CANADIANS WANT MORE RESPONSIBLE NEWS COVERAGE
By Adnews Staff
Canadians wants to see less sensationalism in news coverage, according to a study done by the Angus Reid Group of Toronto. Sixty-six per cent of Canadians says that the media is responsible for sensationalizing such stories as the White House sex scandal and the death of Princess Diana. Furthermore, 35% have actually boycotted certain media because of the way they have reported on scandals such as these. Canadians would like to see more news coverage of health, environment and technology issues, and 19% want to see less coverage of politics and government. Eighteen per cent of Canadians are extremely interested in following the issues and events in the news, while 59% are very interested. Television is the number one source of news, followed by daily newspapers, radio, weekly community newspapers and magazines. Nine per cent of Canadians are using the Internet to keep up with current events. Sixteen per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds use the Internet to follow the news. The poll was conducted by telephone between Jan. 21 and 27 among a cross-section of 1,500 adults.