In one-on-one interviews, we asked 19 Montana residents to name a few news sources they trusted and some they did not, and to tell us why. We also wanted to know how they would describe “quality journalism.”
“Quality journalism to me is somebody who reports the news without an agenda that comes through in their writing.”
– Alex Hughes (age 28)
Respondents from all points on the political spectrum said they trusted news that was fact-based and free of opinion. They did not trust news they saw as slanted, even if that slant conformed to their own point of view.
“It’s easy to read things when they already say what you’re thinking,” said Zack Jarvis, a 25-year-old stand-up comedian and self-described liberal whose most-trusted sources are The Washington Post and the New York Times. “If it’s a news article, it should be about the news, not a writer’s own opinion.”
“I’m very critical about what I hear, there are so many lies and agendas. Sometimes it’s the truth right off the bat but you never know until you ask the question, why is it that you’re telling me this?”
–Brian (age 32)
“If they’re trying to convince me of something, I stop reading,” said 47-year-old Kaye Sirmon, who described herself as conservative. Her top trusted sources: local radio and The Weather Channel.
In general, the people we talked to trusted local sources more than national ones. “Local is always better because you can see what’s happening in person,” Sirmon said.
“It’s hard to f*** up local news. The only local news I don’t trust is the weather.”
— Ed (age 53)
“Local news is more accurate and less biased,” said Michael Schwend, 25, “whereas national news is trying to sway you.” A self-described liberal, Schwend dismissed both Fox News and CNN as untrustworthy. So did 45-year-old Jeremy Dose, who calls himself a political moderate. “For these guys, there is no middle,” Dose said. “There is always only one side of an argument.”
“Quality journalism means covering the entire story, providing an unbiased opinion to allow people to form their own opinions out of the facts.”
– Aimee (age 37)
Some respondents also rejected news sources they saw as sensationalized or overtly commercial.
“I want my journalists to have a high standard of what they think journalism is….I think it’s pride of craftsmanship. That’s what it is. It’s pride of craftsmanship as opposed to pandering for a dollar.”
–Sue (age 60+)
In general, our respondents wanted news organizations to be more transparent about their finances and points of view. They wished that opinion columns were more clearly labeled. And they appreciated news outlets’ fact-checking of public figures.
