American media confidence is near its lowest level since 1970.Gallup’s latest poll found that only 36% of respondents trust their media to accurately and fairly report news, compared with 40% last year.
The trust level in media has fallen to the second lowest point since Gallup began measuring trust in U.S institutions back in 1972. In 2016, just 32 per cent of respondents said they either had “a good deal” or “some” trust in media.
In 2021 7 percent and 29% of polled respondents said they have great trust. As a result, 29% have little trust in media while 34% don’t.
This is down significantly from the early 1970s (when 68–72 percent of people trusted mass media) and from the late 1990s. 53% of respondents had some confidence or very high levels of trust in the media as of 1997. Gallup says that “trust in media has declined to the majority level, at 45%, since 1997,” but it has not fallen below the 45% mark since 2003.
The poll—conducted September 1–17—also found waning trust in government:
Only 44% of U.S. adults say they are very confident in those who hold public office or run for it. This compares to the 2016 record of 42%. Meanwhile, a small majority (55%) express a similar level of confidence in the judgments of the American people under the democratic system, the lowest Gallup has measured to date but not meaningfully different from 56% readings in 2016 and 2020….
Gallup’s data on this measure, backdated to 1972 (for politicians), and 1974 (for Americans), show that there has been a decline in voter confidence over the decades. Americans trust voters more than people running or holding public office. However, both these trends have shifted in the 2000s as well as in 2010.
Gallup polled 68% of respondents in 1974 to find that they have a lot or fair amount of faith in their elected representatives.
Also, trust is low in the ability of the federal government to deal with domestic and international issues.
Gallup’s September report stated that “trust in the federal government handling international problems has dropped nine percentage points to a record low of 39% and matches its level of trust in handling domestic problems.” In addition, confidence in the judicial branch—while still at 54 percent—was down 13 percentage points from 2020.
Gallup noted that “in every reading since 1997, the public has shown more trust in federal judicial branches than the executive or legislative branches.” “Over the last decade, Americans’ confidence has outpaced their confidence in both the executive (headed by President) and the legislative (composed from both houses of Congress).
Respondents to the September survey said that 44% trust their executive branches and only 37% believe they can trust Congress.
GRATIS MINDS
YouTube and Google are now adding denial of climate change content to the banned list if you wish to monetize videos and websites.This ban covers content which is contrary to “well-established scientific consensus about the existence and causes climate change.” It also includes content “referring to climatechange as a hoax, a scam or claims that climate change is a hoax, claims that global warming long-term trends are not consistent with, and claims that human activities or greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate changes.
This is all part of an ongoing effort to counter misinformation online. Tech companies are being increasingly pressured to comply with lawmakers. Google says that the case is not based on government pressure, but user and advertiser wishes. To AxiosYou can find this link:
Google claimed that these are changes it made in response to frustrationAdvertisers and content creators are asked about messages that appear alongside climate denial.
- Advertisers don’t wish their ads next to the content. The company stated that publishers and creators are not interested in ads for these claims appearing on their pages or videos.
But: Google regularly makes adjustments to its advertising policies in an effort to lessen misinformation. However, this update is significant because of how difficult it can be for certain climate-related commentary to be classified as denial or misinformation.
- According to the tech company, when reviewing content in accordance with the policy, they will “look carefully at the context of claims made. This allows us to distinguish between false claims as facts and content that discusses or reports on that claim.”
NO COMMISSION MARKETS
Democrat and Republicans disagree on spending priorities. With their $3.5 trillion spending bill looking less and less likely to become reality, Democrats are forced to prioritize—and some really don’t like it. However, their disagreements over spending may be a blessing, as they might finally stop their worst spending plans. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D–Wash.Chair of the New Democrat Coalition Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) stated to NBC News that the 95 member coalition had four priorities.
These include extending the annual $3,000 to $3600 per-child cash payments for most families and continuing to expand Obamacare subsidies through the American Rescue Plan. Closing the Medicaid coverage gap.
A narrower approach, which is deeper in scope, would prevent “short-term rock bottoms that could mean important programs won’t get extended,” she stated.
However, some progressive leaders want to take a new direction.
Rep. Pramila Japal, D.Wash. was the chairperson of the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus.
As they listen to the members’ demands, Biden and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), face a difficult task in reconciling their views. These three men are charged with crafting an enormous bill that will pass Congress with the narrowest possible margin. The Senate is evenly divided, so there’s no room for error. However, the House has three votes to win before it falls.
Everyone has their priorities. Some priorities can’t be met.
FOLLOW THE LINKS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a measure prohibiting “stealthing”. — that is, secretly taking off a condom without a sex partner’s consent. This is what it looks like There are reasonsRoundup pointed out in September that the new law was the first in its type in America, creating an affirmative consent to condom removal. The new law states that a person who makes contact with a condom-containing sexual organ and an intimate part of another party who has not consented verbally to it being taken is guilty of a “sexual battery.”
QUICK HITS
So many of the conversations and panels about “disinformation” on Facebook are frighteningly paternalistic: the “problem” people are focused on is that FB doesn’t moderate “the right way” and they are demanding levers to make them moderate the way *they* want.
— Mike Masnick (@mmasnick) October 7, 2021
• The Senate voted yesterday to raise the debt limit by an increase of $480 billion. BBC notes that this breakthrough occurred less than 2 weeks before the US would be ineligible for loans or borrowing money. The December deadline will see the US Congress address the matter to avoid default.
• In September, the unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent.
• The California school cop who shot a woman in the head as she was fleeing a fight is being investigated for homicide, the Long Beach Police Department announced yesterday.
• New Netflix movie The GuiltyAccording to the author, “isn’t as progressive or critical of cops it pretends it is.” Salon
• America “is running out of everything,” complains Derek Thompson at Atlantic. The Everything Shortage does not result from one huge bottleneck, such as in the Vietnamese factory or American trucking industries. A veritable hydra is causing us to run low on all supplies due to our shortages.
• A federal appeals court has “rejected a challenge from journalism associations seeking to argue against an exemption to Assembly Bill 5 that applied for freelance writers, arguing that it inhibited free speech,” reports The Hill A.B. California’s law 5 defines many independent contractors and gig workers to be employees.
• This looks dangerous:
The ENABLERS Act is a central idea analysts believe is standard across most countries. It states that lawyers, investment advisors, art dealers and realtors would need to exercise some degree of “due diligence” when ensuring their clients do not pay for suspicious funds or move them around.
• More frightening tales from the college culture war:
A renowned composer, The Professor showed his class at @UMichLaurence Olivier plays Othello in this video. Now he’s being investigated, vilified, & shamed for subjecting students to blackface. He apologized but it only made the situation worse. https://t.co/0GrTcLT5f8
— Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) October 7, 2021