Poll: Five in six Americans trust local television news

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Amid outcry on the right wing about so-called “fake news,” a new survey sets the record straight, showing that Americans overwhelmingly trust local television news.

A fresh Spectrum News/Morning Consult national poll released Friday reveals that 83% of survey respondents “trust” local news, and even more (87%) are satisfied with what they see.

This extends to members of both major parties. Ninety-one percent of Democrats and 79% of Republicans trust local television news.

The good feelings didn’t stop there. A full 77% of respondents were happy with the information provided about both local and national happenings. And 72% of respondents agreed that local news helps bring forth positive change in their communities.

A strong majority of viewers also value efforts toward accountability journalism, with 63% of respondents crediting local news operations with bringing the powerful to heel.

Television is king, with 48% of respondents saying that’s where they got their local news, and 62% saying they are daily viewers. Newspapers lagged far behind, with just 9% of respondents crediting print publications as their first choice for news.

“We have long known that investing in local journalism empowers and strengthens communities, and this poll demonstrates the vital role we play in the communities we serve,” said Mike Bair, Executive Vice President of Spectrum Networks, in explaining the poll’s findings and contextualizing his company’s response.

“Over the past few years, we have steadily expanded our reach by launching digital newsrooms in more communities and enhancing our Spectrum News App, along with further investments in our existing newsrooms, making local journalism more accessible to the people who want and need it most. The health of our communities — and by extension, our politics, economy, and cultural life — depends on it.”

The Spectrum News/Morning Consult poll canvassed 5,000 respondents between June 17 and July 11 of this year. The margin of error on this survey is +/- 2 percentage points.