Distrust of Fox News Hits Record High

by Howard Kurtz Feb 6, 2013 7:16 PM EST
But Republicans love the network


It’s official: Fox is the most distrusted name in news.

But an awful lot of people trust it, too.

In an annual Public Policy Polling survey, 46 percent of those questioned say they don’t trust Rupert Murdoch’s network—a 9-point jump in a negative view of the network since 2010.

At the same time, 41 percent of those in the new poll say they trust Fox News—a telling snapshot of a news channel that conservatives love and liberals love to hate.

Behind the numbers is a deep partisan divide: As PPP puts it, Democrats trust most television news other than Fox, and Republicans don’t trust anything but Fox.

Among Democrats, 72 percent trust PBS, with only 11 percent in the distrust category. Following next were NBC (61 percent trust, 16 percent distrust); MSNBC (58 to 19 percent); CBS (54 to 16 percent); CNN, where I am a host (57 to 21 percent); ABC (51 to 16 percent), and—yes—Comedy Central (38 to 28 percent).

Among Republicans, 27 percent trust PBS and 48 percent distrust it. Following next were NBC (18 to 66 percent); CNN (17 to 66 percent); ABC (14 to 70 percent); MSNBC (12 to 68 percent); CBS (15 to 72 percent), and Comedy Central (8 to 66 percent).

If there were any doubt that our television news world is as polarized as our politics, this settles it.