On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter released an extensive poll on the news habits of consumers plus a poll of 51 cable and broadcast network news hosts and late-night comedy hosts. Here are seven areas that The Hollywood Reporter article on their own poll didn’t have quite the time to do a deep dive on.
1. News Habits — Network News, Social Media Most Read; Social Media Not Trusted
The Hollywood Reporter poll first took a look at three areas on types of news: News consumption, trust levels, and concerns about accuracy. Like many of these categories, there were results that were both surprising and unsurprising.
In all three categories, there were seven possible types of news: Cable news, network news, newspapers, online-only sites, podcasts, radio, and social media.
First on the topic of news consumption, broadcast network news (60 percent) and social media (55 percent) took the top two spots with respondents stating “daily” or a “few times a week.” As for types of news that people either looked at “less than once a month” or “never,” podcasts ended up at 69 percent and newspapers at 44 percent.
On placing your trust in certain types of news, all seven were above 50 percent with “a lot” and “some” of the time, ranging from radio at 79 percent down to social media at 55 percent. As for the types that are least trust (“not much” or “not at all”), social media at 43 percent and podcasts at 31 percent led the way.
And here were the results on accuracy (click “expand”):
Not worried about accuracy (Not much/Not at all):
Newspapers — 35 percent
Radio — 32 percent
Network news — 31 percent
Podcasts — 30 percent
Online-only sites — 27 percent
Cable news — 27 percent
Social media — 24 percentConcerned (A lot/some):
Social media — 73 percent
Online-only sites — 71 percent
Cable news — 70 percent
Network news — 67 percent
Radio — 64 percent
Newspapers — 61 percent
Podcasts — 61 percent
2. CBS’s Golodryga, MSNBC’s Melber Tops Among Least Recognizable Journalists
One of eight categories the poll tested respondents pertained to 51 late-night comedy hosts and journalists was whether they’ve heard of them or not. Here’s the top five least recognizable journalists: CBS’s Bianna Golodryga (58 percent), MSNBC’s Ari Melber (55 percent), MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle (52 percent), CBS’s Jeff Glor (52 percent), and then MSNBC’s Katy Tur and MSNBC host/NBC correspondent Hallie Jackson were tied for fifth (51 percent).
3. Holt, Roberts Among Those Viewed Most Favorably; Mitchell, Todd Near Bottom
Two NBC personalities received the most “favorable” votes with Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon and NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt at 57 and 53 percent, respectively. CNN’s Anderson Cooper was third at 51 percent and was the only other person to top 50 percent.
They were followed by ABC’s Robin Roberts, CBS’s Stephen Colbert, CBS’s Gayle King, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Lyin’ Brian Williams (yes, really), NBC’s Carson Daly, and FNC’s Chris Wallace rounded out the top ten. Welp.
Over in the unfavorable category, here’s the top ten with six working for MSNBC or parent network NBC (click “expand”):
1. Sean Hannity — 32 percent
2. Stephen Colbert — 32 percent
3. Chuck Todd — 29 percent
4 (tied). Jimmy Fallon — 27 percent
4 (tied). Andrea Mitchell — 27 percent
6 (tied). Rachel Maddow — 26 percent
6 (tied). Anderson Cooper — 26 percent
8. Joe Scarborough — 25 percent
9. Wolf Blitzer — 24 percent
10. Chris Matthews — 23 percent
As the next question outlined, someone’s favorability doesn’t necessarily equal trustworthiness.
