On the heels of Katie Couric’s departure from CBS, an odd poll:
Following media reports that she plans to leave her post as anchor of the CBS Evening News in June, Katie Couric will exit with virtually the same favorable ratings she had when she started the job in 2006.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 47% have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Couric, while 38% view her unfavorably. These findings include 18% who regard the anchor Very Favorably and the same number (18%) who see her Very Unfavorably.
Why would a news anchor have only a 47% approval rating? News anchors are supposed to be objective messengers of whatever truth is happening around them. They’re welcomed into Americans’ homes via a glowing screen night after night and their audience trusts the anchors to give them their news.
And that’s exactly it.
Look at this poll as a measurement of trust. An evening news anchor (a news journalist, period) should have a high favorability rating (excusing cosmetic variables like people’s appearance preferences, et al.) because it’s supposed to be devoid of editorializing, or, what some mistake as “personality” now days. Supposed to be.
It’s also no wonder that distrust of her is so polarized:
Many Republicans have accused CBS News of political bias over the years, so it’s perhaps not surprising that 54% of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of Couric. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Democrats and the plurality (45%) of adults not affiliated with either major political party regard her favorably.
I’m not sure as to the male-female ratio of those surveyed, but I think sex is the least of Couric’s problems. When it comes to trust, people generally find women as more trustworthy figures than men.
Even with the cards in her favor, Couric could never manage a high favorability and this seems to stem for her well-documented and egregious bias.