The LA Times offers some interesting insight to the victims of Jayson Blair's shoddy New York Times reporting. They note that it really isn't surprising that many of the people that had been misquoted, or had stories fabricated about them were not all that outraged or even surprised by the media antics. For instance, they report that LCpl. James Klingel and his family never even approached the NYT for a correction, because they didn't think it was a big deal. They pretty much just ranked the Times up there with the Enquirer and went on with their lives.

What is really telling about the LA Times story, however, is the general perception of the media by the American public. Apparently the media is finally starting to realize that people just don't trust them any more.

Except for a surge of support for reporters after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, "positive evaluations of news organizations on issues like trust, credibility and arrogance have all been declining steadily" for more than a decade, said Carroll Doherty, editor of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

Just 21% of Americans believe all or most of what they read in their local papers, according to a poll last year by the Pew Center. In another survey, the center found that 45% believe news stories are "often inaccurate."

That seemed pretty obvious to me. I take just about everything I read with a grain of salt. But then again, I'm pretty skeptical of almost everything. The best quote of the whole article has to be this one: (emphasis mine)

Asked to rate the ethical standards of various professions, Americans place journalists side by side with members of Congress - near the bottom of the list. Only lawyers, advertising practitioners and car salesmen ranked lower, a 2000 Gallup poll found.

The public perception is that the media is on par with politicians as far as ethics go. What a hoot. And they both rank just above lawyers, advertising execs, and car salesmen. Too funny. Perhaps the American public is more perceptive than I give them credit for.