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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for April 6, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
April 6, 2018: Thirty-one percent (31%) of Americans believe that traditional major TV and newspaper media outlets regularly report “fake news,” according to a Monmouth University poll. The poll found that another 46 percent believe such mainstream outlets occasionally report fake news.[1]
Most of those believe that such false reports are released intentionally to push an agenda.
The public believes the term “fake news” applies to more than just stories where the facts are wrong. Two-thirds of Americans (65%) “say that ‘fake news’ also applies to how news outlets make editorial decisions about what they choose to report.”
Earlier Numbers of the Day have documented similar distrust in traditional media outlets. Just 13 percent of Americans believe that the media does a very good job covering both sides of political issues fairly.
Only 38 percent believe media outlets do a good job separating fact from fiction. Perhaps the most stunning finding of all is that just 53 percent believe they can trust their primary news source most of the time. In other words, over half of all Americans are skeptical of the reports coming from the news program they choose to watch.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- April 5, 2018 – 5 steps to improve regulatory decision-making
- April 4, 2018 – 50 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
- April 3, 2018 – 8 Democratic Senate seats at risk in midterm elections
- April 2, 2018 – 25 constitutional amendments may be proposed to Florida voters
- March 30, 2018 – 71% of Americans identify as Christians
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.
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