Our interviewers used a template developed by the Trusting News project at the University of Missouri to ask Montana residents what they think of the news media. In early March, 2018, we spoke to 19 people one-on-one about their personal news habits and opinions, which should not be interpreted as representative of the population at large.
Almost half of our small sample described themselves as politically liberal, which does not mirror the conservative political leanings of the state as a whole, according to Gallup.
Seventy percent of the group was male. All of the people we talked to are white.
Respondents’ ages ranged from early 20s to over 70, with the largest number between 20 and 30.
While there is no way to generalize from these interviews, we did hear some of the same criticism of the news media that has surfaced in nationwide surveys, including complaints about bias and sensationalism. But we also heard strong support for local news outlets and for the role of the news media in holding the powerful accountable.
