Majority says news media should present facts without interpretation % who say that in covering events, the snews media should
A key question that news organizations face, particularly during intense periods like election years, is to what degree journalists should present the facts with some interpretation, giving their audience guidance in navigating all the information that comes at them.
A majority of U.S. adults (59%) reject the idea of adding interpretation, saying that the news media should present the facts alone, a recent Pew Research Center survey found. Four-in-ten favor adding some interpretation to the facts. The survey of 4,132 adults on the Center’s nationally representative American Trends Panel was conducted Sept. 27-Oct. 10, before Election Day.
There are substantial partisan differences over whether journalists should include interpretation in their stories. Registered voters who supported Trump for president favored a “just the facts” approach by more than two-to-one, with only 29% saying the news media should add interpretation. Clinton supporters, on the other hand, are evenly split on the issue, with half against interpretation and half favoring it. This may be linked to a perception among Republicans that coverage of their candidate had been too tough. Among Republicans, 46% thought coverage of Trump had been too tough, while only three-in-ten Democrats thought the same of coverage of Clinton, according to Pew Research Center’s mid-September survey.
Majority says news media should present facts without  | interpretation  | % who say that in covering events, the snews media should  | Present the facts  | Present the facts  | with some interpreta tion  | without interpretation  | U.S adults  | 59%  | 40%  | Among registered voters who are  | Trump  | 71  | 29  | supporters  | Clinton  | 50  | 50  | supporters  | Note: Only registered votersare included lin Trumpsupporters and Clinton supporters.  | Source Only Survev conducted Sept. 27-0ct 10. Trumpsupporters 2016.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 