Falling respect

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The public’s view of journalism’s perceived contribution to society has declined in recent years, according to a Pew Research Center report released last July. Only 28 percent of American adults say journalists contribute “a lot” to society’s well-being, down from 38 percent in 2009. Another 27 percent think journalists contribute “not very much” or “nothing at all,” while 42 percent say they contribute “some” to society. Of the 10 occupational groups considered, only business executives and lawyers received lower ratings than journalists. The top two occupations for contributing “a lot” to society were military (78 percent) and teachers (72 percent). The other occupation rankings in the “a lot” category were medical doctors (66 percent), scientists (65 percent), engineers (63 percent), clergy (37 percent) and artists (30 percent).