Pew Study Shows Radio Trails Other Media As Choice For News

Is Radio Newsworthy?

Radio doesn't register very high in the latest PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PRESS study of the public's perception of the news media over the period covering 1985-2009. 

Among the media categories, radio finishes last as the national and international source of respondents' news, and just ahead of the Internet for third place out of four for local news.  Television leads both categories (the top choice for 71% for national and international news, 64% for local news), with the Internet second for national/international and newspapers third; newspapers do much better for local news.  Radio is the top choice of only 21% for national/international news and 18% for local news.  Respondents also ranked radio last for uncovering local stories, with the medium the top choice for only 10%.  Radio trails for all age categories, with its greatest relative strength among the 30-49 age group.

In other findings, the study showed widespread dissatisfaction with the accuracy and lack of impartiality it perceives in the news media, with Democrats increasingly joining Republicans in the perception that the media is biased.  63% of all respondents said that news stories are "often inaccurate" and 60% saying that news organizations are biased.  NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO drew a 44% favorable rating and 12% unfavorable, but 44% said they didn't know or can't rate NPR.  Democrats (50%) and independents (43%) ranked NPR as favorable, with Republicans at 39%.

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