There's a reason journalists are held in such low public esteem, despite their own high self evaluations. "The trove of more than 13,000 emails detailing almost every aspect of Sarah Palin’s governorship of Alaska, released late on Friday, paints a picture of her as an idealistic, conscientious, humorous and humane woman slightly bemused by the world of politics," says the U.K. Daily Telegraph.
"One can only assume that the Left-leaning editors who dispatched teams of reporters to remote Juneau, the Alaskan capital, to pore over the emails in the hope of digging up a scandal are now viewing the result as a rather poor return on their considerable investment," the Telegraph says.
"If anything, Mrs Palin seems likely to emerge from the scrutiny of the 24,000 pages, contained in six boxes and weighing 275 pounds, with her reputation considerably enhanced."
"The whole saga might come to be viewed as “an embarrassment for legacy media,” the Telegraph says.
In fact, repeated polls have confirmed the low and dropping esteem accorded to major media journalists. A 2004 poll by the First Amendment Center and American Journalism Review shows Americans remain critical of the professionalism and ethics of the people and organizations that deliver the news.
"They say that the press is biased, that it routinely falsifies and fabricates stories, and that it abuses its freedom," says the report. See http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=3731.
A 2009 study by the Pew Research Center found 63 percent of respondents said news articles were often inaccurate and only 29 percent said the media generally “get the facts straight” — the worst marks Pew has recorded — compared with 53 percent and 39 percent in 2007. See http://people-press.org/2009/09/13/press-accuracy-rating-hits-two-decade-low/.
In the 1997 Gallup Poll on honesty and ethics, two percent of respondents rated journalists as "very high" on honesty and ethics. About the same ranking gotten by members of Congress and car sales people. See http://www.gallup.com/poll/4294/honesty-ethics-poll-pharmacists-strengthen-their-position.aspx.
"One can only assume that the Left-leaning editors who dispatched teams of reporters to remote Juneau, the Alaskan capital, to pore over the emails in the hope of digging up a scandal are now viewing the result as a rather poor return on their considerable investment," the Telegraph says.
"If anything, Mrs Palin seems likely to emerge from the scrutiny of the 24,000 pages, contained in six boxes and weighing 275 pounds, with her reputation considerably enhanced."
"The whole saga might come to be viewed as “an embarrassment for legacy media,” the Telegraph says.
In fact, repeated polls have confirmed the low and dropping esteem accorded to major media journalists. A 2004 poll by the First Amendment Center and American Journalism Review shows Americans remain critical of the professionalism and ethics of the people and organizations that deliver the news.
"They say that the press is biased, that it routinely falsifies and fabricates stories, and that it abuses its freedom," says the report. See http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=3731.
A 2009 study by the Pew Research Center found 63 percent of respondents said news articles were often inaccurate and only 29 percent said the media generally “get the facts straight” — the worst marks Pew has recorded — compared with 53 percent and 39 percent in 2007. See http://people-press.org/2009/09/13/press-accuracy-rating-hits-two-decade-low/.
In the 1997 Gallup Poll on honesty and ethics, two percent of respondents rated journalists as "very high" on honesty and ethics. About the same ranking gotten by members of Congress and car sales people. See http://www.gallup.com/poll/4294/honesty-ethics-poll-pharmacists-strengthen-their-position.aspx.
| Honesty & Ethics: 26 Occupations Nov 7-9, 1997 | ||||||
| Very high | High | Average | Low | Very low | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Druggists, pharmacists | 16 | 53 | 27 | 3 | * | 1 |
| Clergy | 17% | 42 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Medical doctors | 10% | 46 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| College teachers | 11% | 44 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Dentists | 9% | 45 | 37 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Policemen | 10% | 39 | 40 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| Engineers | 9% | 40 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Funeral directors | 7% | 29 | 45 | 9 | 2 | 8 |
| Bankers | 4% | 30 | 51 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| Public opinion pollsters | 4% | 19 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 8 |
| Journalists | 2% | 21 | 53 | 17 | 4 | 3 |
| TV reporters, commentators | 4% | 18 | 55 | 17 | 4 | 2 |
| Business executives | 3% | 17 | 55 | 17 | 3 | 5 |
| Local officeholders | 3% | 17 | 56 | 17 | 4 | 3 |
| Building contractors | 3% | 17 | 53 | 18 | 4 | 5 |
| Newspaper reporters | 2% | 17 | 48 | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| Stockbrokers | 2% | 16 | 54 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| State officeholders | 2% | 15 | 53 | 24 | 4 | 2 |
| Real estate agents | 3% | 13 | 56 | 20 | 4 | 4 |
| Lawyers | 3% | 12 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 3 |
| Labor union leaders | 2% | 13 | 41 | 26 | 12 | 6 |
| Senators | 2% | 12 | 50 | 27 | 6 | 3 |
| Advertising practitioners | 2% | 10 | 49 | 26 | 6 | 7 |
| Congressmen | 2% | 10 | 49 | 28 | 8 | 3 |
| Insurance salesmen | 2% | 10 | 47 | 30 | 8 | 3 |
| Car salesmen | 2% | 6 | 31 | 40 | 19 | 2 |
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