[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 22823-22824]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  NATIONAL MEDIA FACE CREDIBILITY VOID

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the national media don't have a 
credibility problem; they have a credibility void.
  Five out of six Americans see the national news media as ``very or 
somewhat biased,'' according to a new poll by Sacred Heart University. 
Six out of seven Americans say the media have their own political and 
public policy positions and attempt to influence opinion and policy.

[[Page 22824]]

  Nearly nine out of ten Americans say the media played a strong role 
in electing Barack Obama as President. Seven in ten say the national 
media are intent on promoting the Obama presidency. And a majority say 
the media are promoting the White House's health care plan without 
criticism.
  The poll found that biased reporting is driving away the media's 
audience. Almost half of Americans have stopped watching a news outlet 
because of media bias.
  If the national media want to keep their remaining audience, they 
need to restore Americans' trust by giving them the facts, not telling 
them what to think.

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