FNC's Special Report with Brit Hume on Monday picked up on the late 2007 Sacred Heart University poll, highlighted Monday morning on NewsBusters, which found that by three-to-one Americans see a media slant to the left over the right while FNC led as the “most trusted” news source. In the “Grapevine” segment, fill-in anchor Bret Baier recited how the survey determined “45.4 percent of the respondents think journalists and broadcasters are mostly or somewhat liberal. Just 15.7 percent think they are conservative.” He then ran through how “44.9 percent view CNN as liberal; 41.9 believe the New York Times leans left; 40.3 for National Public Radio and 38.8 for MSNBC.” As for as which outlet is “most trusted?” FNC “led the way with 27 percent, CNN at 14.6, NBC News at 10.9, ABC News at seven, local news 6.9. CBS 6.8, MSNBC four and Public Broadcasting at three percent.”

The NewsBusters posting, “Sixth Poll in a Year Finds Public Recognizes Liberal Tilt to News Media,” recounted:

For the sixth time in a year, a national survey has found many more Americans see a media bias to the left than to the right, and the latest poll released earlier this month by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute, discovered “significantly declining percentages of Americans saying they believe all or most of media news reporting,” with MSNBC (at a piddling four percent) and PBS (three percent) the least trusted for accurate reporting. Fox News, at 27 percent, was the most trusted, way ahead of second-best CNN at 14.6 percent. The Fairfield, Connecticut university's January 8 press release reported: “Just 19.6 percent of those surveyed could say they believe all or most news media reporting. This is down from 27.4 percent in 2003.”

By a three-to-one margin “Americans see news media journalists and broadcasters (45.4 percent to 15.7 percent) as mostly or somewhat liberal over mostly or somewhat conservative,” but for NPR and the New York Times recognition of a liberal tilt is closer to four-to-one.

Check that posting for a rundown of the previous five surveys.

The January 21 “Grapevine” segment item from Bret Baier:

Another national survey has found that more Americans believe the news media leans more to the left than to the right. The study by Sacred Heart University Polling Institute found 45.4 percent of the respondents think journalists and broadcasters are mostly or somewhat liberal. Just 15.7 percent think they are conservative. 44.9 percent view CNN as liberal; 41.9 believe the New York Times leans left; 40.3 for National Public Radio and 38.8 for MSNBC. Now, 48.7 percent said Fox News is mostly or somewhat conservative.

As far as which outlet is "most trusted?" Fox News led the way with 27 percent, CNN at 14.6, NBC News at 10.9, ABC News at 7, local news 6.9, CBS 6.8, MSNBC 4 and Public Broadcasting at 3 percent.

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center