WASHINGTON—Indicating an unprecedented lack of public confidence when it comes to wacky, laugh-out-loud moments inadvertently captured on live television, a new study released Friday by the Pew Research Center found that fewer Americans than ever trust news bloopers. “Our findings indicate less than 30% of U.S. residents now believe in the authenticity of a local news broadcaster tripping and falling on camera or accidentally using a curse word,” read the report, which charts a steady decline over the past decade when it comes to the perceived credibility of various unexpected hijinks, such as a weather reporter who wore green accidentally blending into the green screen behind her or a correspondent getting headbutted by a goat while doing a field piece. “Whether it’s an inappropriate chyron or file photo being displayed during a broadcast or an anchor who doesn’t realize he’s on air getting caught picking his nose, nearly eight in 10 Americans express skepticism over the legitimacy of the slip-ups they’re seeing. Some have even expressed doubts over the integrity of entire news fail compilations.” The study went on to report that the only way to combat this growing trend was to educate the public on how to identify bogus goofs and gaffes when they arise.
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