Examining Our Credibility:
 
Perspectives of the Public and the Press
By Christine D. Urban,
President, Urban & Associates
 
Examining Credibility, Explaining Ourselves
 
The Findings in Brief
 
Accuracy Matters
• Spelling/grammar mistakes • Factual errors • Corrections •Attitudes about accuracy • Credibility of newspapers vs. TV • Rush to publish • Unnamed sources
 
Understanding Each Other
• Demographics of journalists and the public • The public’s view of journalists • Journalists’ view of themselves
 
Perceived Bias
• Bias defined • Who believes the media are biased? • External manipulation • Internal agendas • Reporting fact vs. opinion • Journalists’ self-appraisal
 
Chasing Sensational Stories
• Presumed motives • “Hot” stories
 
Different News Values
• Consistency in news values • Conflict in news
values • Investigative reporting techniques
 
Experience with the News process
• Being part of the story • The impact of experience
 
Characteristics of the Respondents
• Sample characteristics • Community involvement • Frequency of news needs • Media consumption patterns  • Evaluations of news sources • Perceptions of own newspaper • Contact with readers
 
The Test Sites
 
About This Study
 
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