Public opinion on investigative reporting in the 1990s: Has anything changed since the 1980s?

In view of the recent developments in public attitudes toward the use of in vestigative reporting, this study compares past findings on perceived publi c importance of investigative reporting and the acceptability of different reporting methods with findings from a national telephone survey of 1,211 r espondents conducted in February 1997 by Princeton Survey Research Associat es. While past studies only found weak relationships between approval of in vestigative reporting and respondents' individual-level characteristics, th is study hypothesizes that the increased use of these techniques in popular television shows and local evening news has created a highly divided audie nce which, while paying great attention to reports that use investigative r eporting techniques, either strongly approves or disapproves of their use. Findings indicate that the best predictor for whether people approve or dis approve of investigative reporting is their general attitude toward the med ia's role in society, rather than increased exposure to investigative news stories.