By this year, only 40 percent of Americans put their trust in newspapers,  television and radio to tell them what’s going on in the world. A remarkable 60  percent said they had “not very much” trust or “none at all.”

This should frighten editors and publishers, but it won’t. With few  exceptions, they’re locked in to their high-minded prejudices and the noble  conceit that the role of the media is not to report the news but to tell  readers, viewers and listeners what to think about the news. This trend is  vividly illustrated by the coverage of the presidential campaign this year. This  latest survey was taken in the second week of September, so it’s hot off the  press.