No abstract

Newspaper reading by women is in a decline even steeper than the figures for men. In order to regain them as readers, newspapers must relate directly to women by providing relevant information in a form that respects their busy lifestyles.

The 1985 ASNE media credibility survey showed the public is most critical of media in their coverage of ordinary people, accuracy and bias. Other credibility problems derive from people's confusion about separation of fact and opinion, differences between the public and the media in news judgment, coverage of news and news presentation. Attitudes toward credibility were related to views on press freedoms and attitudes toward media use. Recommendations for newspapers are provided.

No abstract

Psychographic concepts were developed of attitudes toward media responsibility, news involvement and social alienation to learn more about two groups within the public who are the most critical of newspapers. One group, termed “sophisticated skeptics,” may be of special interest to newspapers because of its high interest in news and newspapers but potentially low loyalty to specific newspapers. This group is the most vocal and active of the two, and members are likely to hold a world view very different from that of many newspaper journalists. This difference may contribute to lack of trust in newspapers.