QUINNIPIAC POLL: Fox News Has the Most Trusted Coverage, Kind Of

A new Quinnipiac University national poll shows that most Americans believe FOX News offers the most trusted coverage among the major TV news outlets (kind of), but all of the networks take a backseat to your local television news coverage.

According to the poll, 29 percent of American voters say that FOX News offers the most trusted network and cable news coverage, but it drops in the ratings when network news is examined on a case-by-case basis.

In the comparison rankings, CNN gets 22 percent, with NBC News and CBS News at 10 percent each, 8 percent for ABC News and 7 percent for MSNBC, the independent Quinnipiac University Poll finds.

When asked, “Do you trust the journalistic coverage provided by FOX News,” 20 percent of U.S. voters say “a great deal” and 35 percent say “somewhat.”

Scores for other networks are:

• NBC News — 14 percent “a great deal” and 46 percent “somewhat;”
• ABC News — 14 percent “a great deal” and 50 percent “somewhat;”
• CBS News — 14 percent “a great deal” and 50 percent “somewhat;”
• MSNBC — 11 percent “a great deal” and 41 percent “somewhat;”
• CNN — 18 percent “a great deal” and 43 percent “somewhat.”

However, the big winner in the Quinnipiac poll is local television news, which is trusted by 19 percent of voters “a great deal” and by 52 percent “somewhat.”

“FOX News may be the most trusted in the network and cable news race, but they all take a back seat to your local news,” Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a press release.

In the comparison chart, FOX News is definitely the Republican choice as 58 percent of GOP voters say they trust FOX the most, while 13 percent turn to CNN, with 7 percent each for NBC and CBS, 5 percent for ABC and 2 percent for MSNBC.

Only 3 percent of Democrats trust FOX the most, with 32 percent for CNN, 15 percent for NBC, 14 percent each for CBS and MSNBC and 8 percent for ABC.

FOX tops CNN 34 to 18 percent among men, with women divided 25 to 25 percent. Voters 18 to 34 years old trust CNN more than FOX 33 to 21 percent, while voters 35 to 54 years old go to FOX 29 to 21 percent and voters over 55 years old trust FOX more 34 to 17 percent.

The Quinnipiac poll covered a wide range of TV news issues, from was the network news more trustworthy in the “good ‘ol days” to who should replace Jon Stewart on the Daily Show?

As far as trustworthiness goes, American voters said 48 to 7 percent that network TV news is less trustworthy than in the days of Walter Cronkite, while 35 percent say it is about as trustworthy.

Speaking of trustworthiness, voters said 42 to 35 percent that Brian Williams should be allowed to come back as NBC Nightly News anchor.

On the flipside, 12 percent of the voters said that Bill O’Reilly of FOX News should be fired over allegations of inaccuracies in past reporting. Also, 11 percent of the voters said O’Reilly should be suspended, 23 percent said he should stay and 51 percent said they haven’t heard enough about this to form an opinion.

“Bring back Uncle Walter, as Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly get lukewarm support for their journalistic indiscretions,” Malloy said in the release. “American news watchers long for an era where the person in the big chair could be truly trusted. And that’s the way it is.”

Replacing Jon Stewart

As far as replacing the immensely popular Jon Stewart as the host of the Daily Show, Tina Fey is the top choice of the voters at 19 percent. The former Saturday Night Live star, and 30 Rock creator, is followed by fellow SNL alum Dennis Miller at 16 percent. The other top vote getters are as follows: John Oliver (8 percent), Brian Williams and Craig Ferguson (7 percent each) and Chelsea Handler (5 percent).

There are gender and age gaps in the voting.

Fey tops Miller 23 to 12 percent among women, while men go to Miller 21 to 15 percent. Voters 18 to 34 years old go 27 percent for Fey, 12 percent for Oliver, 10 percent for Handler and 9 percent each for Ferguson and Miller. Older voters are divided between Fey and Miller.

“Two comedians, both former Saturday Night Live mock news readers, lead the pack to fill Jon Stewart’s chair,” Malloy said. “Dennis Miller is the favorite of 24 percent of Republicans. Tina Fey, with her dead-on take on Sarah Palin, is the darling of 26 percent of Democrats.”

From Feb. 26 to March 2, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,286 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research.

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