From Hindraker on Powerline:
MSNBC’s string of debacles has taken a toll. Public Policy Polling finds that MSNBC is now America’s least trusted news source, tied with its parent NBC and–wait for it!–Comedy Central. PPP asked respondents which network they trust the most. The results:
Fox News: 35%
PBS: 14%
ABC News: 11%
CNN: 9%
CBS News: 6%
NBC News: 3%
Comedy Central: 3%
MSNBC: 3%
Did that surprise you as much as it did me? Fox is trusted that much? So, I went to the source,
PPP. And lo, and behold, Fox is the least trusted.
Fox News also leads the 'least trusted' list in our annual poll. 33% give it that designation to 19% for MSNBC, 14% for Comedy Central, 11% for CNN, 5% for ABC, 4% for CBS, and 2% each for NBC and PBS.
How can that be? Did Hindraker just lie? Well, no, he misrepresented.
PPP asked two questions: a) Who do you trust most, and b) Who do you trust least? Hindraker reported the answer to a). Because the liberal vote was divided, each outlet was lower than Fox, who was number 1, and only one for conservatives.
When asked about a single network, do you trust/distrust, the results look different.
PBS 57/24
Fox 44/42
CNN 40/40
NBC 39/39
ABC 37/38
Comedy Central 29/38
MSNBC 34/44
So what is my point? I don't post this to trash Fox; they still do fairly well, or to support MSNBC; they still are at the back of the pack.
I have two main points:
1. If numbers look fishy, go back to the source. Are the results reported accurately? In this case, they were misrepresented. By knowing what the question was, the results look different.
2. Statistics are easily manipulated. People don't understand how polling works and tend to swallow whole what is reported on sources they agree with. This was a source I mistrust already, so was skeptical going in. We need to be equally skeptical of our own spaces, to keep everyone honest.