[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 341]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY MEDIA FAIRNESS POLL

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, a Sacred Heart University poll 
released this month found that less than 20 percent of those surveyed 
believed news media reporting. Almost 9 out of 10 Americans believe 
that the news media attempt to influence public opinion, and about the 
same number think the media attempt to influence public policies.
  Fewer than one in three Americans give the media positive rating for 
``keeping any personal bias out of stories, fairness, presenting and 
even balance of views, and presenting negative and positive views 
equally.'' By four-to-one margins, Americans see the New York Times and 
National Public Radio as having a liberal bias, and by a three-to-one 
margin, Americans see journalists and broadcasters as having a liberal 
bias.
  We need to encourage the media to adhere to the highest standards of 
their profession. Only then can we restore Americans' faith in news 
reporting.

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