Picking Sides For the News; If it's partisanship that sells, then we'll slowly get more journalism that is more selective and more slanted, less reliable and less honest.(Column)

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 28-JUN-04

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Byline: Robert J. Samuelson

We in the news business think we're impartial seekers of truth, but most Americans think otherwise. They view us as sloppy, biased and self-serving. In 1985, 56 percent of the public felt news organizations usually got their facts straight, says the Pew Research Center. By 2002 that was 35 percent. In 1985 the public thought the media "moral" by 54 to 13 percent; by 2003 opinion was split 40 to 38 percent. Americans think the "media make news rather than just report it," says Pew's Andrew Kohut. The obsession with "scandal in high places" is seen as building audiences rather than advancing the public interest.

Still, the latest Pew survey confirms--with lots of numbers--something disturbing that we all sense: people are increasingly picking...

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