4. What?? NBC’s Holt, ABC’s Roberts and Muir Lead Poll as Most Trusted
Now, here’s where things got crazier. Holt fetched 62 percent of respondents who said they either trusted him “a lot” or “some” while Roberts was close behind at 60 percent. The rest of the top ten was a little bonkers (click “expand”):
3. David Muir — 58 percent
4 (tied). Chris Wallace — 57 percent
4 (tied). Jimmy Fallon — 57 percent
6. Anderson Cooper — 56 percent
7. Gayle King — 55 percent
8 (tied). Brian Williams — 54 percent
8 (tied). Craig Melvin — 54 percent
10. George Stephanopoulos — 53 percent
As for journalists who people trust “not much” or “not at all,” Hannity was again first, but then things got amusing as MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-hosts/lovers Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were next. Behind them in the top ten (click “expand”):
4. Stephen Colbert — 39 percent
5. Rachel Maddow — 38 percent
6 (tied). Shepherd Smith — 37 percent
6 (tied). Chris Matthews — 37 percent
8 (tied). Tucker Carlson — 36 percent
8 (tied). Don Lemon — 36 percent
10 (tied). Steve Doocy — 35 percent
10 (tied). Juan Williams — 35 percent
10 (tied). Jake Tapper — 35 percent
10 (tied). Lawrence O’Donnell — 35 percent
5. Poll States “Big Three” Evening Anchors Glor, Holt, Muir Lean Least
Another portion of the poll asked about the partisan leanings of these 51 people. One such possible response to the question was that they had “no lean either way.” At the top of that were the three broadcast network evening news anchors with Holt at 25 percent, Muir at 24 percent, and Glor at 23 percent.
Behind them were CNN’s John King, CBS’s John Dickerson and Norah O’Donnell, Tur, MSNBC host and NBC correspondent Hallie Jackson, Melvin, and Williams. The bottom five and thus those whom respondents declared do not reside in the middle were (from 47th to 51st): CNN’s Don Lemon, Maddow, Colbert, Carlson, and Hannity.
6. Colbert, Fallon, Maddow, Cooper, King Rank as Five Most Liberal Hosts
When it came to the broadcast and cable personalities who lean furthest to the left, late-night comedy hosts Colbert and Fallon were tops at 56 and 54 percent, respectively. Here was the rest of the top ten, which respondents were fairly spot on with (click “expand”):
3. Rachel Maddow — 53 percent
4. Anderson Cooper — 52 percent
5. Gayle King — 48 percent
6. Robin Roberts — 45 percent
7. Juan Williams — 43 percent
8. Mika Brzezinski — 43 percent
9. George Stephanopoulos — 41 percent
10. Don Lemon — 41 percent
Meanwhile, the personalities who received the lowest percentages of leaning to the left were 15 out of 16 Fox News hosts polled (with Juan Williams being the exception).
On the other end of the spectrum, those same 15 Fox News hosts (ranging from Hannity at 54 percent to Shepherd Smith at 25 percent). The person in 16th was none other than self-described socialist Lawrence O’Donnell at 16 percent, one point ahead of Matthews and Scarborough. The five personalities that had the lowest percentage of a conservative lean were Colbert, Lemon, Mitchell, Fallon, and King. So no surprise there.
7. Sad! Berman, Camerota, Cavuto, Guthrie Among Those Who WEREN’T Polled
Despite the fact that there were 51 journalists and late-night comedy hosts polled, there were still plenty who weren’t polled with about 15 weekday cable or Sunday morning network news hosts that The Hollywood Reporter didn’t have respondents comment on.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and NBC’s Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb were big surprises as their network competitors were all polled. CBS’s Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan and CBS News: Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley were also not included though competitors at ABC and NBC were.
And here were the cable news host’s not polled (click “expand”):
- CNN’s New Day co-host Alisyn Camerota
- CNN’s New Day co-host John Berman
- Weekday morning CNN Newsroom co-host Poppy Harlow
- Weekday morning CNN Newsroom co-host Jim Sciutto
- CNN Right Now host Brianna Keilar
- FNC’s America’s Newsroom co-host Sandra Smith
- FNC’s Outnumbered co-host Melissa Francis
- FNC’s Your World host Neil Cavuto
- FNC’s The Five co-host Jesse Watters
- MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-host and NBC’s Sunday Today host Willie Geist
- Weekday afternoon MSNBC Live Ali Velshi
- MSNBC’s Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace
