Poll shows public trusts TV over newspapers, radio

Television has once again been rated the most credible news medium, according to a new Roper survey prepared for the Television Information Office (TIO). In the 14th in a series of national polls conducted since 1959 by the Roper Organization Inc., based upon home interviews with 2,000 respondents, 53 percent of respondees indicated that if they got conflicting reports of the same news story, they would be most inclined to believe television. Newspapers were chosen by 24 percent, radio by 8 percent. The same survey taken in 1982 indicated the same percentage for TV, with 22 percent (two percentage points less) for newspapers.

Asked where they usually get most of their news, 64 percent named television, 40 percent newspapers, and 14 percent radio. When asked which single source is most relied upon, 46 percent chose TV only, 22 percent chose newspapers only.

Other Roper/TIO findings:

A large majority think TV treated the two presidential candidates fairly in its coverage of their 1984 campaigns.

Newspapers rank first as the leading information source about candidates in local elections, while television is the leading source of information about national and statewide candidates.

Social and occupational groups such as clergymen, working women, and blue-collar workers are believed by most people to be treated fairly in TV news, while 54 percent of the respondents believe that major league sports stars are treated too favorably.