Gallup: Russians Rely On State Media For Ukraine News

Most Russians have been following the news about Ukraine and Crimea over the past few months, with nearly nine in 10 paying attention before Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down last week in Ukraine, according to a new Gallup Poll.

While the U.S. government maintains that Russia has "repeatedly put out misinformation and propaganda throughout this conflict in Ukraine," Russians who have been following the news consider their state media the most reliable source for information about the situation. Just 5% say Western media are reliable.

State-owned media dominate Russians' news choices, from television to radio to newspapers. Only 1% of those following news about Ukraine say they do not use state media, compared with nearly three in 10 or more who say they do not use independent media (26%) or Western media (36%). But Russians' reliance on their state media doesn't necessarily mean they trust everything being reported in it, including the conspiracy theories currently circulating in Russian media about the downing of the jetliner. Instead, the high percentage who say state media are reliable more likely reflects Russians' current record-high faith in the state and their record-low trust in the West.

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