posted
Study hits war views held by Fox fans By David Folkenflik Sun Staff Originally published October 4, 2003
Heavy viewers of the Fox News Channel are nearly four times as likely to hold demonstrably untrue positions about the war in Iraq as media consumers who rely on National Public Radio or the Public Broadcasting System, according to a study released this week by a research center affiliated with the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs.
"When evidence surfaces that a significant portion of the public has just got a hole in the picture ... this is a potential problem in the way democracy functions," says Clay Ramsay, research director for the Washington-based Program on International Policy Attitudes, which studies foreign-policy issues.
Fox News officials did not return repeated requests yesterday for comment on the study.
Funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Ford Foundation, the study was conducted from June through September. It surveyed 3,334 Americans who receive their news from a single media source. Each was questioned about whether he held any of the following three beliefs, characterized by the center as "egregious misperceptions":
- Saddam Hussein has been directly linked with the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
- Weapons of mass destruction have already been found in Iraq
- World opinion favored the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
To date, as measured by government reports and accepted public surveys, each of those propositions is false, according to the center. The Bush administration has argued that evidence will be found of the weapons in Iraq as will direct links between Saddam and the al-Qaida members who planned the 9/11 attacks. But President Bush has been forced to acknowledge that no such proof has surfaced.
Sixty percent of all respondents believed in at least one of the statements. But there were clear differences in perceptions among devotees of the various media outlets.
Twenty-three percent of those who get their news from NPR or PBS believed in at least one of the mistaken claims. In contrast, 80 percent of Fox News viewers held at least one of the three incorrect beliefs.
Among broadcast network viewers there also were differences. Seventy-one percent of those who relied on CBS for news held a false impression, as did 61 percent of ABC's audience and 55 percent of NBC viewers. Fifty-five percent of CNN viewers and 47 percent of Americans who rely on the print media as their primary source of information also held at least one misperception.
The three evening network news shows command the largest audiences, together typically reaching between 25 million and 30 million viewers nightly. But Fox News, the top-rated cable-news outlet, has steadily increased its viewership by offering a blend of hard news and opinionated talk that often takes on a patriotic sheen. Its top show draws more than 2 million viewers nightly.
"Among those who primarily watch Fox, those who pay more attention are more likely to have misperceptions," the report concludes. "Only those who mostly get their news from print media have fewer misperceptions as they pay more attention."
The PIPA study suggests a strong link between people's understanding of the news and its source. That link held true throughout different demographic segments, such as those based on education level, viewing habits, and partisan leanings, Ramsay said.
"It proves that what we're doing is great journalism," says NPR spokeswoman Laura Gross. "We're telling the truth and we let our audience decide."
More information on the study can be found at www. pipa.org
posted
Was the first question, Are you a moron? If they answered yes then they could continue?
I didn't get those top three from FOX, what I did get was that if you thought the war was wrong in any way you were a sorry excuse for an American, even if you were French, German, or Canadian....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
While the report is rather disturbing, I would point out that just because mistaken people watch Fox News doesn't make Fox the source of their error. I'd also be interested to see what the results would be on other issues, and whether other the distribution of stupidity changes.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
FOX might not be the pinnacle of objective reporting, but very few sources were strictly objective during the war. Most shocking example was the pretty obvious anti-war reporting by the BBC.
And 'embedded' journalists weren't helping either. Being shot at probably doesn't help very much in objective reporting.
posted
You see, there you go, the real reason for bombing our own troops at times, keeps them objective....
It also depends on the questions asked and how they were asked, and who got the raw numbers in and how they manipulated the data to their own ends....
A study can say almost anything you want it to....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
So this study went by three misperceptions:
1. US troops found close links between al-Qaida and Iraq. 2. Troops found WMDs. 3. World public opinion favored the war.
Now, the whole study bases itself on these 3 misperceptions. Notice how all of them favor anti-war people, since all of these misperceptions point to the war being a bad thing.
For example, an anti-war person would automatically say no to all of these things, whether or not they had watched any news at all. A pro-war person might believe in #1 without watching the news.
What would have happened if they went with these misperceptions:
1. Bush said that Iraq tried to get uranium from Niger. 2. Bush said that Saddam was involved with 9-11.
Most Democrats or anti-war people would fail on these misperceptions.
Thus, this whole study is a sham. If these three misperceptions were used, one would get completely different results.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
1. Bush said that Iraq tried to get uranium from Niger.
Says who? That theory is taking a beating since day one. And no further proof to substantiate it other than hearsay.
2. Bush said that Saddam was involved with 9-11.
Any concrete evidence other than a supposed meeting between Mr. Atta and a supposed Iraqi official?
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Before the four horsemen start the next war (whenever that will be) I think I'll start taping fox news reports, just so that we can ram them down peoples throats every time the story changes.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
You're going to tape Fox News? Surely we haven't started exporting that filth overseas? If we have, I can't apologize enough...
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Sadly, yes, Fox is available on satellite channels. It really is crap; makes Chinese state Television (for some reason they have a English language version) look fair and balenced. Well, almost.
Registered: Feb 2002
| IP: Logged
posted
Honestly Wraith, your second post speaks volumes, and is a little more balanced than the first...
FOXNews does provide one thing that the others don't, true entertainment, as long as the facts don't get in the way.....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Saltah'na: 1. Bush said that Iraq tried to get uranium from Niger.
Says who? That theory is taking a beating since day one. And no further proof to substantiate it other than hearsay.
2. Bush said that Saddam was involved with 9-11.
Any concrete evidence other than a supposed meeting between Mr. Atta and a supposed Iraqi official?
You misread my statement. The above opinions are misperceptions. That is, Bush never said either of those things. But a large number of the antiwar people believe he did, and often argue from that mistaken belief.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic
