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Thursday, April 9, 2020

Poll: 54% Rate Media’s Response To Pandemic Positively


Many U.S. news organizations are covering the coronavirus pandemic while facing financial pressure from the outbreak themselves. 

Amid the financial challenges facing newsrooms, 54% of U.S. adults say the news media have done an excellent or good job responding to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new analysis of data from Pew Research Center’s Election News Pathways project. 

A slightly smaller share (46%) say the media’s response has been only fair or poor. Americans rate the news media’s response to the virus more positively than that of President Donald Trump, but more negatively than those of public health officials, state and local elected officials and ordinary people in their communities. 

Public opinion of the news media’s job performance during the outbreak varies depending on where Americans get their news: About two-thirds of those who primarily turn to network TV (68%) and print publications (66%) say the media’s response has been excellent or good, while half or fewer of those who rely on news websites or apps (50%), radio (47%) or social media (41%) say the same. 

Additionally, the analysis reveals a wide partisan gap, with about two-thirds of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (68%) – and just 37% of Republicans and GOP leaners – saying the media have been doing an excellent or good job responding to the outbreak. 

The current analysis stems from a survey of 11,537 U.S. adults who are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel, conducted March 19 - 24, 2020. 

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