A new Rasmussen Reports national phone and online survey shows likely U.S. voters are skeptical when it comes to trusting the media to report facts about crime.
Just 24 percent of them believe most of the news media report fairly and accurately about the problem of crime in America. Sixty percent said the media does not report fairly and accurately about crime while 15 percent aren’t sure.
Thirty-eight percent said the media tends to underplay the amount of violent crime while 33 percent said the media exaggerates the amount of violent crime.
While Democrats are more trusting in the media, still just 34 percent of them believe most news media report fairly and accurately about the problem. Twenty-two percent of Republicans and just 14 percent of unaffiliated voters agree.
Republicans (71 percent) and unaffiliated voters (70 percent) nearly mirror each other in their skepticism. Both majorities believe the media doesn’t report fairly and accurately about crime.
Forty-three percent of both Republican and unaffiliated voters believe the media underplays the amount of violent crime in America. Thirty-one percent of Democrats agree. Thirty-nine percent of Republicans, 31 percent of Democrats and 28 percent of unaffiliated voters believe the media exaggerates the amount of violent crime.
