Poll: Fox News most trusted network

Fox News has the most trusted network and cable news coverage in the United States, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. But network TV is much less trustworthy than it was in the days of Walter Cronkite, American voters say.

In comparison rankings, 29 percent responded that they trust Fox News the most. CNN follows with 22 percent, CBS News and NBC News are at 10 percent, ABC News at 8 percent and MSNBC at 7 percent.


Asked whether they trust the journalistic coverage of each network, 20 percent said they do “a great deal” for Fox, and 35 percent said “somewhat.”

Comparing today’s programming with the heyday of network news, only 7 percent of those surveyed think the information presented now is more trustworthy, with 48 percent responding that it is less so and 35 percent answering that it is about the same.

Among Republican voters, 58 percent say they trust Fox News the most, with 13 percent favoring CNN, 7 percent for NBC and CBS, 5 percent for ABC and 2 percent for MSNBC.

With Democrats, CNN is the top choice with 32 percent, 15 percent for NBC, 14 percent for CBS and MSNBC, and 8 percent for ABC. Only 3 percent trust Fox News most.

Forty-two percent of registered voters think NBC should allow Brian Williams to anchor “NBC Nightly News,” while 35 percent think they should not give him another chance after his suspension.

With Bill O’Reilly, 51 percent responded that they haven’t heard enough to say whether he should be fired, suspended or allowed to continued with Fox News.

The poll, conducted Feb. 26-March 2, polled 1,286 registered voters nationwide via landlines and cellphones, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.