(My apologies for the lack of documentation for the data referenced below. I am happy to provide it if you feel like it would be helpful to you in your projects.)
The general public's increasing mistrust of mainstream media sources is fairly well documented. A 2001 study showed that people regard television news with the most suspicion, but are to a lesser degree also distrustful of news they learn from online sources and newspapers. (I am searching for more information about whether this data holds up in the post-blogging world.)
People with a high "need for cognition" choose to interact a great deal with media sources, even though they do not trust the news they learn. Media mistrust has been linked to a lack of trust in the government, perhaps because people see the two "institutions" as inextricably linked.
In this environment, is it possible for emerging news organizations (Talking Points Memo, for example) to establish reputations as credible and trustworthy sources? Additionally, can they raise bar for main stream media? I am going to try to make an argument that they can. Key factors in this change -- the "new media's" transparency and their willingness to engage in conversations with readers.
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