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TV reporters less honest and ethical than newspaper journalists, says Roy Morgan study

Screen Shot 2015-05-08 at 11.50.34 AMTV reporters have become less trustworthy than newspaper journalists and talk back radio presenters over the past 12 months while only car salesmen are held in less regard than “advertising people”, according to Roy Morgan’s annual Image of Professions survey.

While Newspaper journalists remained unchanged with 82 per cent of people still holding an average, low or very low opinion of the profession, TV reporters were regarded as less honest and ethical than last year.

Only 15 per cent of the 598 Australians questions by researches said TV reporters have high moral standards, down from 18 per cent in 2014.

Respondents were read a list of 30 professions and asked to rate them very high, high, average, low or very low with regards honesty and ethics.

Talk back radio presenters sat just above TV reporters in 21st place, with 16 per cent believing they had high moral standards, up from 15 per cent.

But the advertising world fared poorly after the survey found only five per cent of respondents had a high or very high opinion of what Roy Morgan generically classed as “advertising people”, marginally ahead of car salesmen who held up the table in last place.

It meant 95 per cent had an average, low or very low regard for the advertising world.

Top of the tree again was nurses with 92 per cent rating them as honest and ethical, one point above last year, ahead of pharmacists and docrtors on 84 per cent, school teachers (78 per cent), engineers (74 per cent), dentists (71 per cent), state supreme judges (69 per cent) and the police (69 per cent).

Slightly more trustworthy than ad people were teal estate agents, insurance brokers, stock brokers, federal MPs and union leaders.

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