Rhetorical Analysis of the Media and History Page: 2
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channel CNN.
Americans rely on television for their news. A public opinion
poll conducted by the Roper Organization Inc. in conjunction with
the Television Information Office revealed that in the early 80s,
nearly 65% relied on television as their primary source and that by
1982, four out of ten named television as their only news source.
The trust Americans placed in the hands of the television news
media also expanded quickly. Between 1960 and 1980, the proportion
of the population that thought television gave them the most
complete news coverage had tripled (Bower 1985, 133). Americans
trust television news, perhaps in part because we see it (Iyengar,
1) . People are more apt to trust what they see with their own
eyes. But television did more than allow people to see the news
being reported right before their eyes, it brought the news into
the comfort of their own homes. "Anchormen and reporters talking
to people in their kitchens and living rooms had become so familiar
it sometimes seemed as if they were members of the family," says
Desmond Smith. He adds that "Cronkite, the eager young newscaster
of the 1950s, was maturing into the trusted father figure of the
70s and would become the silver-haired Uncle Walter of the 80s,
loved by millions, voted in polls the 'most trusted man in
America'" (Smith, 77). Television became more trustworthy as it
made the news a member of the household. This sense of trust that
Americans have in TV is the primary reason why so many have named
it as the most reliable news source. Television has quickly become
an authority with a high rate of credibility. A report conducted
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Schwartz, Cathy. Rhetorical Analysis of the Media and History, thesis or dissertation, Spring 1992; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc146421/m1/4/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Honors College.