Cable news divides viewers

Cable news viewing is increasingly breaking down along political party lines, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. The study found that 52% of Fox News Channel’s audience describes themselves as politically conservative, up from 40% in 2000. CNN’s audience is more Democrat-leaning than in the past, the study said, but didn’t cite any numbers.

Feelings about media credibility are also divided along partisan lines, according to the study. Republicans are increasingly distrustful of most major media outlets while Democrats’ assessments have remained stable in the last four years. CNN’s credibility ratings among those surveyed have dropped in recent years, but the network is still on top with 32% of those polled saying they believe “all or most” of what the network reports. By comparison, 25% of those surveyed say the same about Fox; those numbers have stayed about flat. The war in Iraq has contributed to increased interest in international news, the study said, with 52% of people saying they tracking overseas news closely most of the time, up from 37% in 2002.

Elizabeth Jensen