Wall-to-wall media reports on the war in Iraq have not resulted in significant improvement in the public's view of the media's coverage of this war compared with the first Persian Gulf conflict. However, there are signs that 24-7 televised images of war are taking an increasing psychological toll. In recent days, more than four-in-ten (42%) expressed the view that "It tires me out to watch" TV coverage of the war, up from about one-in-three who agreed with that statement in the early days of the conflict.
The Pew Research Center's tracking poll on war opinion shows that measures of other emotional responses to war coverage -- feelings of sadness, depression and fear -- have also increased as the war has continued. Initial public reactions to the practice of news organizations embedding journalists with the troops have been favorable, though not overwhelmingly so. Nearly six-in-ten think it is a good thing that TV and newspaper reporters are traveling with U.S. forces and filing dispatches from the field, while a third say it is a bad thing.
To view our new poll, please see our website: http://www.people-press.org