment Center in Nashville polled Americans about their attitudes towards the media. Some exclusive results were published in the August/September 2005 edition of the American Journalism Review. The article by senior writer Rachel Smolkin revealed that nearly two-thirds (64%) reject the notion that 'the news media try to report the news without bias,' and nearly the same number (65%) agreed that 'the falsifying or making up of stories in the American news media is a widespread problem.'

KEY FINDINGS:

• When read the statement, 'Overall, the news media tries to report the news without bias,' 64 percent disagreed (42% saying they disagreed strongly, 22 percent saying they mildly disagreed.) Only 13 percent strongly agreed that the media attempt to keep bias out of the news.
• When told 'The falsifying or making up of stories in the American news media is a widespread problem,' 40 percent strongly agreed and an additional 25 percent mildly agreed. Just 11 percent strongly disagreed.

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Next: Exhibit 2-10: CBS's "State of the Media," 2006

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