Most say news media ale doing a good job covering most important stories % who say news organizations in our country are doing at reporting on most important news events not well well
Western Europeans with populist views are less likely than non-populists to say the news media are very important to the functioning of their country’s society. This pattern appeared in seven of eight Western European countries surveyed by Pew Research Center in 2017 (the exception was Spain). The differences in views between populists and non-populists were even more pronounced than the differences between those who place themselves on the ideological left and right. In the Netherlands, for example, populists were 20 points less likely than non-populists to say the news media are very important to the functioning of society (35% vs. 55%). The left-right difference on this question was only 8 points.
Most people say news organizations in their country are doing well at reporting on the most important news events, according to a 2017 survey of 38 countries. Ratings of the news media were measured, however: Across the nations surveyed, a median of just 26% said the news media were doing very well at reporting on the most important news events. Ratings of the media were highest in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where medians of 82% and 74%, respectively, said that the media were doing well at covering the most important news stories. Majorities in Greece and South Korea said the media were not doing well at covering the most important stories.
Most say news media ale doing a good  | job covering most important stories  | % who say news organizations in our country are doing  | at reporting on most important news events  | Total  | Very  | Total  | not well well  | well  | Canada  | 6%  | 27 %  | 82%  | U.S  | 39  | 20  | 6.1  | Netherlands  | 10  | 32  | 25  | Sweden  | 15  | 32  | Germany  | 14  | 26  | UK  | 22  | 27  | France  | 10  | 6 8 10 8 8  | Hungary Spain  | 30  | 35  | Hungary Spain  | Italy  | 36  | Poland  | Greece  | 42  | MEDIAN  | 29  | 4  | Russia  | 18  | 22  | .79  | Indonesia  | 9  | 48 50  | 85 887  | Philippines  | Vietnam  | 10  | 34  | 72 77 85  | Japan  | 23 19  | India  | 9  | 42  | Australia  | 33  | 16  | 65  | South Korea  | 55  | 44  | MEDIAN  | 77  | 34  | 22  | 30  | FA .78  | Turkey Israel  | Lebanon Turkey Israel  | 24  | 43  | Lebanon Turkey  | 25  | 19 22 22  | Jordan  | 39  | 58  | Tunisia  | 3  | MEDIAN  | 25  | 73  | Tanzania  | 92  | Senegal Kenya  | 43 55  | 74 76 82 882 84 92  | Senegal Kenya  | 24 18 16 114 15  | Ghana  | South Africa  | MEDIAN Nigeria  | MEDIAN Nigeria  | 882  | Mexico  | 29  | 6  | Brazil  | 28  | 18 25 6 32 35 31  | 55 the 59 .62  | Venezuela  | 36  | Peru  | 43 41 36  | Colombia  | 18 22 25 31  | Argentina Chile  | Argentina Chile  | 43  | MEDIAN  | 39  | 59  | 38 COUNTRY  | 26  | 73  | 25  | MEDIAN  | Note: Total not well" is sum of "not too well" and "not well at wall"  | Source: Spring 2017 Globa Attitudes Survey.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 