Bad NEWS? Or, a bad QUESTION?

Mercury Research's Mark Ramsey's blog is worth reading on a regular basis. Here's quick sample, in reaction to a recent report on radio's declining image for news:

Is News really all about "Credibility"?

From Radio & Records Management Journal:
Time For Image Rehab? A study conducted just before the election raises questions about the image of radio as a source of credible news. An online poll of 500 consumers conducted last week by InsightExpress shows newspapers and local TV are considered the most credible media (30% each), followed by cable news (24%), online news sites (21%) and broadcast network news (20%). News and Talk radio tied for seventh position at 13% apiece.

My take: Who cares?

Who ever said the one and only relevant measure of the "quality" of news was "credibility"? Who ever said "credibility" makes for popularity? This is an assumption of monumental proportions. It is also in the category of stuff-nobody-will-ever-tell-you-is-wrong. That is, everybody will always tell you "credibility" matters most - then the technically unfair and imbalanced Fox News Channel will win the ratings war on convention night.

The questions you ask will determine the answers you get. And dumb questions yield dumb answers.

LINK: http://mercury.blogs.com/radio/