(TNND) -- Most Americans think journalists are important to the well-being of society, but all Americans don't define a journalist the same way, a new Pew Research Center report showed.

Americans value honesty, intelligence, authenticity and kindness in journalists.

But Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view journalists as "biased," "elitist," and "dishonest," rather than "intelligent," "well-intentioned," and "relatable."

About half of Americans told the Pew Research Center that journalists are losing influence in society.

But Kathy Kiely, a veteran reporter and journalism professor at the University of Missouri, said she saw more "signs of hope" in the new Pew Research Center report than in a lot of recent surveys documenting the eroding trust in media.

Kiely said the new report showed that Americans are recognizing the importance of journalism.

"All the factors that have caused that loss of trust in news also are beginning a debate about policy and the role of journalism," she said. "And I think that is having the effect of making people who aren't journalists think a lot more about the role of journalism. And to me, that's what we're starting to see in that Pew report."

Both Kiely and Peter Loge, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, said journalists serve a critical role in America.

"Journalists hold society to account," Loge said. "They hold a mirror up to society. They keep communities together."

Study after study has found that places with good local journalism have less corruption and better politics, Loge said.

Kiely said journalism is fundamental to a democracy.

"We are watchdogs," she said. "And smart politicians understand that we really make them better, because everybody behaves better when they know somebody's watching."

The Pew Research Center found a lack of consensus on the basic question of who qualifies as a journalist.

A majority of people, 59%, said someone who conducts their own reporting on current events qualifies as a journalist.

Opinion was fairly split over whether someone who compiles and shares other people's reporting should be considered a journalist.

A slim majority of people don't consider someone who offers opinions or commentary on current events to be a journalist.

Most Americans, 79%, said someone who writes for a newspaper or news website is a journalist.

Majorities also viewed reporters or hosts on TV or radio news shows as journalists.

A plurality of people, 46%, said someone who reports on or hosts a news podcast is a journalist.

Half of people don't view someone who makes their own videos or posts about news on social media as a journalist, though just over a quarter of people do see those folks as journalists.

Loge said this survey reflects a lot of the divisions within American society.

"How you view journalism is a lot like how you view a lot of things," he said. "Where you stand depends on where you sit. And if you sit at the younger end of the spectrum, you think journalism is what you grew up with, which is much more online, much more fragmented. If you're older, if you're my age, journalism looks like a newsprint that comes off in your hands that you can now also get online."

Loge said it's easy to point to TikTok and YouTube as the reasons journalism has been fragmented and its definition has been muddied in the minds of Americans. But he said that trend began a long time ago with talk radio and 24-hour news on cable TV.

Kiely said in a world where anyone with a smartphone can be a news publisher, the public must realize everyone isn't a professional reporter.

The conflation of social media posts from amateurs or family members with stories from credible outlets has caused trust problems and reputational difficulties for journalists, Kiely said.

And she warned that social media is "information junk food" that uses algorithms to give you what you want in your news feed.

"There is no reason for the platforms to give you a story that would make you uncomfortable, because they want you to stay on their platforms," Kiely said. "And so, people need to understand that."

Kiely said she defines a professional journalist as someone who seeks out primary sources, seeks out multiple viewpoints on a story, and corrects mistakes.

And Kiely said professional journalists should represent the public they serve.

"The people we owe our loyalty to are not the people who sign our paychecks," she said. "They're not the powerful people we have the privilege of interviewing. They are the people who we often will never meet, the people who read our stories or watch our broadcasts or listen to our broadcasts."

Loge said journalists are like referees, which can make them unpopular when the story doesn't align with a news consumer's worldview.

"People tend to read views they agree with. And so, if you read news you disagree with, you might think it's biased," Loge said. "We all do that. It's not malicious. All sports fans think the ref is biased against their team."