Liberals and conservatives get their news from different sources
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Dedicated liberals and conservatives are more interested in political news than those in the mushy middle, but trust different sources, a report finds.
The Pew Research Center said that liberals go to a variety of news outlets. They read the New York Times and listen to the BBC and National Public Radio.
Conservatives tend to depend more on a single broadcaster, Fox News. Almost half, or 47 percent, said they look to Fox for news on politics and government.
The report, Political Polarization & Media Habits, was released Tuesday. It is part of a year-long examination of political polarization in the United States.
While those committed to either conservatism of liberalism are only about 20 percent of the U.S. electorate, Pew said they have an impact beyond their numbers. They are more likely to vote and to donate money and time to politics.
Conservatives are more likely to distrust mainstream newspapers and broadcasters. At the same time, 88 percent of the group said Fox News is trustworthy.
Liberals are more trusting. They also rely less on a single source with 15 percent saying CNN is their main news source, 13 percent NPR, 12 percent MSNBC and 10 percent the Times.
"These cleavages can be overstated," the report said. "The study also suggests that in America today, it is virtually impossible to live in an ideological bubble. Most Americans rely on an array of outlets with varying audience profiles for political news."
2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.
Original post:
Liberals and conservatives get their news from different sources