By Hank Price | October 14, 2019 | 5:44 a.m. ET. Hank Price: “Every local general manager and news director is well aware of their need to constantly build and maintain viewer trust. Trust is not optional. To lose it is to go out of business.” The number of polls showing loss of trust in political coverage by national news media has now become overwhelming. The trend began with Republican voters, but now includes Democrats and most everyone else. Pity the poor independents who not only distrust national media but have no cable channel to reinforce their views.
Although the numbers vary depending upon source, it is equally clear voters continue to trust local television news. The question, then, is why?