While Americans tend to hold politics and politicians in low regard, the leading Election 2008 Presidential candidates are viewed more favorably than the nation’s leading news reporters. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that Katie Couric earns the highest favorables among the media types at 48%. Still, that’s lower than the favorable reviews earned by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (70%), Illinois Senator Barack Obama (55%), Arizona Senator John McCain (54%), New York Senator Hillary Clinton (50%) and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards (49%).

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with a 49% favorable rating, also outranks the journalists.

Ideology doesn’t appear to be the determining factor when it comes to ratings for reporters. While Couric tops the list of favorables, Bill O’Reilly is in second place at 46%. The highest unfavorables are earned by Rush Limbaugh (62%) and Larry King (46%). Couric (42%) and O’Reilly (41%) are the only other reporters to top the 40% mark in unfavorables.

Couric (48/42), O’Reilly (44/41), Tim Russert (43/34), Brian Williams (41/26), Paula Zahn (41/31), Charles Gibson (37/31) and Sean Hannity (37/29) all have higher favorables than unfavorables.

Wolf Blitzer is close to even (36% favorable/35% unfavorable).

Those with higher unfavorable ratings include Larry King (35/46), Rush Limbaugh (26/62), Chris Matthews (26/37), Maureen Dowd (24/28) and Alan Colmes (23/33). Rasmussen Reports will poll on other media figures as the campaign season unfolds.

See ratings for all journalists, Republican Presidential candidates, Democratic Presidential candidates, Members of Congress, and other political leaders.

See also the latest polling data for the primary competition in both the Republican and Democratic primary.