When it comes to reliability, I don't think so. I think both are reliable for that matter. I think people use Google more when it comes to searching for something online. Part of that, in my opinion, is the simplicity of the search engine without a lot of stuffs/contents in the google main page, but with only the search engine itself. It's very easy to use without a lot of distractions whatsoever.
I think that when it comes to local or global news/updates, people would check out yahoo. Just take a look at their main page. The search engine is there with a lot of contents around it. Sometimes, it takes more time to load the page than the simple Google homepage.