MUMBAI: Rival Fox News from the Rupert Murdoch stable may have the numbers, but when it comes to credibility it is CNN that tops all TV news organizations in the US, according to a recent study.

The findings of the study, released on Sunday, 4 August, by the Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press, found that viewers trust the news network more than any other television news organization. CNN has held the top spot for believability since the study began in 1985, a CNN release says. The Pew Research Center is an independent opinion research group that studies public attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. 

Of the 1,365 adults surveyed, 37 per cent rated CNN as the most believable. Additionally, the study also found:

CNN's closest competitor was CBS' 60 Minutes with 34 per cent giving the news magazine the top grade.

Twenty-eight per cent gave MSNBC high marks for believability;
Fox News garnered 24 per cent of the votes;
The major networks scored an average of 25 per cent.

While CNN may have scored when compared to other news networks, the survey also points out that the image of the media overall has slipped dramatically compared to what it was in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September 11 attacks. The patriotic fervour that united the country then has been tempered since and US public opinion regarding the "messenger" has slipped, coinciding with growing concerns about the economy and business scandals, the survey says.

"The favourable glow from the media's post-9/11 performance has completely disappeared. As the media's focus has shifted away from terrorism, Americans regard news organisations with the same degree of scepticism as they did in the 1990s," Pew has been quoted as stating in the report.

In the survey, conducted in July, only 49 per cent of the respondents said that news organisations are highly professional, down from 73 per cent in November, the Press Trust of India has reported.