Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NEGATIVE VIEW TOWARD THE MEDIA Public criticism of the news media, which abated in response to coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks, is once again as strong as ever, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Advertisement The survey of 1,365 adults shows the public's grades for news organizations have tumbled since November, on measures ranging from professionalism and patriotism to compassion and morality. Just 49 percent think news organizations are highly professional, down from 73 percent in November. The number who believe news organizations are politically biased has increased by 12 points, to 59 percent -- 57 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of Independents view the media as biased. While Americans take a dim view of the press, they continue to value the watchdog role news organizations perform and 59 percent think press scrutiny of political leaders keeps them from doing things they should not. Advertisement -- Do you think the media is biased? -- Does the media serve as an important watchdog for America? SHOULD AMTRAK BE SAVED? A majority of Americans favor continuing federal subsidies to Amtrak, and a substantial percentage would increase federal funding so the ailing passenger railroad can increase service, according to a Washington Post poll. The Washington Post reports although pro-Amtrak sentiment was stronger in the Northeast, where service is the highest, all sections of the country are in the Amtrak camp. Thirty-one years after it was formed to save the passenger train travel, Amtrak faces more than $1 billion in losses but the Bush administration extracted concessions when it approved a $100 million loan to help keep the railroad running until September. The administration has not said what the concessions are but it's believed they include having states assuming some subsidies and franchising some routes to private operators. -- Should Congress give Amtrak the $1.3 billion it has requested? -- Some critics of Amtrak say the poll should have asked whether people support passenger rail service, instead of continuing Amtrak. Do you agree? SPRINGSTEEN EVERYWHERE Consider: On Tuesday, NBC's "Today" show devoted its entire three-hour program to Bruce Springsteen. Time magazine put Springsteen on its cover. Ted Koppel invited Springsteen to appear on ABC's "Nightline" and then a half-hour longer on "Up Close." CBS's "The Late Show with David Letterman" featured Springsteen two nights in a row. Advertisement The "Today" show moved its entire production staff to Asbury Park, with almost every minute of Tuesday's broadcast featuring something about Springsteen. There was a mini-concert that lasted more than 30 minutes. There were two interviews with Springsteen and cuts of him rehearsing alone and warming up before the concert. The subject of the summer hype was Springsteen's new compact disc, his first with new songs in seven years and his first studio recordings in more than a decade with his "E Street Band" of New Jersey musicians, NewJersey.com reports. The CD contains songs about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. -- Rarely does any news topic get this amount of network television play, let alone a musical act. Do you agree with giving Springsteen all that air time? -- Is it the artist or the subject matter -- Sept. 11 -- that accounts for all of the hype?
