Republicans more likely than Democrats to say local journalists should not express views on local issues % ofU.S adults who think local journalists should not
A majority of Americans believe local journalists should not express their views on local issues, but Republicans are considerably more likely than Democrats to feel this way, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that also finds substantial partisan differences over other aspects of local news reporting.
Overall, 61% of U.S. adults feel that local journalists should not share their views about local issues and events, compared with 36% who say they should, according to the survey, conducted Oct. 15-Nov. 8, 2018, among nearly 35,000 U.S. adults.
Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are more than twice as likely to say local journalists should not express their views (71%) as they are to say they should express their views on local issues (28%). Democrats and Democratic leaners are more evenly divided, with 54% saying local journalists should not express their views and 44% saying they should. The partisan divide on this question is similar to one found in an earlier Pew Research Center survey that asked whether the news media in general should present the facts with some interpretation, rather than without interpretation.
While the divide between Republicans and Democrats over whether local journalists should express their views on local issues is among the largest partisan gaps found in the Center’s new survey, other measures also show substantial gaps by party.
Republicans more likely than  | Democrats to say local journalists  | should not express views on local issues  | % ofU.S adults who think local journalists should not  | express their views on local issues  | 61%  | Total  | 71  | Rep/lean Rep  | Dem/ lean Dem  | 54  | Source: Survey conducted Oct. 15-Nov. 8, 2018.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 