Fox viewers less informed on Iraq

[ShimokitaJer]

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/special_packages/iraq/6918170.htm

Knight Ridder has found that Fox news viewers are more likely to hold mistaken impressions about Iraq, such as the finding of WMDs and the connection between Iraq and Al Qaida.

It also found that these attitudes tended to persist long after the information was discredited.

I suppose you could say that, since Fox viewers are self-selected, they are more likely to embrace that kind of crap even if it is patently untrue, but it is still pretty damning.

[Cush]

1. lol

who here is surprised?

[BattyDem]

2. Gee ... that's a surprise.

:eyes:

[MrBenchley]

3. Only on Iraq?

Or is that the only subject that was studied?

[phillybri]

4. I'm loving this.....

:kick:

[WoodrowFan]

you could knock me over with a feather

I am shocked, SHOCKED to find gambling in these premises.

[RobertSeattle]

5. What a great story

Someone finally did the analysis of this - outstanding.

Too bad they couldn't have included the Rush Limbaugh show on this. (I recall hearing some dingbat saying "I get all my news and views from Rush Limbaugh")

[central scrutinizer]

6. can you spell "dense"

"It also found that these attitudes tended to persist long after the information was discredited."

LOL

[Cush]

8. for a FOX viewer it would be

D-E-N-C-E

:evilgrin:

[underpants]

7. That's because Fox is fair and balanced between the truth and lies

They give at least SOME time to the truth, one would assume.

[spindoctor]

9. Unfortunately the buck doesn't stop there.

Isn't it still 70% of the population that believes Hussein was involved in 9/11?

Let's face it, as a country we are not only poorly informed, but also willing to buy anything we see on the tube. Don't blame FOX, they are just supplying the market.

[ShimokitaJer]

11. I think we CAN blame Fox for part of this

Yes, we all know that "Fair and Balanced" is the biggest joke on TV, but many of their viewers actually believe it. They believe they watch Fox because it avoids the lefty bias of the rest of the media -- that is a market that Fox is not only supplying, but one which they helped to create.

The more these false stories are dealt with as actual news by Fox, the more Novak and Carlson will bring them up on CNN and the more the viewers of all networks will believe they are valid stories.

Plus, take a look at the article. These aren't small differences we're talking about. For CBS viewers, the second worst after Fox, 23% of the viewers thought WMDs had been found and 56% believed that there was an Iraq-Al Qaeda connection, compared with 33% and 67% for Fox viewers. The numbers of Fox viewers for the WMD question are three times that of those who get their news from print media. This is not just "supplying the market." It is a pattern of deception that must be addressed.

[spindoctor]

15. Focus

If 67% of all FOX viewers believe in an Iraq-Al Queda connection, then that is still less than the national average.

FOX must be "educating" 3% of the brainiacs. ;)

Seriously, news stations like FOX are not in the business of selling news, they are in the business of selling advertisement. News is their means, not their purpose. They found a formula that draws a large croud for now and they are sticking to it. Once Bush's approval ratings sink below 50% (almost there....almost there), they will change their tone to suit the mood of their audience. Don't pin me down on that 50% threshold, but you catch my drift.

They are not deliberately decepting the public, nor are they controlled by the government. Those ideas are just as ridiculous as the alleged left wing media conspiracy.

The scary thought is that FOX is simply bringing the viewers what they want and that Gore's new venture is doomed before it even hits the airwaves. Who knows though. Public opinion changes more often than Supreme Court nominees, and with the right formula it just might change the tide.
What we really need though is a progressive news channel with topless anchors. That would shoot the ratings through the roof and we would be able to educate America with truly unbiased news without anybody noticing it.

Al, are you taking notes here?

[Maeve]

10. Flip side--PBS/NPR listeners are much better informed

So are newspaper readers... :D

[jwcomer]

12. Favorite finding

My favorite finding from the actual report is that, "78% of Bush supporters who watch Fox News thought the US has found evidence of a direct link to al-Qaeda, but only 50% of Bush supporters in the PBS and NPR audience thought this. On the other side, 48% of Democrat supporters who watch Fox News thought the US has found evidence of a direct link to al-Qaeda, but not one single respondent who is a Democrat supporter and relies on PBS and NPR for network news thought the US had found such evidence." Way to go PBS and NPR Dem's!!!

[ProfessorGAC]

13. File This Under "Well, Duh!"

The people who watch that network will naturally be underinformed because the network underinforms its viewers.

It's not necessarily that the viewers of Faux are stupid (although that's a distinct possibility), but rather that Faux is not a true journalistic entity. If they don't report all the truth, then their viewers will be less informed.

It's mostly the fault of Faux. The viewers are more to be blamed for being willing to be fed propaganda instead of information they actually have to think about.
The Professor

[otohara]

14. Too Bad CBS, CNN, NBC, etc...

aren't that far behind Fox in misleading viewers

[SidDithers]

16. But will this be reported on Fox News?

What a damn, silly question :)

Sid

[Seneca]

17. this parallels another study

Some years ago, it was determined that Rush listeners THINK they are the best-informed, but are truly the worst.

Ignorance provides a little bubble of protection from reality and self-examination. Self-critical analysis and just plain critical thinking are not the province of these people, people. :-)