27% Believe CBS Memos Authentic; 38% Disagree

[LRB]

27% Believe CBS Memos Authentic; 38% Disagree

September 14, 2004--Twenty-seven percent (27%) of voters believe that the CBS Memos concerning President Bush's National Guard service are authentic. However a Rasmussen Reports survey also found that 38% believe the memos are forgeries.

Among voters who are following the story very closely, 56% believe the memos are forgeries and 27% believe they are authentic. Overall, 38% of voters say they are following the story "very" closely and 34% say they are following it "somewhat" closely.

Only 16% of voters think questions about President Bush's National Guard service are "very" important. That view is held by 27% of Democrats, 13% of unaffiliated voters, and 6% of Republicans.

Forty-two percent (42%) of voters have a favorable opinion of Dan Rather, the anchor who reported the story and continues to defend the memos. Thirty-three percent (33%) have an unfavorable opinion of him.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters believe Rather presents the news in an unbiased manner. An identical 38% say that Rather is using his broadcasts to try and help elect John Kerry.


All of the data has a strong partisan edge to it. Among Kerry voters, 46% believe the memos are authentic while 16% say they are forgeries. As for Bush voters, 61% say they are forgeries while 10% say they are authentic.

This data suggests changing perceptions of the traditional media outlets. An earlier Rasmussen Reports survey found that viewers now select their news sources along partisan lines.

A 2003 survey by Rasmussen Reports showed that traditional media outlets no longer have the presumption of reliability. In that survey, conducted following the Jayson Blair scandal, only 46% considered the New York Times to be a reliable news source.

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