Robin Roberts Is the Most Trusted News Anchor Because Robin Roberts

It’s been a heck of a year for Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts. She was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), had a bone marrow transplant, underwent radiation therapy and, on top of it all, lost her mother. Ever-resilient, Roberts was back in her anchor chair less than half a year after vacating it in order to recover. Clearly, America was glad to have her back — she was just voted the most trustworthy news anchor on TV.

With help from the Wagner Group, Reader’s Digest polled over a thousand readers on which current pop culture and media figures they trusted the most. For the most part, the list reads like it might as well have been conducted in the mid-90s (fair enough — do you know anyone under the age of 60 who subscribes to Reader’s Digest? Do you know anyone who subscribes to Reader’s Digest) with Tom Hanks topping this list, followed by the likes of Sandra Bullock, Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts and Bill Gates. Robin Roberts appears at #12 and is the first woman mentioned from the world of television (only one other TV personality outranks her and it’s Alex Trebek).

When asked how it felt to be held in such high esteem by the American public, Roberts responded:

Television can be so fleeting and to have been recognized in a publication like Reader’s Digest … it means everything. I wish my mom and dad were here to see this. It would mean so much to them because all they wanted was for us to grow up to be good people. They didn’t care that sister is a social worker and brother is a teacher and that two of us are on TV. All they wanted was for us to be trustworthy citizens. And there’s a responsibility that goes with that, and it’s not something I take lightly.

While it’s easy to dismiss Reader’s Digest for being that boring magazine that you read in the doctor’s waiting room (but only if there’s no People, Sports Illustrated or Highlights), their readership might be onto something here. Roberts exudes calm capability when reporting on the news, she’s personable-yet-professional in interviews and her colleagues are extremely fond of her — a rarity in this Lauerian world of morning news. As far as network TV goes, she’s well deserving of the “Most Trusted” title.

But enough complimenting — we’re making Robin Roberts blush! Let’s talk about her future career goals:

“It’s actually on my bucket list to play a judge on SVU.”

Please make this happen, bosses of show business. The lady’s earned it. We’ve all earned it.