Survey: Americans Say They’re Well-Informed, But Dissatisfied With Coverage of Iraq War

Zogby survey commissioned by Poynter reveals the stories people remember and the stories they want.

For five years, journalists have reported on the Iraq war from abroad and at home, telling stories about lives lost or forever changed, the economic impact of the war and the medical mistreatment of soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital.

A new study commissioned by The Poynter Institute to learn more about Americans’ views on Iraq war coverage reveals that of the 8,683 adults surveyed earlier this month, 75 percent feel well-informed. But the majority of readers, viewers and listeners say they are still far from satisfied with the coverage.

Among participants of the online survey, conducted by Zogby International, 47 percent described the coverage as ”poor” and 33 percent rated it “fair.” About 16 percent called it “good,” while 2 percent regarded it as “excellent.” Of those surveyed, 90 percent describe themselves as active consumers of news. (See sample details.)

 

The study reveals a deep dissatisfaction with war coverage and provides information journalists can use to learn more about what the public wants.

The survey, which was funded by the McCormick Foundation, provides a breakdown of the war-related topics participants consider “very important.” Three-quarters consider coverage about stateside medical care of veterans very important. Fifty-six percent said stories on post traumatic stress disorder were very important. Participants also considered medical care the topic they have read and heard about most, followed by post traumatic stress disorder and the war’s economic impact. (See table comparing most familiar and most important topics.)

 

The survey asked respondents what types of stories they’d like to see more. They said they wanted more:

 

 

The findings suggest a tension between what those surveyed say they want and what journalists think the public wants. In a nonscientific poll of Poynter Online users, respondents said people most wanted to see more coverage of how the war affects U.S. communities. Prior to presenting the above findings to journalists attending the “Covering War at Home” program at Poynter this week, we asked seminar participants to rank the list of topics in order of importance to the public. Most seminar participants said stories about how the war has impacted communities here in the U.S. would be at the top of the public’s list — not stories about the Iraqi government and people. When they learned about the results, they expressed surprise, doubt and ideas about how to improve coverage.

It’s the positive, localized stories that people seem to want the most, said Mike Adams, deputy managing editor of The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, which focuses much of its war coverage on nearby Fort Bragg.

“You don’t report enough about the good stuff” is a complaint Adams said he hears often from readers.

Jan Wesner, a reporter at Poynter’s St. Petersburg Times, received similar responses when she created an impromptu survey on her “Standing By” military-related blog, asking readers to share their impressions of Iraq war coverage.

“I think I would give the war coverage by mainstream media a ‘D’ and that might be generous,” a reader with the username “Marine Wife” wrote. “It seems that it usually focuses on the negatives and rarely on anything positive. It also seems sensationalized when it’s covered.” Another reader, named Amie, wrote: “There are journalists who cover all aspects of the war, the good and the bad. Those are the types of journalists I seek out when I’m reading the news.”

“Standing By” reader Savannah Smiles shared sentiments similar to those shown in the Poynter survey findings: “I don’t think there’s enough emphasis on the Iraqi citizen side of it all. It seems too much is sugarcoated,” Smiles wrote. “They talk about the 4,000+ American deaths, but rarely do they mention the tens of thousands of Iraqi deaths.”

Regina Galvin, who is attending the “Covering War” seminar, said she believes Americans want to be seen in a positive light, and if the media portrays them differently, they seem to become dissatisfied with the coverage.

“I think Americans want to be liked, and I think the country is not seen positively abroad. They want us to focus on what the country’s doing right,” said Galvin, who is vice president of communications and editor-in-chief of CinCHouse.com and OperationHomefront.net.

Others at the “Covering War” seminar were more skeptical of the survey, such as Vicky O’Hara, senior editor of National Public Radio’s “The Impact of War” project. She said that judging from her experiences with war coverage, people care about their families and their communities, not about policies.

“If this poll accurately reflects the attitudes of the American people,” O’Hara said, “then the news moguls in this country should reverse course and start reopening their foreign bureaus … I don’t believe that for the average American, interest in foreign affairs trumps interest in family and local communities.”

Seminar participant Jia-Rui Chong, a general assignment reporter for The Los Angeles Times, agreed that the survey’s findings may mean news organizations should start developing a stronger reporting presence in Iraq, despite financial woes.

“To me, this says that we need more people on the ground in Iraq,” said Chong, a general assignment reporter. “I don’t think we have enough organizations providing a diversity of opinions.”

Chong’s view is supported by the data. A majority of survey respondents (81 percent) said they are disatisfied with the diversity of opinions represented in the media’s coverage of the Iraq war (See detailed findings). Ninety percent of Republicans, who make up 36 percent of the individuals surveyed, said they were dissatisfied, compared with 78 percent of Independents and 75 percent of Democrats.

 

Additionally, 65 percent of those surveyed said they do not see a diversity of viewpoints in the coverage of the Iraq war’s impact on people in the U.S. (See detailed findings). Bob Steele, Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values, said journalists would be wise to dig deeper into diversity.

In seeking diverse viewpoints, journalists might ask, “What is it that citizens seek in terms of more diverse sourcing, views and coverage? Then, the journalists can develop the angles and stories that reflect greater diversity,” said Steele, who is helping to run the “Covering War” seminar. “Those stories would ideally ring true for the public because the public would read, see and hear a greater range of content and opinion from sources. Stories would be more authentic because they would have greater texture based on the diversity of sources and perspective.”

Integrating different viewpoints may help give readers a more complete picture of the Iraq war, one they are not accustomed to seeing in the mainstream media and one that leaves them with greater understanding and satisfaction.

[How do the survey’s findings compare to what you’ve heard from readers, viewers and listeners at your news organizations?]

–by Mallary Jean Tenore

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