Times Mirror Center For People And The Press

A significant number of Americans believe that the press is judging President Clinton both too quickly and unfairly, according to a new survey released today. But a large share of the public still thinks that Clinton's sagging popularity is his own fault, not the fault of the press, according to the survey by the Times Mirror Center for People and the Press.

North Americans and West Europeans trust newspapers and television news so much that many readers and listeners pronounce the media more believable as an institution than even their churches. Yet, despite this trust, substantial majorities would like to restrict press freedom to protect military secrets, stamp out terrorism and cut down stories dripping with sex and violence.

North Americans and West Europeans trust newspapers and television news so much that many readers and listeners pronounce the media more believable as an institution than even their churches. Yet, despite this trust, substantial majorities would like to restrict press freedom to protect military secrets, stamp out terrorism and cut down stories dripping with sex and violence.

The test did not seem difficult. Anyone who keeps up with the news ought to know that Boris N. Yeltsin is president of Russia and Boutros Boutros-Ghali is secretary general of the United Nations, right? But Americans failed badly, faring far worse than their neighbors and West European allies in a survey of eight countries released Tuesday by the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press.

The test did not seem difficult. Anyone who keeps up with the news ought to know that Boris N. Yeltsin is president of Russia and Boutros Boutros-Ghali is secretary general of the United Nations, right? But Americans failed badly, faring far worse than their neighbors and West European allies in a survey of eight countries released Tuesday by the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press.

West Europeans and North Americans oppose the idea of press censorship in principle, but their mood changes when they contemplate restricting sensational or troublesome news stories or telecasts that bother them. A survey released Tuesday by the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press revealed a surprising sentiment for restrictions on media among Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Britons, French, Germans, Italians and Spanish.

A survey by the Times Mirror Center for The People and The Press reveals that "A plurality of 43% described the media as the most powerful force in setting the national agenda, whereas 22% cited political leaders in Washington" (Feb. 3). How would such a system of government be characterized--a media-ocracy? DAVID CRAIN Irvine

A man we know, a noted lawyer and jurist now in his 70s, poignantly gave voice one day last week to his growing frustration over the state of his nation. "I hate to admit this," he told us, "but I hope that my two sons don't make me a grandfather." This nation's social problems, in his view, have grown ever more severe as solutions have grown incremental and more expensive.

You dismiss the opposition party's clamor for public disclosure of Clinton's Whitewater episode as "politics" as if it were a pejorative (editorial, Jan. 13). Politics has become a dirty word because of the abysmally low level of the people who practice them. Politics aren't dirty, today's politicians are. I recall the media exposing a $2-million SBA loan default by Neil Bush. Opposition politics should have been practiced more vigorously there. The failure of Whitewater's lender, Madison S&L, cost taxpayers about $55 million.

Despite intense media coverage, most Americans are paying little or no attention to news accounts of the investigation into President Clinton's past business dealings, according to a survey released Friday. Moreover, after a month in which the so-called Whitewater story has increasingly become the focus of White House press coverage, Clinton's approval rating has remained unchanged at 48%, according to the study by Times Mirror Center for People and the Press.

West Europeans and North Americans oppose the idea of press censorship in principle, but their mood changes when they contemplate restricting sensational or troublesome news stories or telecasts that bother them. A survey released Tuesday by the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press revealed a surprising sentiment for restrictions on media among Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, Britons, French, Germans, Italians and Spanish.

A significant number of Americans believe that the press is judging President Clinton both too quickly and unfairly, according to a new survey released today. But a large share of the public still thinks that Clinton's sagging popularity is his own fault, not the fault of the press, according to the survey by the Times Mirror Center for People and the Press.

Although few Americans followed Adm. Bobby Ray Inman's abrupt withdrawal from consideration for the defense secretary's job, many agree with his condemnation of the media, according to a survey released Wednesday. A growing number of Americans say press coverage of politicians' personal and ethical behavior has become excessive and is discouraging qualified people from entering public life, says the survey by the Times Mirror Center for People and the Press.

The nation's major newspapers have generally been unbiased in the early stages of their health care reform coverage, but they have often cast the debate as a battle between competing business and political interests, largely ignoring the potential effect on average people and on quality of care, according to a study released Friday.