The Messenger Stumbled?

A recent online Nielsen survey gave low marks to the media for its reporting of the issues leading up to the economic crisis. The survey, based on responses from 250,000 consumers from 52 nations, suggests that the lack of valuable information about the economic nosedive left many "blindsided" by its depth.

The reaction was most negative in Europe and North America. More than 50 percent of North Americans and 48 percent of Europeans indicated dissatisfaction with the media's coverage, compared with slightly lesser figures for other regions. (Latin America gave the media the most slack, with only 43 percent expressing dissatisfaction and 31 percent disagreeing that the media had done a poor job.)

Some critics cite the speed of events following the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing for the media's shortcomings. Others claim that the financial media was "too close" to the people it covered, implying that the media struggled to present an objective view of unfolding events.

Read more about the survey here.