These poll numbers were released hours ago by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Cronkite Far Better Liked Than Current Crew of TV Anchors
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
All the Walter wannabes have a ways to go to match the dean of television newscasters who died last Friday. Americans like longtime CBS newscaster Walter 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of Americans have at least a somewhat favorable view of Cronkite, including 52% whose opinion of him is very favorable.
Only 12% have an unfavorable opinion of Cronkite, who stepped down as CBS-TV's nightly anchorman in 1982.
By comparison, Katie Couric, who now anchors the CBS Nightly News, is viewed unfavorably by more that three times as many adults (38%). Forty-nine percent (49%) have a favorable opinion of Couric.
NBC's nightly anchorman Brian Williams has 47% with a favorable opinion and 28% unfavorable.
For ABC anchorman Charles Gibson, favorables total 50% and unfavorables total 28%.
Gibson has been the ratings leader among the three network anchors for much of this year, according to the Nielsen ratings.
In terms of ideology, only 20% of adults say Cronkite was a liberal, while nearly twice as many (39%) believe that of Couric. Just 25% say Williams is liberal, and 26% believe that of Gibson.
Seventeen percent (17%) say Cronkite was conservative, and 37% view him as a moderate. Couric is seen as conservative by 10% of adults and moderate by 27%.
Williams is viewed as a conservative by only eight percent (8%) of Americans, while 33% regard him as a moderate. Thirteen percent (13%) say Gibson is conservative, but 29% think he is a moderate.
For all four newscasters, however, anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of adults are not sure where they stand ideologically, which is either good news for journalists who hope to be seen as ideologically neutral or suggests that a sizable number of adults are not watching them enough to form an opinion.
Since Cronkite has not been a regular TV presence in over a quarter of a century, it's no surprise that his favorability ratings are much lower among younger Americans than among those 40 and older. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of those age 50 and older have a very favorable opinion of the newscaster once nicknamed "Uncle Walter."
Among adults ages 18 to 49, there is little difference in the favorability ratings of the three younger newscasters. In the same age bracket, Couric is viewed as the most liberal of the three, Gibson as the most conservative and Williams as the most moderate.
In a survey last August , Americans by sizable percentages said they were more likely to listen to talk radio for campaign coverage than to watch the high-profile evening anchors on ABC, CBS and NBC.
When asked specifically about the networks and their anchors, well over half of Americans said they rarely or never watched two out of the three - Couric and Gibson - for information on the presidential
Just before election day last November, a majority of voters (51%) said most reporters tried to help Democratic candidate Barack Obama win the presidency. Just seven percent (7%) thought they tried to help his Republican opponent John 
In July 2007 , American adults by a 39% to 20% margin said the three major broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals. Just 25% believed ABC, CBS, and NBC delivered the news without any bias.
Similar findings of network bias were found during the 2004 national election cycle .
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To view the original report, please use this link: And This Is The Way It Is ....